Which Business Management Major is Right for You?
The Business Management program within the Ted Rogers School of Management has a world of opportunities and diverse majors for students to choose from. Students in the program get an overview of all areas of business in their first year before they choose their major, but if you are eager like I was in high school, you might want to get an idea of what major could be right for you before you start university. I have broken down each of the majors and gathered some words from other students and alumni to help give you an idea of which one will make your career dreams a reality!
Economics and Management Science
If you’re good with numbers and enjoy following what is currently happening in the global economy or researching what has happened in the past, this major may be right for you! The economics program teaches students both qualitative and quantitative analysis skills that allow them to become successful in management decision-making. Course offerings include Sports Economics, Transportation Economics, Environmental Economics, Game Theory and more! After university, common occupations of graduates include business analyst, economist, data analyst or information officer.
“After taking economics courses in my first year and doing some research, I knew that economics is the right major for me. Economics is distinctive from other majors because it really allows you to enhance analytical skills along with quantitative and technical skills. Skills gained in Economics are highly transferable, and add great value to business decision-making. I aspire to be a Financial Analyst, and I am currently doing a minor in Finance.”
If you find yourself following the housing and commercial market, and real estate as a whole just fascinates you, then a career in Real Estate Management might be the path for you. The program knows that students have diverse interest areas within real estate, which is why the program offers flexibility in what courses students can take. Highlights of these courses include Housing and Construction Management, Real Estate Valuation, Real Estate Research Methods and Real Estate Development and Project Management. You may find graduates of this program working as a property analyst, valuation analyst, commercial brokerage assistant and more.
“People end up in different areas. Some go into sales/brokerages, a lot of people are going into the development industry, and I know some who have ended up as analysts at big real estate companies. I personally am going into valuations/appraisals.”
Do you see yourself being your own boss? Do you have great business ideas or want to learn how to create great business ideas? If you answered yes to either of these questions then chances are the entrepreneurship major will feed your soul. This major may also be the right choice if you want to cultivate entrepreneurial thinking within an existing business to create new products, services or processes or assist multiple start-up ventures through an incubator or consulting service. The breadth of courses in this major is truly incredible as it offers more entrepreneurship courses than any other English language university in Canada. This includes courses like Entrepreneurial Selling, Social Entrepreneurship and Changemaking, Funding New Ventures, and Management of Innovation.
“Experiential learning is one of the highlights of being an entrepreneurship major. All majors do case studies with textbooks, but entrepreneurship classes allow us to interact with our peers further through workshops, in-class feedback, working with other companies and more. Especially with ENT78, the capstone course, where you have to come prepared to each class and be ready to answer any questions for your presentation, which are treated like real pitch meetings. Another highlight of the entrepreneurship program is the professors, who are amazing public speakers, supportive and most are entrepreneurs themselves! One misconception of the program is that it is only for people who want to start their own business. However, the program is also designed for aspiring intrepreneurs – people who work within existing companies or organizations and execute innovative projects.”
This major might pique your interest if you enjoy learning about the behind-the-scenes of how businesses operate, and are keen on working with different countries and cultures. Although most international business is currently taking place over Zoom, graduates of this program typically work in positions that come with the perk of international business travel. The course offerings cover a wide variety of strategic management topics, but the ones that I think are truly unique are the courses focused on different international business environments such as North America, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.
“GMS is a major that lets you explore the discipline of working in international boundaries and allows you to develop a global approach to your business management thinking. GMS also prepares you to become a future leader of a multinational organization by understanding the business acumen of different countries.”
The HR major is known to be full of outgoing people who have a skill for working with others, listening and presenting both good and bad news. However, HR is actually a great major for a variety of different personality types as the program teaches students how to be well-rounded leaders who can think critically and enhance the work experience. As these skills can’t just be built by sitting in a lecture and doing a multiple-choice test, upper-year students engage in role-playing and online simulations that stimulate the business environment and client experience. This prepares graduates of the program to work as employee wellness specialists, senior recruiters, job analysts and more.
“The Human Resources major allows you to explore many different career paths within the field. Some courses allow students to apply their knowledge, including the Recruitment & Selection course where students interview actors and the Negotiations course where students collaborate and come to an agreement with two or more parties and get on-the-spot feedback. Not to mention, there are two concentrations within the major that students can specialize in, including Organizational Behaviour & Industrial Relations. Students wishing to complete their HR designation with the Human Resources Professional Association can do so within the course load of the major to distinguish themselves from other HR professionals.”
If you enjoy watching television shows like Suits and Law & Order, and are considering the path of law yourself, then this major is the perfect choice for you. This program teaches students to think critically and frame problems from a legal perspective, just like Harvey Specter. Courses include White Collar and Cyber Crime, Intellectual Property Law, Legal Aspects of International Business and Philosophy of Law, to name a few. Although it is common for students to go to law school after the program, some other career options include policy analyst, compliance analyst, labour relations assistant and project control officer.
“I do not have any plans to go to law school. I chose this major just because it appealed to me more than all the other majors, and partially because I did well on law122 (in first year)… I do have plans to pursue post grad education, maybe an MBA. It does require a lot of critical thinking skills and most importantly analysis skills because even though midterms and exams are open book, you have to understand the context in order to do well because you cannot learn during the tests because of time limit. However, law and business is a great program as I have worked at two good firms while in the co-op program.”
As a marketing major myself, I can tell you that this program is great for inspiring creative and strategic thinking skills. I have always had an interest in both the creative and business fields, and loved that this major combined my love for both of them. Another reason I chose this program is that I like understanding how psychology and sociology works, and how I can utilize this knowledge as an advertiser to respond to customers’ needs better. Some of my favourite courses in this program have been Integrated Marketing Communications, Effective Persuasion, Innovations in Marketing and Integrated Case Analysis. The diverse opportunities after graduation include social media management, market research, brand management, sales and public relations. I’ve already had a chance to explore some of these career options through co-op positions, and I look forward to diving deeper and trying new things after graduation.
If two of these majors are calling out to you, don’t panic! Students can double major or get a minor in these topics as well! On the other side, if none of these majors are seeming like the perfect fit for you the Ted Rogers School of Management has other programs that may pique your interest including Accounting & Finance, Business Technology Management, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Retail Management and more.