Can You Get Into a Graduate School With a Liberal Arts Degree

What undergraduates without concern feel should know about applying to a Master of Science in Finance, Master of Accountancy, or Primary of Marketing programme

By Kara Sherrer

Some higher students don't become interested in business until their junior or even senior twelvemonth, as they brainstorm to seriously task chase. For students with a liberal arts major and little-to-no internship experience, it'due south almost impossible to go a job in a business right afterwards college — just a one-year business masters programme tin can help close that gap.

True, many students in programs like Master of Science in Finance, Main of Accountancy, and Master of Marketing exercise have a business-related degree from higher. Just plenty of them have a liberal arts degree instead, and came to the program to get the business education they need to launch a career in these fields.

"You have a (liberal arts) foundation that yous tin bring to business problems that is going to differentiate you down the road. Simply you practise need a set of business skills — business concern tools — that y'all can use to hit the footing running right away," said Cherrie Wilkerson, Assistant Dean for Young Professional person Programs.

We talked to the directors of admissions for Vanderbilt Business' three 1-yr masters programs to get the scoop on what liberal arts students need to know well-nigh applying. Here's what these applicants demand to know:

Getting Accepted

To answer the question upfront: Yes, y'all can definitely get accepted to a one-year business masters plan with a liberal arts undergraduate caste. "Nosotros have had students from all different majors. So we've had a religion major, we've had psychology majors, lots of different engineering backgrounds, people who thought they were going to be pre-med or pre-dental and inverse their heed," recalled Maura Clark, Manager of Admissions for the Primary of Science in Finance at Vanderbilt Business.

"It'south not necessarily your major, it'south what you want for your career…if yous can take (the prerequisites) and you lot know you're interested in business, you can major in anything you want," added Emily O'Dell, Director of Admissions for the Primary of Accountancy.

Indeed, these ane-twelvemonth masters programs are designed to help students who didn't become (or get enough of) this business education in higher ready to start their career in their called field. Whether the educatee didn't realize they were interested in business until their senior year, or but attended a college that didn't offering concern majors for undergraduates, a one-yr business master'south program can assistance students fill in any educational and career development gaps.

"The program was designed to assist students without marketing coursework to gain the skills and experience they demand to launch a marketing career. All majors are encouraged to apply," said Suzanne Feinstein, Director of Admissions for the Vanderbilt Primary of Marketing.

"Whatever your undergraduate degree, y'all get everything yous need (from the program)," O'Dell affirmed.

Prerequisites and Other Courses

That being said, near business masters programs do look for some sort of quantitative feel from prospective students, normally in the form of college classes. The MAcc programme does take specific prerequisites: Students must have completed Financial Bookkeeping, Managerial or Cost Accounting, Microeconomics, and Statistics by the time they first the MAcc program (though not necessarily when they utilize). Candidates applying to the Valuation plan are too expected to accept completed additional quantitative coursework.

While this may audio like a lot, the iv base classes are often required as part of the core undergraduate curriculum anyways, even at liberal arts institutions. "I've had history majors go through our valuation program, considering I started talking to them their sophomore year and advised them on which classes they needed to add together," O'Dell said. "Whatever student with any major can apply, as long as you starting time early and think almost the courses you need to have."

While the MSF program doesn't crave specific classes, admissions does await for statistics, calculus, economics, or similar quantitative courses to evidence that students can do the math. Clark works with each candidate to review their coursework and application and make sure they're ready for the academic load of the MSF programme. "What we look for on the admissions side is quantitative acumen," she said. "Everything is a discussion…and nosotros work with everyone individually."

Even the Main of Marketing program looks for a certain level of familiarity with quantitative work, as the field is becoming more data-driven past the solar day. Most students have taken at least one quantitative class such as economics or basic accounting, which (once more) is ofttimes required by the liberal arts core anyways.

"I would hesitate to admit anyone who did non have any (quantitative work), simply that'due south really rare," Feinstein said. "Information technology's becoming very articulate that data and analysis are so important to marketing. To exist successful in the classroom and also in your career, y'all need to be very comfy with numbers."

The Advantage of Liberal Arts

For prospective students worried that not having a business major volition fix them back, fret not: Students have the same admission to classes and chore opportunities during the masters programs, no matter what their undergraduate degree was. "A Davidson history major is going to have the exact same opportunities as a Tennessee accounting major," O'Dell said.

The skills that students gain from a liberal arts education — writing, advice, critical thinking, problem solving, working in teams, and more — will also serve them quite well as they commence on their business careers with the assist of their masters caste. "Beingness able to take a lot of really complex information, analyze it, synthesize it, and communicate it in a simple mode that people volition sympathize — that's marketing, and that'south what you learn in a liberal arts program" Feinstein said.

In fact, a liberal arts major can actually assist you stand out in the recruiting process every bit you network with alumni and chat with recruiters, especially if you're job-hunting in a field where most applicants have a traditional business available'due south caste. "Pairing that (liberal arts groundwork) with a very technical finance degree can brand for a very interesting story," Clark said.

That existence said, liberal arts students even so demand to think critically near where they want they desire their careers to become and beginning building a plan to get there. This is doubly true if that programme involves taking prerequisites and applying to ane-year masters programs, which takes time and studying. "Be very, very thoughtful well-nigh that next pace later on college. It matters greatly," Wilkerson said. "Invest the aforementioned amount of fourth dimension in your career choice equally you're going to invest in a class."

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