MS vs MBA

MS vs MBA

Many prospective graduate students question which fits them better – a specialized master’s or an MBA?

An MBA is a general degree that does allow for some specialization, while the Master science program is geared for those who know they want to specialize in management.

Only you can make the decision of which degree is right for you. But, here are a few key things to keep in mind about our Master degree program.

Breadth of coursework

Recruiters continually comment that  MS program is the best of both worlds. Universities offer a common body of knowledge similar to an MBA program but with a specialized concentration in HRM courses.

Personal attention

University management admit a selective group of students (i.e., 20-30) each year. That means class sizes are small, enabling students to get to know faculty members and other students in the program.

Because of master's program’s size, you will also have the opportunity to work closely with the program team and have access to the various job search resources. Ultimately, we will help make your transition from graduate student to intern to professional a smooth one.

The power of network

Faculty. Former students. Corporate partners and recruiters.

As a student in the Master’s program, you will be part of a powerful network of current and former students, faculty and business leaders.

Master's program gives you a theory-based classroom education, taught by nationally recognized faculty in the Department of Management. But, it also gives you invaluable hands-on application of your knowledge through research opportunities and practical work experience.

MBA Journal: A Revised Game Plan

"It became clear to me that if I didn't have an MBA, the jobs and type of career I wanted would remain out of reach"

By Megan Brody

The nearly two-year journey that led me to Michigan State University’s Broad Graduate School of Management to pursue an MBA has been filled with numerous twists and turns and plenty of hurdles. MBA students bring with them a variety of experiences and backgrounds. There is no one type of MBA student, despite the fact that I previously believed the degree was only for financial wizards who had already made significant strides in their business career. I never imagined the MBA could be the right fit for someone whose talents leaned toward creativity and communications and who was still climbing the ladder at work.

Pursing an MBA was not part of my initial plan. The life of a foreign correspondent at a large metro newspaper was the goal at first. It was a job that sounded sophisticated and glamorous. In addition, it combined two of my greatest passions: travel and writing. As an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, I set my sights on obtaining a position in this coveted field. I quickly declared journalism as my major, and I wrote articles and columns for several student publications. After graduation, I landed a position as a staff writer at a small newspaper and was thrilled that I had taken an important step toward my career goals.

It was quickly apparent, however, that few industries were declining as rapidly as the newspaper business. Online content was booming and offered a crushing competitive edge. With circulation and sales numbers deflating, opportunities for advancement were scarce. After two years of covering municipal elections, attending countless school board meetings, and compiling numerous police beats, I accepted a position as a staff writer for a magazine that covered commercial real estate throughout the Midwest. Although I wasn’t jetting around the globe covering current events, I was still traveling and writing. But once again, the opportunities for advancement were not what I had hoped.

TASTE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

I decided to redefine my career goals. Since I had developed a background in the commercial real estate industry, I was hired by a commercial real estate brokerage firm as part of the company’s public relations team. I was eager to expand my skill set beyond writing and reporting while still using my communication abilities. I was finally working in a more traditional business setting, and my responsibilities rapidly elevated.

This extraordinary opportunity led me to accept a marketing communications role for an integrated development and construction firm. In addition to honing my communications skills, I was now involved in several marketing and new business-development initiatives, such as website redesign, digital media, managing a corporate advertising program, and numerous direct mail campaigns.

Shortly after I joined the firm, the Great Recession pummeled the American economy. The company went through several rounds of layoffs and implemented numerous cost-cutting measures, including a mandatory pay cut for all employees. Although my career was advancing in this new role, I became uncertain of the company’s stability and what the future would hold if I remained in place. I began to seek other opportunities, but I noticed a trend in the requirements for many of the positions I coveted: An MBA was required or preferred.

The competition for jobs was fierce as unemployment climbed and more job seekers, unhappy with their current situations, were also searching for new positions. I managed to secure several offers, but the salaries and responsibility levels were not what I had expected. It became clear to me that if I didn’t have an MBA, the jobs and type of career I wanted would remain out of reach. Additionally, I enjoyed the commercial real estate field, but I had a desire to switch from business-to-business marketing to business-to-consumer marketing in a brand manager role. Typically, these employers wanted candidates who were already experienced in B-to-C marketing, and this developed into another roadblock.

STUDYING HABITS

I set my sights on obtaining an MBA, and the first step was, of course, taking the GMAT. I had been out of school for seven years, and I knew I would struggle to settle comfortably into “study mode,” so I enrolled in a class that met every Saturday morning for nine weeks. Having studied math on a limited basis in college, I found the quantitative portion of my studies difficult. I stuck it out, brushed up on the foundations of math online, and began to feel more confident in my abilities.

Studying for the GMAT was nothing short of grueling, and it was difficult to find the time with my demanding job and social obligations. I committed to studying on the train during my commute to and from the office, started working out on my lunch break instead of after work, and dedicated an additional two to three hours of studying in the evening. I cut back significantly on time with family and friends but still allowed myself one night a weekend for fun between Saturday and Sunday study sessions. For once in my life, I was actually thankful for the bitter cold Chicago winter that kept me inside with my study guides.

The class was instrumental in preparing me for test day. Taking the GMAT was one of the most difficult and challenging tasks I have ever endured, but is clearly a necessary evil for getting into business school. With the GMAT behind me, I was then faced with the decision of selecting the right school. I was completely overwhelmed with the choices and felt as though my research was leading me in circles. I finally decided to narrow my choices geographically at first, and from there I found programs that offered strong marketing tracks. I applied to two programs in Chicago and one out of state. When I was accepted to Michigan State University, I was thrilled. The program’s top-notch marketing curriculum and dedicated individualized career services were outstanding. In addition, from the moment I was accepted, I felt welcomed by the school and received the personalized attention I needed to make my decision.

After a visit to the campus, I could see that the curriculum and reputation of the business school met my expectations. I had my heart set on attending MSU. In addition to attending classes, however, I knew I wanted to broaden my marketing work experience and keep my existing skills sharp, because I was going to be out of the workforce for two years. I contacted the school’s university relations department about obtaining a graduate assistantship, as I had a strong background in the field already. I interviewed with the department and was offered a position. This opportunity would allow me to work in a best-in-class marketing and communications department for a Big Ten university while also offsetting my tuition expenses. My decision was final—I was leaving Chicago for East Lansing, Mich., to become a Spartan, and I was one step closer to my dream job as a marketing manager for a top-tier company.

In between journal entries, you can keep track of Megan’s business school adventures at theBusiness Schools Facebook page. Follow the Bloomberg Businessweek B-Schools team onTwitter.

Megan Brody is a first-year MBA student at the Michigan State University Broad Graduate School of Management. Before business school, Brody directed the public relations and marketing department at McShane Companies, a construction and real estate company in Rosemont, Ill. A travel lover, Brody is planning to combine her career aspirations with her desire to see the world.

The Good MBA

September 1, 2004

How the School of Business relates to the world of business

By Jean Akhtar Cerrina

It's all about competing hard in a tough arena, says Mike Knetter, the dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. He is convinced that the most important remaining piece of the puzzle the school needs is to offer a Wisconsin MBA that successfully competes against the biggest names in business school education.

Knetter has been on the job in Madison for just over two years. He makes no secret of where he is aiming the school. "We have developed a program in which we really believe we can be the best," he says.

Dean Knetter engages students in conversation inside Grainger Hall.

Photos by Bob Rashid

"Competing effectively in the world of business schools means serving the needs of business well by producing exactly the right combination of things. That includes the research we do, but it also means delivering value-added education that will support business, either immediately—as in our continuing education programs—or in our full-time programs.

"We have an excellent business school already," he adds. "We're one of the top research programs among all business schools—number two in marketing and management publications—always around the top 10 for undergraduate programs."

But the program he's most focused on is the school's highly visible MBA. "The MBA program is the most competitive arena for management education, partly because, if you're good at it, it is a lucrative program. Furthermore, success in this arena requires connecting the education with the needs businesses are facing. Employers' expectations are higher for MBAs and that forces the educator to the cutting edge."

Originally from Rhinelander, Wis., Knetter returned to the state in 2002 after 14 years. Most recently, he was an associate dean and professor of international economics in the MBA program at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. A noted economist, he served as senior staff economist for the President's Council of Economic Advisors under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The dean is a trim man in his early 40s, with a ready smile. He is married and the father of two young daughters.

Knetter sees his role as similar to that of a CEO. A benefit of his job, he reports, is being able to discuss management issues with executives who are running companies outside campus. He often confers with members of his advisory board, which comprises top executives who come to campus twice a year for strategic planning.
"My philosophy as dean is similar to how Tom Falk described his role as chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark. First, help set the strategic direction, second, remove barriers to achieving goals and third, deliver the resources required to successfully implement the strategy. Finding the right strategy is a challenge at a business school. To succeed, our strategy has to be in the sweet spot for all those who can provide resources and also for all those within the school who have to deliver the strategy."

The school's new MBA program is an innovative, highly visible program that not only touches the sweet spot for constituents such as alumni and corporations but also creates the synergy necessary to stimulate other programs in the business school. It requires students to choose a focused specialization before they enroll-- a major change from more general MBA programs. It's a program that both students and employers like. "You're learning to do something better than anybody else, so that when you go to your job, there's an area where you can add a lot of value right away. And then who knows where you'll evolve once you're there?" he says.

The MBA program offers 14 different career specializations such as product management, corporate finance, arts administration, and supply chain management. Each has a faculty director, dedicated support staff, an executive advisory board, an endowment, an applied curriculum, and a community of focused students.
Knetter feels the new MBA will naturally enrich other programs. "Having a great MBA can support progress in the undergraduate area by sharing the expertise of practitioners and board members of the specializations." He also notes a correlation between the in-depth MBA specializations and the development of executive education programs. "We can package the highlights from electives in the MBA program into short, powerful executive education modules," Knetter says.

When will Knetter feel the new MBA is a success? "Success to me is having extraordinary quality with a little more volume than we have in this first class. We are making great progress already," he says. He doesn't mention it, but the school's 2004 MBA rankings in U.S. News & World Report and the Financial Times have jumped at least 10 points apiece since he took over. Alums have joined in supporting the concept. Several have stepped up to contribute million-plus-dollar gifts to individual programs and a $40 million addition that will house the new MBA program.

"It's a long product cycle. When you roll out a new product, it takes two years for people to really find out how good it is. Then the market reacts to that, we get a different type of student applying, and then it takes two more years to see what they do. Recruiters may not be certain about the value of this model until they see what happens to the students who graduate in '06. In the fall of '07 we'll get the true reaction to what we've created."
For all of the school's efforts to improve the MBA, Knetter points out it faces unique challenges.

"We're more constrained than our competitors are, even within the Big 10, even within the public institutions. We don't have the autonomy to set our own prices and retain the tuition revenues, as many other schools do. This means that we have to develop a highly leveraged strategy that can serve all the missions well simultaneously." The school has a highly regarded Executive MBA program and a popular Evening MBA, but because Madison is a smaller business market, these programs don't yield as much revenue as they do for big-city competitors






A Higher Calling
Knetter also sees a higher role in society for the School of Business. "You'd like to turn out people who, in addition to being effective at what they do for work, are committed to advancing society in all the other ways a successful person can."

He says that within the focused programs, students work closely with executives who are outstanding role models. "With all the bonding that goes on, all the contact with alumni, we have an opportunity to put students in contact with alumni who are not only exceptional in their professions, but also accomplish extraordinary things for their communities."

Two such role models are Milwaukee financier and philanthropist Ab Nicholas and Kathy Dwyer Southern, the president and CEO of Capital Children's Museum in Washington, D.C. Knetter notes, "Many powerful role models are found in our focused programs. It's hard to choose who to highlight because there are so many. We want students to think, 'I want to be like that person because he or she is exceptionally successful and, beyond that, has had an exceptional effect on society."

Unirazak campus surrounding

Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK) was established in 1997, as one of the first private universities in Malaysia. Named after Malaysia's second Prime Minister, the late YAB Tun Abdul Razak, its vision is to become the leading institution in providing quality education and human capital in niche areas or body of knowledge among emerging economies.  UNIRAZAK also enhances its cooperation and collaborative networks through strategic alliances with top-ranking international universities, renowned in their respective fields. This in turn supports its mission to become the Centre of Excellence in fostering Managerial Leadership and Entrepreneurship.

In executing these plans, UNIRAZAK is able to boost its presence in the global education market and simultaneously offers its students a higher quality of educational experience. By delivering a world-class learning experience, UNIRAZAK aspires to be an institution that produces great thinkers who will become the accomplished leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

A LOT OF EVENT HELD

DISCUSSION GROUP