Seeking both Msc Business Analytics and MBA

Question

Hi :)

My current situations are as below

1. I've been thinking of getting into MBA Jan 2022 but, I've felt like that I've still gotten a lot of time ahead.

2. it would be good to have in-depth knowledge that I can apply to my current working field in real-time before going to MBA.

3. I have a 3.7 years of working experience in health-care industry.

4. Post-MBA career would be MBB (if possible)

5. I am thinking of a 2-year online Msc Business Analytics course so that I don't need to discontinue working. (all the courses are the same as 1-year off-line course and the fee is the same as well)

Would having both MSc BA and MBA waste of money and time?

My thought-process behind this is

1. Msc can take a deep dive into data whereas MBA can be effectively used to broaden my general perspective of business as a whole and to meet new like-minded people from different industries. Most importantly, I reckoned that MSc BA might equip me with the ability to identify patterns among data points and extract knowledge from mere data.

Thank you :)

Answer 1

Hi Calvin,

Sharing my two cents:

If you plan to go for an MBA, go for a really good one to increase your chance of getting to MBB later. Peferably a target school, if not, at least semi-target.
Not sure what are you referring to for "online course"? Are you talking about online course for MBA? I am not aware of any online MBA (excluding situation where offline school forced to go online due to COVID for the time being) that could be as good as the offline target schools to count for MBB.
If you are going to a good MBA, there is no need for MSc BA. It won't add additional value. The data analytics needed in consulting can be self-studied without paying for a master degree.

Best,

Emily

Answer 2

Hi,

Several options:

If you are thinking of Jan 2022 - it looks like its a 1 year MBA. Instead of doing a 1 year MBA, I would rather do either a 2-year MBA or a double degree (e.g. MBA + Political science)
I don't think Msc will give you more in-depth knowledge than the real job. I would rather work somewhere as a business analyst to get real knowledge and another line in a resume

In addition, I would be very careful with selecting an MBA. I believe that non-Top MBAs can be a waste of time and money, so I would rather concentrate on getting into the top school

Best

Answer 3

Hello Calvin!

Sharing some toughts:

Since you talk about Jan 22, I imagine you speak of INSEAD. In this case -or other top MBAs-, I think it´s an overkill to also do an Msc before. Once the MBA title is there, none is going to care for the one before.
Furthermore, INSEAD or similar will greatly increase your chances at MBB: the brand, recruiting, network, etc.
Money-wise, it will be a total waste. An MBA is a huge investment, enaugh headache by itself
Finally, online programs are not really that well regarded... hence, another argument not to

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 4

Hi there,

Great of you for thinking so proactively - however you might not need both degrees if your main goal is to get into MBB's generalist track.

An MBA from a target school should be enough to get you some interviews in MBBs, no need for the extra hassle, and the cost of MSc BA. However, if the topic is interesting to you, I believe most top MBA programs provide a wide range of electives, some of them cover analytics.

(Plus, most of the analytics needed in consulting don't require fancy knowledge - I have rarely worked on a project when a consultant had to dig up his/her R/python/Matlab/octave knowledge - if there is a need for heavy analytics work, we ship it to the "data analytics" team within the company)

I hope this helps your thought process

Best

Khaled

Answer 5

Hi Calvin,

I agree with the others that getting two degrees, back-to-back is probably overkill!

Remember, people get degrees as a mechanism for a career shift/advancement. Why not "save" one of those for when you need another shift?

In terms of thetechnical expertise you're looking for, I would genuinely recommend getting that through other methods (if MBA is your main objective):

LinkedIn Learning
Free / cheap one-off online courses
Part-time roles, short-term roles, internships
Your own projects (i.e. use open source data like NYC Open data and conduct + publish your own analysis!): https://opendata.cityofnewyork.us/
Freelancing (through, say, Upwork)

Answer 6

Hi Calvin,

Do you see yourself in a data scientist / advanced analytics role in the future? If so, I'd consider a double MBA-MSc program (or even an MSc in itself, although with an MBA it will certainly be easier to get into MBB).

If you see yourself in a more generalist role in business/consulting, I would choose only the MBA. Look for MBAs that have tracks/specialisations in analytics. Or tailor you MBA by picking the right electives.

Good luck!
Réka

Answer 7

Dear A,

IMHO there is no need to have both MSc in Business Analytics and MBA. It's simply waste of time and money. If I were you I would rather go for MBA of the top business schools.

I hope it helps you and wish you best of luck.

André