Masters in Business vs. MBA

[Luke_Duke]

Can anybody explain to me how a master's (MA or MS) in Business holds up against the traditional MBA?  I notice a lot more colleges are offering both options. Plus, there are various concentration for the MA/MS, such as International Business, Economics, Finance, and Accounting.  What kind of jobs would a person be qualified for with a master's in Business vs. the MBA?  Will future employers view the MA/MS route as the "softer" grad school option or not necessarily? 

 

 

[Concordia]

You may want to talk to the career service offices at places that are doing both to see how they're marketing these, and who seems to be biting on either one. 

I'd guess that MBAs in recruiting will assume that the MBA is the best option.  After all, it was what produced their own brand of perfection.

I was at Yale back when we called our degree an MPPM, and there were some on-campus recruiters who actually would ask "so, are you also going to get an MBA?"    Maybe they were just trying to see how you handled dumb questions, but the possibility is out there.

[ApplicantLab.com]

In general, the Masters in Management is for recent college grads (people with 0 - 2 years of post-undergrad experience), vs. the MBA which is usually for people with 3- 5 years of experience. 

They are usually 1 year vs. 2 years.

Think of it as "a way to get the equivalence of doing a business major, for people who did NOT major in business and now regret it." 

The positions you get after an MiM are far lower-level than the MBA jobs (which makes sense, since it's a younger / less-experienced crowd).  So, e.g., if someone were to pursue management consulting, the post-MBA title would be "Associate" but the post-MiM title would probably be Analyst.....or some hybrid role that is a bit above pure entry-level but not MBA level.

As Concordia mentioned, the career services offices should have plenty of stats about career placement.

If you get the MiM, you may realize down the road that you don't even need an MBA (as many people who did business in undergrad eventually find out).