Got Milk?

Aight boys and girls I need some advice. I'm currently doing a bachelor of business at QUT in Brisbane but am strongly considering switching into a double degree in Mathematics & Business. Is this a viable option for S&T/IB and is it worth doing a STEM degree to stand out from the other million people doing straight finance? Also should note that I do actually enjoy math. Cheers.

10 Comments
 

Do what you love and it’ll eventually pay off. the major doesn’t really matter in S&T as long as you convey your interest in markets/products.

I also majored in maths and I loved it. I guess it was more useful than other majors on my desk (equity derivatives) but not so much on others. Good luck!

 
Most Helpful

Hey there! 

I did a bachelor's degree in Mathematics in the UK and I'm now interning in IB at a BB while finishing a Master's degree at a Top 3 business school in continental Europe.

During all my interviews no one really cared about my BSc in maths. It could help a bit more with S&T but when you do interviews for M&A positions and they ask you to do some mental maths they'll expect you to be a human calculator (little do they know that you only see numbers once in a blue moon during that degree...).

If you wanna change to a double degree because you truly enjoy maths then go for it! It could give you a slight edge but IMHO not enough to go through the pain that the degree is (if you can't tell I truly hated it lol).

Best of luck!

 

I think its worth mentioning that kinghamasaki is giving advice relevant to recruiting in Europe, which is relatively different to recruiting in Aus. For example, a Masters degree won't increase your chances for recruiting in Aus, instead so many people change or extend their degree (by going part-time, etc.) to increase their chances for IB/S&T. 

If you want to maximise your chances recruiting in Aus: 1). Get a GO8 uni degree (STEM degrees give early pathways increasing your chance of recruiting), 2). Get relevant work experience & participate in uni societies, 3). Get a competitive GPA, 4). Develop strong technical knowledge ( eg). learn the basic fundamentals of the 400Q Mergers and Inquisitions IB question booklet) , and  5). Develop strong interpersonal Skills for interviews 

 

Go get the milk. If you enjoy maths and your no longer loving what your doing and thinking about switching. I’d say switch.

It has to be your decision, I switched what I was doing. If it wasn’t my decision it would have come back to bite.

Good luck what ever you do.

 

QUT business is effectively TAFE given acceptance is 100% for everyone with ATAR over 80. For a look in at S&T you probably need maths, or even better: UQ

 

Is transferring to UQ an option? I say this because BBs hire almost exclusively from the Go8 schools in Aus (USYD, UNSW, UQ, UWA etc).

This is especially the case since the easiest way to break into S&T in Aus is through the Citi & JPM case competitions which QUT students can't even participate in.

Also have never come across any QUT student in all my superdays although I have seen some on LinkedIn on the IB side of things.

Have landed an offer this year and more than happy to answer Qs in DMs.

 

Reiciendis iste voluptatem sit voluptas. Temporibus ut qui eius libero commodi. Praesentium nam minus tempora magnam reprehenderit ea eaque. Ratione consequatur quo assumenda sit laboriosam quis adipisci. Et et perspiciatis labore error.

Totam rerum assumenda quos molestiae. Et eius quo est sint autem sit aliquid.

Atque dolorum voluptas voluptatem odio magni. Qui eaque sunt corporis vero. Dolores inventore ea qui enim quis architecto voluptas. Quisquam excepturi expedita eum tenetur. Tempora commodi sed ut cumque similique quia.

Eaque minus sed asperiores minima autem sequi quis voluptatum. Necessitatibus molestias tempore et maxime molestiae laborum. Est eum dicta corrupti quia quibusdam aut magnam. Cum et minima nesciunt ea.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”