Question

Topic: Career/Training

Straight From College Masters In Marketing Or Mba?

Posted by Anonymous on 4/10/2010 at 10:45 PM ET 250 Points
I am considering going straight for my MBA after graduating from college. I know that these programs are generally targeted at those with substantial work experience, which is why I'm trying to decide between aiming for an MBA with a marketing focus or an MSc in marketing: on the one hand I think I could really benefit from the broad range of topics the MBA will deal with, but on the other hand it seems easier for me to get into a Masters program where the students might be closer to my age.

A little about myself...

I am American and go to a top 20 school in the US. I do have work experience from internships and some unique experience as a market/trend researcher in Tokyo for more than one year (9 months part time, 3 months full time), but I have always been a student while doing these things. I would say overall I've had 6 months of full time experience and 1 year of part time experience - besides having a job in Tokyo, I've done one business internship and one consulting internship.

My major is in linguistics - I've done no formal coursework in business - which is part of the reason I want to study business straight out of school. My other goal is an international experience. I would like the chance to live somewhere in Europe for a year or two. I'm fairly fluent in Japanese but I don't have any European languages under my belt yet.

My questions are:

--What are the best schools for an MBA with a marketing focus or a MSc in Marketing? I'm particularly interested in programs in Europe.

--What are the best schools for younger students like myself, especially those coming straight from university?

--What are schools with an international focus? I've looked at the double-degree program HEC offers, and something like that where I can spend time in two places (UK and France or US and France) sounds appealing. But I would like to spend most or all of my time abroad for my degree.

--Finally, what does everyone think about my chances of getting into a highly ranked MBA program without formal work experience - but a unique, fairly long-term marketing job in Tokyo?

Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 4/11/2010 at 1:36 PM Accepted
    There are a variety of rankings of MBA programs out there. One of the oldest is Business Week: https://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/

    The rankings usually do talk about work-experience requirements. Not having a lot of work experience may prevent you from getting in to some schools.

    If you want international-focused program in Europe, the one that usually comes to mind first for me is INSEAD.

  • Posted on 4/11/2010 at 6:45 PM Accepted
    My vote: Go for the MBA at the best school that will take you.

    Your experience so far may be sufficient for one of the top schools to admit you to their MBA program, and if it isn't, you should be able to get into one of the top 30 or even one of the so-called "second tier." (Those "second tier" schools are still pretty good!)

    The MBA, in my opinion, is much more beneficial for most people because marketing is only part of what you need to know to be a great marketer. If you only know marketing, you'll be at a disadvantage competing against those with broader business understanding (from an MBA-type education).

    I'm afraid I can't help much with the international stuff. You can probably research that by going down the Business Week ranking list and asking each of the schools themselves ... or searching their websites.
  • Posted on 4/17/2010 at 10:17 PM Author
    Thanks for the replies everyone.

    It's interesting that you're all recommending the MBA over a masters, regardless of my age/work experience. But it's heartening to know and I'm sure the best I can do at this point is to apply and see what happens. Thanks!
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