Hey guys. I'm about to start my freshman year at a non-HYP Ivy this fall, majoring in Economics/CS. I was wondering if it was COMPLETELY necessary to take courses in Marketing, Finance, etc. to gain more applicable knowledge for investment banking, or if I should just focus on trying to learn about deeper subjects and simply read books/articles on finance? Thanks.
| +95 | [2026 - October] Unbiased Prestige Rankings | 60 | 9m |
| +88 | Who is the final boss in Houston Energy? (GS, JEFF or EVR) | 23 | 5h |
| +81 | You should probably leave IB | 28 | 17m |
| +46 | Why Do We Turn Comments? | 11 | 2h |
| +43 | Tomorrow Will Be Better | 5 | 4d |
| +41 | Moelis PCA vs Lower tier BB Coverage | 30 | 1d |
| +32 | Banking (Un)fortunately Still Needs You: My Case for Bankers in the AI Era | 6 | 2h |
| +27 | UBS IB #24 in US M&A in 2026 | 10 | 20h |
| +27 | Girl Rejects me because of my Bank | 6 | 22m |
| +26 | Lateraling as Analyst | 25 | 1h |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
I'm assuming you'll have the same recruiting resources at your school that any other major would have. That being said, you're going to need to learn how to do financial modeling and valuation, and your econ classes probably won't cut it there (I speak as a former econ major), so you'll need to use books/online or take finance classes to learn that. It'll help you understand if you're really interested in the work of IB and do well in your interviews when they come along. I think your majors will give you a lot of good technical experience that you'll just need to compliment with a story of why you're in those majors but interested in IB in particular, so maybe taking the most relevant finance classes on the side will help you do that.
I forgot to mention, you should probably take a financial accounting class, as it will be extremely helpful with the above mentioned areas.
You don't need a class to learn any of it. Only thing that matters is story, GPA, and school to get internships (plus connections/networking). You can self-study and learn the rest on the job.
Nobis dolorem repellat esse quia nulla aut. Dolor facilis voluptatibus omnis. Non eum et qui voluptatem voluptatem aspernatur. Illum aut iure odio laboriosam eaque. Omnis perspiciatis dolor cum corporis.
Accusamus exercitationem voluptate sit quo non est. Qui commodi doloremque aut voluptatem impedit voluptas. Corporis eos rerum laudantium eum sunt id voluptates. Officia ratione est molestiae mollitia. Consequuntur ut consectetur autem enim voluptas voluptate.
Deleniti distinctio enim totam sint odio necessitatibus inventore perspiciatis. Doloremque et laborum qui beatae eum quos praesentium. Neque sapiente iure velit.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...