Please help me choose a Master's / MBA from a few optional routes...

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by ForTheJourney, Jul 25, 2010.

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  1. ForTheJourney

    ForTheJourney New Member

    Hi everyone,

    After lurking for a while, I have finally decided to join the forum. As most 'newbies', I am trying to figure out what my next step is going to be. After reading the very informative posts in this forums, I have figured out a few routes which has ironically resulted in a lot of queries!

    My background is as follows: Business degree (with enough credits in, Law, Technology and Accountancy to go either route), less than 5 years experience, UK resident, desperate to move on from current job (company has been badly hit by recession and I have already taken 2 pay cuts). My options are as follows:

    MBA from Aspen
    - Pros: it's dirt cheap, it's an MBA, could do it in very little time.
    - Cons: it's NA accredited. I have checked Linkedin and have not seen this school associated with that many employers. Would an MBA from Aspen close more doors than it would open? If I wanted it for academia I'd jump right in, but I really do want a Master's for the sole purpose of giving my CV a lift, so...

    Diploma for Graduates in Management from LSE (1 year), and Msc in Engineering Management from Brunel (3.5 years?).
    - Pros: they're both 'name' schools (Brunel is 6th for engineering in UK). Msc leads to 'chartered' status. I could move on after LSE and continue on with the Msc in my new job.
    - Cons: Brunel's website does not have a lot of information on the Msc, and they claim it takes 3.5years. Ideally, I would be looking to take all the theory courses the first year, then do my thesis. Does anybody have an idea about this Msc?

    MBA from The Open University
    - Pros: triple accredited, could do it in 18 months.
    - Cons: my BA degree is actually from the OU, and despite of the triple accreditation a lot of employers look down on it. Insterestingly, the OU Business Schools seems to be highly regarded outside the UK, I wonder why British employers dislike it so much.

    MBA Banking from SOAS
    - Pros: SOAS is part of University of London, could do in 1 year.
    - Cons: it's not accredited (here MBAs are accredited by The Association of MBAs)

    LLM International Economic Law Birkbeck University of London
    Whilst not a DL course, it is one of my options
    - Pros: can be applied to various sectors which would allow me to move on from the financial sector onto management, HR or even academia. Course is only 1 year, from October to April.
    - Cons: price is slightly above my budget and I would have to get a loan.

    As you can imagine, the above options are all I can afford at the moment. I would appreciate any insights and of course further comments and recomendations of any course you may be aware of. I really feel like I have 'looked everywhere' but cannot seem to find any other viable options.
     
  2. muaranah

    muaranah New Member

    The primary problem with the MBA in Banking is not that it lacks AMBA accreditation- the SOAS has a Royal Charter and is, as you know, a fine school. Rather it's that the program is too short- look at the courses in the program and ask yourself if it looks like a traditional MBA program. Do a comparison to Royal Holloway's MBA program, since it is also a constituent of the University of London.

    Go for an MBA from the most highly regarded UK program you can get into and afford, be it via loans or from other sources.
     
  3. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Aspen is a good school, but it is DETC accredited, which is also good, but a DETC diploma would not be accepted in academia. I would think it would work for many employers though because DETC is a legitimate accreditation. The banking industry might not accept it, but many other employers would.
     
  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    These different programs really run the gamut when it comes to subject matter, which suggests you haven't decided what you really want to do professionally. To me, that's the first step, and once you've decided that the question of which program will answer itself.

    -=Steve=-
     
  5. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    I would choose to go with this degree however in your case it depends on what your career goals are.

    The MSc Engineering can get you into lots of jobs that require original thought or lots of analyses (at least in the USA). I know two engineers (husband and wife) eho got laid off from Aerospace jobs and got hired by a big US bank working on letters of credit and both earning in excess of $200K per year.

    My second choice from your list would be the Open University.
     

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