What's Happening in Higher Education

Re: MSc or MBA??

bushjo — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:25:24 GMT

Interesting dicussion. To me the advantages/differences of the two are also not quite clear. Guess I'd go for the MBA if I were you...

Re: MSc or MBA??

Cajun — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:42:48 GMT

I think that to get the greatest utility out of an MBA you need some level of experience. That being said sometimes the experience can come after the degree but the graduate should expect a slower progression towards the "average" salary mark for an MBA in their region.

Re: MSc or MBA??

frdsmth9 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:11:48 GMT

Well, personally I am against doing MBAs without work experience(if you search the forum here, you will probably see im not the only one as for doing an MSc and then an MBA.

Re: MSc or MBA??

chapman79 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:29:15 GMT

MBA requires experience may help you for future purposes. Basically, it's an advantage once you finish the degree, getting job is much more simpler.

Re: MSc or MBA??

Cajun — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:48:59 GMT

Now that is true. Don't even get my started on the "executive" MBA programs...

Re: MSc or MBA??

SteveFoerster — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:35:43 GMT

Lester:
In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, the MBA was a hot degree, and other business-related master's degrees were considered inferior. This is no more. As noted above, if you want to specialize in a particular area, get a degree in it. If not, get a general MBA, or get an MBA in your desired specialization. The relevance of the degree to your career and professional identity is far more important than the exact designation.

A factor is that an MBA used to be more hard core than it is now. Decades before, one needed a strong academic background in business before being eligible to apply for an MBA program. Now there are MBA programs for everyone, many not even requiring prerequisites.

-=Steve=-

Re: MSc or MBA??

Cajun — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:18:27 GMT

Lester is mostly correct. I agree with everything he said except that the MBA is still probably the single most popular graduate degree around, for better or for worse primarily because it does so well in the private sector. From a purely academic standpoint however, the MSc and MBA are equals, in fact from a purely academic standpoint for someone looking to become a subject matter expert in a specific discipline, the MSc may be superior.

Re: MSc or MBA??

Lester — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:26:00 GMT

In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, the MBA was a hot degree, and other business-related master's degrees were considered inferior. This is no more. As noted above, if you want to specialize in a particular area, get a degree in it. If not, get a general MBA, or get an MBA in your desired specialization. The relevance of the degree to your career and professional identity is far more important than the exact designation.

Re: MSc or MBA??

SteveFoerster — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:51:55 GMT

LSBF would be okay if you do their program where you end up with a Master's from Grenoble. (They also have one where you finish with a degree from the unremarkable University of East London.)

-=Steve=-

Re: MSc or MBA??

anikethan — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:17:57 GMT

hi again.. how is london school of business and finance(LSBF)???

Re: MSc or MBA??

decostop — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:23:54 GMT

My experience (working with MBA graduates, and having one myself) is that the MBA is of far more value to someone with at least a few years of work experience, rather than as a bolt on immediately after a Bachelor's degree. However, if you are planning on doing a distance education MBA, you might be gaining enough work experience simultaneously to get something close to full value out of it.

The MSc seems pretty specific in scope ("Marketing"), where my experience is that most MBAs are general in scope (and everyone with an MBA and specialty in Finance is hurling insults at me). IHowever, managers are generalists, not necessarily SMEs lilke someone with an MA in Economics, or Accounting, etc.

If you want to be a specialist, go MSc or MA, if you are looking to just broaden your skillset, go MBA.

Later,

Re: MSc or MBA??

SteveFoerster — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:14:47 GMT

Usually when I think about distance learning and London, I think of the University of London External Programme. They don't have anything in Marketing, but they do have a few programs you may want to consider, including an MSc in International Business and both an MBA and an MSc in International Management.

-=Steve=-

Re: MSc or MBA??

anikethan — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:18:37 GMT

thank you cajun for replying to my post. i am considering a degree in management outside my country because i want to start my own busines in the near future. i wanted to do a mba but it requires eperience.. so, as an alternative i have opened up options towards a Msc. i even have a choice to pursue Masters in international business in LSBF..... i want to know whether people segregate the MBAs and the MSCs in the market ....? ?because even when i get a job i want my job to help me hone my business skills.. give me good international eposure... this is wat i desire for at the end of the day .... please advice.

thank you

Re: MSc or MBA??

SteveFoerster — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:06:24 GMT

MBA vs. MSc probably isn't a huge difference, at least it's not in the States, but I too would like to know what you actually want to do.

-=Steve=-

Re: MSc or MBA??

Cajun — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:28:36 GMT

Well, an MBA is a general management degree though you can at times choose specializations. The MBA is more flexible than the MSc you listed and can often be used accross multiple disciplines. The marketing degree is an advanced marketing degree, not necassarily a management degree.

What exactly do you want to do?