MBA vs MSM and other degree major names....

Is a major of MBA significantly different than an MS in Business Mgmt for employment or Doctorate program purposes? Even if the degree plan covers similar information?

What about the different variants of computer science, education, health care (exclusing nursing), psychology, etc.?

When I was talking to an Air Force Officer Recruiter, they were very particular about the major. The Air Force appears to really break down degrees by Tech/Non-tech degrees. Technical degrees are in a more Engineering, Natural Science, type nature. Non tech degrees are liberal arts, buisness, social sciences, etc degrees (whether it is a BA or a BS).

So then I began to wonder, do people really look at the name of the degree major that seriously? I was just participating in a school name game thread, http://www.degreeinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16533 , and I began to think about that conversation I had with the AF recruiter.

If your profession required specific skills, then YES, I believe the degree major has significance. For example if I were going to be a heart surgeon, then majoring in cardiology would be of greater importance to an employer. Then let's say I wanted a job in contract procurement; a contract procurement degree may be preferred, but I could possibly get away with any business-related degree. If the job in which you are applying is more administrative, managerial, or general, then the specific degree major title holds an even lesser relevance.

There are too many people that I've run into that have jobs that have NOTHING to do with their majors!

What do you all think?

Please advise.

 

I agree...

...and I don't know how a hiring manager looks at MSc in Management versus MBA. Some MBAs have a focus and some are just general MBAs. Perhaps the MSc would serve someone who already has a career or training in a particular area (accounting, finance, etc) whereas the MBA might be for those without such training. Then the MBA focus might serve to give the student a specific skill set required for the career he or she is hoping to build.

Its the age-old question of liberal arts vs. technical degree. I think liberal arts degrees make a person flexible and well-rounded, capable of adapting to many situations and job demands. A tech degree, though, would get a person into a more focused career path quickly (heart surgeon) and would probably pay better than the liberal arts degree initially. Problem is, what happens if that tech degree gets you into a dying industry. Will you be able to adjust? That is why I think many IT grad degrees are dangerous. Some I have seen offer you training in technologies that will be obsolete by the time you finish the degree! I've even seen some requiring classes in technology that was already obsolete! I saw a program in mid 2002 that required two classes in Microsoft NT networks. Crazy!