MBA vs MA Organizational Leadership

Examining the curricula for these two degrees I can see that there are vast differences. The MA Program is much more aligned with my previous education and my general strengths and interests - but the MBA...is an MBA. I've always kind of wanted an MBA - it's an immediately recognizable credential that has a certain perception and value. Or does it? Does it still carry the influence it once did on a resume, or in an interview vs any other business related Master's degree? Or would they roughly carry the same weight? If hiring a general consultant for various things, would and MBA stand out more than a specialized Master's? I feel like an "MBA" is always shorthand for "I understand business" - even though it may be a less effective understanding of certain areas that a specialized MA (or MS) might be better suited for. I'm sure this is a dilemma many have faced in the past - whether it was an MS in Accounting or management or other business specialty. Has anyone regretted NOT getting the MBA in favor of something else, or regretting getting the MBA instead of following a specific interest?

 

Yeah, I understand that. The current opportunities that I have that would be 100% tuition free are an "unspecialized" MBA and the MAOL, which is why I was asking about those particulars. the things that turn me "off" about the MBA are the focuses on finance and accounting. That stuff has never really interested me much, but it seems to be a core of any MBA - finances and projection, etc. The MAOL focuses more on organizational systems, human behavior within those systems, leveraging human capital, conflict resolution, etc. which is more in my wheelhouse, but I wonder if I would be staying TOO MUCH in my wheelhouse instead of getting the MBA credential. The bottom line is that I am in the end phase of my working life - I hope. I'm not sure what will serve me best moving forward.

 

It completely depends on use case. The MBA is generalized (most of them), recognized more and has some swagger. For business, even if your day t0 day doesn't involve the accounting, fiance, economics and strategy stuff, it is a indication to employee/client that you get the big picture, can suss out a P&L and if necessary do the analytics to make the hard calls in cutting away meat(something that quite frankly is a MBA trait https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-29/if-your-boss-has-an-mba-you-might-end-up-earning-less-money ). A MAOL will likely serve better in government management, companies that are working culture change or have a need for getting various departments to work together and not be silo centric. I think a MAOL and Masters or recognized cert in Project Management is a powerful combination for that last use case. The problem with MAOL is that people, including employers, know that a MAOL may be chosen because the person with one wanted to avoid the "hard" (and to be blunt, I actually don't find them hard to do but it's painfully boring for me. avoidance level boring) courses of accounting, finance, and economics. (strategy is viewed as hard or not is a general sense, but the perception of those first 3 being so is pretty universal). I mentioned to someone in the finance industry in a high mid position the other day that I was doing a DBA and they without a seconds hesitation came back with "your MBA means more than the DBA will".

Oh, and @Maniac Craniac , literally everyone I have talked to where I am now (you know, it's kinda a business and financial hub..LOL) outside the states when they ask about our school and I tell them, they think it's pretty cool given it's international focus and dual campus model. I get the impression that the international aspect gives it a cachet that it would not get as much in the states. It isn't Ivy or any of the big international MBA schools, but there seems to be a recognition that an American program with a European campus is going to have more rigour than a small no name, no rank univ in the states alone, and that it was done not for the networking but the knowledge.

On networking, quite frankly, anyone under 35 who is ambitious , get the highest ranked, most networked brand you can in a MBA. Over 35 it really won't matter nearly as much and will have a mush lessor ROI. If you are well established in your industry, a MBA can be a differentiation that can get you places, any accredited program.

 

Back when I was deciding what degree to pursue, I decided to pursue an MBA due to it's recognizability. Everyone and their uncle knows what an MBA is and therefore, it would give me a graduate degree that I do not have to explain. I wanted cheap and AACSB Accredited, and that is exactly what I got. Do I regret it? Not one bit.

As for my 2nd Masters, it is costing me close to $70,000 and until I see that Duke University diploma hanging in my home office, I'm going to have a smidge of "regret" as I see that tuition bill come in one more time. Lol

 

I get the idea of an NBA being instantly recognizable as a credential, that's actually part of the issue, LOL. Josh - where did you get your MBA?

 

Southeastern Oklahoma State University. It is a small public state school here in Oklahoma. It definitely helped me achieve what I wanted from it. Honestly, I probably could have stopped after the MBA but here I am. The wife told me if I pursue any other degrees, I'm doing it single so I guess this 2nd masters is the last one. Hahaha

 

It is better to go for an MBA, between an MBA and MA in Organizational Leadership. An MBA is more accessible to maneuver in your career than an MA in Organizational Leadership. If I had a choice again for the same route, I would choose a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) from the most prestigious universities that I could attend. I attended Southern Methodist University for a Master of Science in Telecommunications Engineering, and now I don't use those skills. I attended Georgetown University for a Master of Professional Studies in Technology Management. But I wish to have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from one of the top 30 US News ranking schools and an MBA at Imperial College London without SMU and Georgetown degrees.

 

I think an MBA from a Top B-School has pros. I know for me, I knew my wife and I wanted to settle down in Oklahoma, specifically a more rural part of Oklahoma. Where we live, I know (1) guy who did a master's at Harvard in Theology that is now an attorney. Outside of that, people attend OU, OSU, ECU, or SOSU for undergraduate degrees. Pursuing an MBA from a Top B-School did not make sense for my goals at the time. Heck, pursuing the MS at Duke probably does not make much sense either but that was definitely a personal goal versus a professional necessity. Lol

 

My thought is - It doesn't matter.
What do you want to achieve?
Which one will expose you to individuals who have "been there and done that?"
Which one will most help you expand your network with fellow travelers?

 

MA in Organizational leadership is very specific and can be a great option if you want to work as an executive coach, leadership development, training, etc. The MBA is more versatile and can lead to careers in Marketing, Finance, etc. In practice, your previous background counts too. If your previous degrees are in educational technology and communications, you are not going to have an easy time selling yourself as a financial manager, marketing manager, analytics etc unless you have solid experience.
You are right the MA in Organizational leadership aligns better to your previous education but there are other factors to consider such as reputation of the school and long term goals. If you want to stay in training, professional education, etc, the Organizational leadership might give you opportunities in training, executive coaching, etc that align better to your previous background.
Some people are very negative about Organizational leadership because it is a soft program but there is a market for these degrees as well mainly in the corporate development area.

 

The MBA is definitely more recognized, but you mention that the MAOL aligns more with your previous education. If you're seeking a degree for advancement, choose the MBA. If it's for more personal reasons, choose the program that gets you excited.

As someone with a BS in Business, Management, and Economics, my family and friends assumed an MBA would be my next step. Yet my career trajectory never took me into hardcore business, so my master's degree will be in something in which I hold a deep interest and curiosity.

 

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm still curious as to whether the MBA still carries the weight it once did vs any other Master's (of which, I already have one) I mean, the MBA is so widely available, at varying levels of "prestige" - does it still carry the weight that it did in the past, or is it just seen as basically another degree that you can grab in the middle of your career?

 

I think it depends on your career path. Want to work for McKinsey, Bain or Boston as a Consultant? What about as an Investment Banker for Goldman Sachs? Better snag yourself an Ivy League undergrad degree or pursue a Top 15 B-School MBA. Even then it'd be a shot in the dark.

I think in 2022 most degrees earned via remote learning could be seen as just another degree you can grab in the middle of your career because you're not sacrificing income to pursue it. I have my BS and MBA hanging in my office at work and I'll hang my MS in there too. Great conversation starters.

 

I don't see organizational leadership as a specialized degree. I see it as an MBA without the math and the latest iteration of a management degree.

 

Exactly.

Acolyte:

Have you considered - a master's degree might not be your next best move? I assume, perhaps just like JoshD, you are just approaching mid-career and you want to enhance opportunities for career development. Graduate-level education is expensive and time-consuming. If you have not already, You will discover time is your most valuable asset. Is there anyone who holds a position or is on a career trajectory you would like? Find that individual. Study him or her. Make every effort to network. As I have stated over and over - your network trumps education every time in both degree level and subject matter. When your old granny used to tell you - It's not what you know -but who you know - She was right on point.

 

Thanks for the replies.

That is the whole dilemma right there. The MBA is an instantly recognizable credential. Although, I do think that often people get credit for things (and not get credit for other things) based on their respective degrees. For example, simply possessing an MBA does NOT make someone a good manager, it does not make someone good at navigating change or recognizing new ways to leverage existing assets, etc. It MAY indicate those things, depending on the MBA program or the person's individual strengths, experiences, or prior learning, but those things should be recognized as separate skill sets.

I disagree. The curricula for these programs couldn't be more different. More than half of the MBA is focused on finance, global markets, analytics, etc. What I would consider "external" factors for a business. Where the MAOL is focused on behavioral factors within an organization - conflict resolution, team building, leveraging human capital, organizational change, managing communication flow, etc. What I would consider "internal" factors. In some ways they are two sides of the same coin - the MBA seems focused on taking an organization and building a kind of data-driven model of it so it can be analyzed in the abstract, while the MAOL seems like it about understanding and changing the way an organization is functioning based on a behavioral science approach to the human beings involved in the organization. Both are important, but of the two the MAOL seems "more specialized" than the MBA which seems broader and applicable to more situations, but without the depth in any one specific area.

Yes. A second Master's appeals to me only because it isn't that time consuming and it would be free to me. I spent about 20 hours a week on my current M.S. - but it was an accelerated program with two classes at a time. These programs I'm looking at are 100% covered by my employer and are one class at a time online. I'm guessing that should be about 10 hours a week. I'm not sure I'm up for it, really - I'm 52 years old and I HOPE I only have about 13-15 years left in my "working for a living" phase - and I have a steady job, I just want to be as valuable as I can be for whatever comes next. I really foresaw myself as maybe working as a consultant in my later career and in that case either degree would be of use, I just didn't know if the MBA being such a recognized credential really held as much "swagger" as it used to in the current environment, especially compared to having other Master's degrees.

 

Great! It seems your organization wants you to succeed. You are not too young to have a mentor. Does your organization have a mentorship program? While I have no doubt the top-tier B-Schools have comprehensive and rigorous curricula, a great-big part of what makes them top-tier is the opportunity to network with other industry movers and shakers Do your own research to determine your next best move. You cannot go wrong with engaging with people who have succeeded where you want to succeed.