Stern Concentrations 101: The Rundown
BY SCARLETT KNIZNIK & TIFFANY WANG
One of the great things about Stern is the variety of different subjects you can explore within business. But, how do you choose your concentrations from the 13 different ones offered? We’ve got you covered – we asked 13 different students about their experiences and concentrations.. keep reading to hear their thoughts!
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Name: Amber
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I chose Accounting because it teaches you the foundations of business to succeed in every career! I definitely found the courses a bit difficult at first, but once you understand the basics (from Principles of Financial Accounting), everything builds upon each other and starts flowing really smoothly. Also definitely a bonus if you're taking classes with Professor Shehata, because she really cares about every single one of her students and tries her best to make the classes enjoyable.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Principles of Financial Accounting (Professor Shehata), Advanced Managerial Accounting (Professor Beniluz), Auditing (Professor Shehata.. again haha)”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“Auditing (Internal and External), Tax, Forensics Accounting, Corporate/Private Accounting, Accounting Advisory, and honestly any numbers/financials based careers!”
What is the most challenging part about your concentration?
“Most students with accounting concentrations are in the BS/MS program, which requires you to take 150 credits over 4 years + 1 summer to get both your Bachelor's and Master's degree. Because of how packed your schedule is, you'd have to plan ahead (as early as Sophomore year) to make sure you have room for studying abroad/graduating early. I ended up cramming all my courses and never studied abroad :( but now I can graduate as a part-time student next semester and travel during Spring!”
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Name: Yan
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I chose Actuarial Science as my concentration for the breadth of the mathematical and functional business components it covers. The concentration requirements include courses in economics, finance, and statistics. The curriculum also prepares students for preliminary actuarial exams and provides the necessary training to pursue a career as an actuary. By studying Actuarial Science at Stern, you will find a welcoming and close-knit community where you can really connect with other students and professors who share your interests.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Mathematics of Investment, Applied Stochastic Processes for Financial Models, Intro to the Theory of Probability”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“Actuary, Actuarial Consulting, Insurance Underwriting, Risk Management, and other Finance related careers”
What is the most challenging part about your concentration?
“The most challenging aspect of the Actuarial Science concentration is the difficulty of coursework. Most advanced elective courses in the Actuarial Science concentration have math prerequisites, such as Linear Algebra and Calculus 3. Though the coursework may be difficult, the actuarial science department and the Actuarial Society at Stern offer ample support and resources to help you succeed academically.”
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Coming soon
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Name: Nisha
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I got introduced to the world of business intelligence and data analytics through a senior capstone project in high school! When I learned that Stern had a concentration that closely resembled this, I decided to take a few classes to explore. The concentration felt like a great way to get a feel for how business and technology interact, and allowed me to develop some technical skills along the way.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Foundations of Fintech, Intro to Programming, and Projects in Programming”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“Several roles in and out of business are increasingly relying on data! In short: so many careers including those across finance, computer science related roles, and more. Data scientists can be found at a multitude of companies regardless of industry as these insights help best inform how they do business. I’d definitely recommend checking out the “Tracks” page on Stern’s website to learn more about career options and class recommendations.”
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Name: Sydney
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I chose this concentration after taking the Economics of Global Business, one of the Stern required core classes. I enjoyed learning about the different forces that drive the economy and being able to understand the decisions made by the Federal Reserve and how they affect everyone's day-to-day experiences. I also chose this concentration because I liked the mix of qualitative and quantitative classes I would be able to take.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Data Bootcamp with Professor Zweig and Econometrics with Professor Manzan”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“You can go on to pursue higher education to pursue a career in academia/research. You can also pursue jobs you would pursue with a normal economics major: anything from finance to consulting to, more recently, roles in tech. The hard skills of data analysis in R and Python are widely useful in many fields.
What is the most challenging part about your concentration?
I think the classes are the hardest part of this concentration. Plus, since econometrics isn't the most popular major, your friends might not be in your classes which can make them more difficult. However, if you are motivated and eager to learn, you will gain a lot of skills from this concentration!”
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Name: Dhira
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I'm actually doing the minor in Social Entrepreneurship. It's super cool because you get to take classes in both Stern and Wagner. I've always had an interest in social impact, so I wanted to combine that with my business interest through this minor.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Sustainable Urban Development in Wagner, Economic Inequality in Stern, Social Entrepreneurship in both Stern and Wagner.”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“Starting your own social venture! Also careers like ESG investing”
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Name: Vandi
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I took Foundations of Finance and Principles of Financial Accounting and thought that they were really interesting classes. I wanted to take more classes similar to those and ended up choosing to go for a finance concentration. I also think a lot of the material I learned in my finance classes will be transferable during internships.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Principles of Securities Trading, Equity Valuation”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“Literally anything! Investment Banking, Sales and Trading, Consulting, Asset Management, Private Equity, etc”
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Name: Neyl
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I applied to Stern because of the GB concentration. Growing up multicultural, I have always had this affinity for how businesses operate abroad. I always wanted to learn how you manage a global business, how you go about marketing products in other countries, etc. That cultural sensitivity and knowledge is something I aspired for and Stern could provide.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
Global Marketing Strategy, Global Business Trends, Global Strategy, Comparative Politics
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“It's pretty open ended, the GB concentration covers everything from management, marketing, finance, economics - anything with a global aspect to it. International marketing is a pretty big one, but consulting is also a big one especially when it comes to companies wanting to expand in other countries. There is a lot of flexibility with it.”
What is the most challenging part about your concentration?
“The lack of popularity or awareness. Not a lot of people know about it. It also isn't its own department. You take FINC, MKTG, MGMT, SOIM classes. So it doesn't have a "home section" if that makes sense. It's also a little broad with requirements which is why it's easy to complete, but also why there is no common GB experience. That lack of integral or central classes might be an issue. Also, not a lot of clubs represent it as a gathering group.”
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Name: Jordan
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I picked Management & Organizations as one of my concentrations because I really enjoyed the Management and Organizations core class and wanted to continue taking management electives. I also enjoy examining firms, their strategies, and their teams which this concentration encompasses.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“For my management electives I took Strategic Analysis with Professor Marciano and Managing People & Teams with Professor Bechky. I enjoyed both of their classes and the team aspects they entailed. I took my other two management electives while studying abroad on IBEX!”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“I think that Management and Organizations is a versatile concentration that can be applied to any career. The framework of thinking and leadership lessons that the courses provide can be useful in any industry. For me, I hope to use the skills I learned pursuing the concentration in a strategy role sometime during my career.”
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Name: Amanda
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I wanted to study something that would allow me to use a creative perspective while also tying in my interests in psychology and different areas of business. The marketing concentration (the required courses, as well as electives) fit my interests perfectly!”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Executive Practitioner Seminar: The Dynamics of the Fashion Industry - Professor Jeffrey Carr (MULT-UB elective, but counts for marketing concentration!), Consumer Behavior - Jared Watson (required class for marketing concentration)”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“Digital marketing, product marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, brand management,
public relations.”
What is the most challenging part about your concentration?
“Sometimes it might feel like the emphasis in Stern is on finance and careers in finance, but clubs like Marketing Society have great resources for people interested in the marketing concentration and careers in marketing!”
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Name: Bausch
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I am interested in allocating resources efficiently throughout the supply chain and minimizing waste throughout the process; also [this concentration] allows for OPT extension for international students.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Operations Management with Professor Xiao (highly recommend)”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“Supply Chain Management, Data Analytics, Data Science, Consulting, etc.”
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Name: Isha
Why did you choose this concentration?
“I really like the analytical side of finance so I thought that this would allow me to explore quantitative finance and risk management.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“I have only taken one elective in this concentration so far which is "Forecasting Time Series" and it honestly caught me off guard at first because I haven't taken a lot of statistical theory. However, as the class has gone on, I feel myself applying concepts I learned in class in the real world and I really am able to make a better sense of what I am seeing in the markets so that has been a pretty cool experience.”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“I am currently trying to recruit for positions within risk management and portfolio analytics. You can really look into anything within quant because there is so much intersectionality between statistics and any other industry you choose (I am doing finance as my other concentration).”
What is the most challenging part about your concentration?
“A lot of the stats classes are cross listed with the graduate school so you will often be surrounded by people who simply have more experience — however, this is also a plus point because it has given me an opportunity to indirectly network with people who work at firms in NYC and learn from them.”
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Name: Alisha
Why did you choose this concentration?
“When I was in high school I had a big passion for environmental science and learning about new ideas and clean energy and things related to those concepts in the field. However when I came to Stern I thought I would have to give up on those interests to pursue a more traditional business path in finance or statistics or another quantitative field. It was the social impact curriculum which actually allowed me to figure out I could combine both of my interests in finance and sustainability, and as I started exploring more I realized that I could pursue a sustainable business concentration in addition to my finance concentration and get the best of both worlds! So that is what I ended up doing! I always had a passion for sustainability and sustainable business and the realization that Stern had all of these classes and an academic path that could support me helped me realize this was the perfect fit.”
What are some of your class recommendations?
“Theory and Practice of Sustainable Investing, Understanding the Clean Energy Transition, Social Impact Consulting”
What are some careers this concentration could help you pursue?
“Sustainable business is growing rapidly, and even over the past two years from when I started taking courses in the concentration until now I’ve seen an immense growth in the number of opportunities and internships and research positions available in the field. The cool part is that sustainability can be applied across all industries whether it be finance or accounting or tech or venture capital. So whatever it is you’re interested in there’s definitely an opportunity to mesh that interest with sustainable business. I would recommend checking out the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business’ jobs board! It’s a super helpful resource and you can get a feel for some of the opportunities and positions that are out there currently, and even let that potentially guide you as you continue to explore! “
What is the most challenging part about your concentration?
“I think one of the most challenging aspects of this concentration is the fact that it places a strong emphasis on soft skills that are traditionally not taught or covered in other courses at Stern. A lot of the work in sustainable business concentration classes is group-based. You definitely need to be comfortable with working in a team, potentially leading a team, and navigating different experiences that arise because of varying team dynamics. You often also need to create presentations in these classes so being comfortable with public speaking and being energetic is important. Additionally, although it sounds obvious, the classes do cover a lot of different sustainability topics and so it’s very hard to make it through if you don’t have a genuine passion or interest in sustainable business. Sometimes students may take these classes thinking they’re easy and they can just get by, but the critical thinking required and the way these classes go in-depth into sustainability makes it hard to succeed if you’re not interested in the field.”
Whether you are a freshman, sophomore, or a week away from declaring your concentrations, hopefully you learned something new about the 13 concentrations Stern offers. Remember you can learn more about the different concentrations and their career opportunities by talking to upperclassmen (including those in the USWIB Board!) and professors and trying out new classes!