Dual major, worth the time and effort?

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) usually face a common dilemma at the time of choosing a major. While other subjects have a clear-cut path, a BBA can be tricky to navigate through. Every BBA graduate has faced a point where he or she had to choose among the array of branches of Business Studies. For some, the path to be selected has been clear from the beginning; others have lost sleep trying to pick a major. For a student working to battle such a predicament, the option of a dual major comes to the rescue like a knight in shining armour. Public universities do not offer dual major due to their closed credit system; it is possible to attain a dual major in the open credit system of private universities.

A dual major provides students with a tactic of keeping their options open and set themselves apart from their peers. Salman Sufian, a fresh graduate from North South University (NSU) with a dual major in Marketing and Finance claims, "Not that I was confused; I just wanted to keep my options open before I finally decided which path I'll be taking. That is why I kept both of my majors unrelated so that I have opportunities. Since it is not necessarily that the one major I choose is going to get me a job in today's competitive job market. So I needed a backup plan too."

Secondly, a dual major provides students with a way out of choosing between their passions and scoring good grades. Tasnim Zaman, a BBA graduate from BRAC University, says, "I used to be a Science student, but as I started studying BBA, it seemed fascinating; especially Marketing and Human Resource Management (HRM). I liked these two subjects so much that it felt like too much work to choose between them. I knew I wanted a career in Marketing, but HRM was amazing. More so because I was getting straight As in them. So I did my major in both." Another graduate from the same institution, Mia Fuad Hasan adds," Choosing a major subject for a business graduate has always been a tough task. To me -- future career prospects, quality of faculties and flexibility of class timing -- are the major determinants for major selection. Finance was always my first choice mainly for my love for mathematics as it involves both calculation and analysis. Supply-chain management has a bright prospect shortly which has enticed me to pursue this as my second major."

Lastly, a dual major synergises the knowledge of two different disciplines to help students relate better between the concepts taught in the classroom and the real-life workings of a business. Rubaiyat Shams, a graduate from North South University, mentions, "I first started my Finance and Accounting major, hoping to get into a leading bank of Bangladesh. Later when I had to take a few mandatory Marketing courses as part of BBA, I grew fond of it. I decided to do a dual major with Marketing besides Finance and Accounting. I loved marketing strategy classes and could not wait to implement my learning in real life work with of course financial implications included. Looking back, a decision taken impulsively turned out to be a great decision I made."

Whether choosing a single or a dual major, students must keep in mind that the prospects and career options vary from discipline to discipline. Let us take a look at some possible combinations of dual majors and what opportunities they hold for the graduates.

Finance and Accounting: The skills and talents of accounting majors are easily applied to the fields of banking, investment banking and security assessment, among many others. A double major in Finance and Accounting equips a student with highly coveted skills and knowledge of statistics, marketing and business principles. This helps train students to assess the solvency of a business and suggests recommendations to improve the financial condition. Graduates often go into posts that require further professional accountancy qualifications, such as the Chartered Accountant (CA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), etc.

Finance and Economics: Combining Finance with Economics can help develop sound analytical and quantitative skills, which are highly valued in the business world. It also provides a plethora of stable career opportunities such as the role of a banker, financial analyst, financial planner, investment advisor, portfolio analyst and stockbroker, among others. Furthermore, this dual major helps to refine understanding of the intricacies of the global economy and helps fosters independent, analytical thinking on economic problems.

Finance and Marketing: The combinations of these two have more technical disciplines, but the mixture of Finance and Marketing is diversified. The major in Finance prepares graduates to analyse and interpret specific types of financial issues. Individuals are equipped to guide companies in the creation and implementation of strategies that will improve a company's financial health. The marketing major concentrates on analysing consumer demand and market trends in addition to the successful promotion of products. Integrating an understanding of operations of financial markets in management and consumer behaviour alongside how marketing works, can help graduates gain employment as brand managers, direct marketers, financial planners, market researchers, stockbrokers, etc.

Marketing and HRM: This dominant combination accommodates for students who want an overall understanding of managerial proficiencies and the functional area of Marketing. The HRM component focuses on critical challenges facing managers such as the relationship between people and the organisation, performance, innovation and change. The marketing component prepares graduates to organise and control marketing activities efficiently in a highly competitive market. Overall, it leads to the development of skills of communication, programme solving, planning, coordinating, managing change and working cooperatively. This builds an understanding of two essential areas of business, which can be applied to a broad range of industries and roles. Furthermore, this combination is perfect for a strategic and creative thinker, who enjoys developing and engaging with teams and organisations.

Supply-chain Management (SCM) and Management Information Systems (MIS): Both these are upcoming disciplines. MIS adds value to any business degree. SCM provides an understanding of an increasingly significant aspect of logistics, procurement, purchasing, and beyond; especially for companies managing supply-chains across the world. With the advent of technology, the combination of SCM and MIS will equip graduates to navigate different aspects of SCM -- for instance, inventory management, better than before.

Although a dual major may not be everyone's cup of tea, it indeed is worth the time and effort, providing graduates with not only better job prospects but also a sense of accomplishment. "In the era of multitasking and multi-skilled employees, a dual major would help aspiring graduates to make a difference in their potential organisation," states Fazla Mohiuddin, a lecturer of BRAC Business School, BRAC University

The writer is a fresh graduate from BRAC University, with a dual major in Economics and Finance. She can be reached at

[email protected]