Northwestern University has students seeking a variety of interests and offers many roads for them to prepare for future careers in business. All of these involve academics, internships, and activities where students will demonstrate and hone their leadership and management skills. No single path to a business career suits Northwestern’s extremely diverse group of students. For this reason, the University offers a range of opportunities—from deep quantitative training in finance and operations to applied majors that can be combined with business courses such as accounting, marketing, and business communications.
There is no stand-alone business major at Northwestern, but there are many programs that will give students the training they need to get a successful start in the business world. Strongly quantitative students may be drawn to programs like Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences (IEMS) or the Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences Program (MMSS). Those fascinated by organizations may want to consider the Learning & Organizational Change (LOC) major. Those interested in working for employers who deliver complex information may study Communication or Journalism. Those who love the social sciences may head into business through majors like Economics and Psychology. And for students who are just entering Northwestern and don’t know yet which of our educational programs will suit them best, the University has many advising resources to help students choose.
No matter what major a student decides on, they can also acquire useful business understanding and skills through the Harvey Kapnick Center for Business Institutions or the highly quantitative Kellogg certificates in Financial Economics and Managerial Analytics.
Northwestern matches its pre-business academic options with opportunities for students to apply and practice what they learn. For-credit internships and practicums are performed in serious business settings. In the wide array of student organizations, students can take leadership roles—making decisions, implementing innovations, and responding to the choices they’ve made—that will be significant advantages when they apply for that first job in business. Many Northwestern undergraduates interested in business careers go directly from Commencement into the business world, not stopping to get an MBA first. The Roads to Business website gives you an overview of the pre-business opportunities offered at Northwestern University that will help you to follow in their footsteps.
Whatever your path, make sure to take advantage of Northwestern Career Advancement as early as your freshman year. Its staff and resources will help you assess, explore, and choose your future career goals and act on them.