<p>I am a second year Mechanical Engineering student at Michigan and have heard about some joint degree master's programs in Engineering and Business. I know that Michigan has one, Northwestern has one and MIT has one does anyone know of anymore of these types of program and how you go about getting into them? I.E. get 5 years of work experience before you apply or can you apply straight out of undergrad? They don't necessarily have to be a top 10 program. I'm just trying to figure out some options.</p>
<p>As far as the one at MIT is concerned, it is basically a specialized program that deals with operations, broadly speaking. If you're not interested in a career in operations management, that program might not be the best fit for you. But if you are, then that's probably the best program in the world for you.</p>
<p>As far as how to get in, the MIT program specifically requires at least 2 years of work experience. Most people have much more, as the average entering age is about 28. </p>
<p>But in general, I would say that MBA programs are not something that you enter into lightly. You have to determine what you want to do with your career, and how (or even whether) an MBA will help you. This is not like a law degree or a medical degree which, with only few exceptions, you basically need in order to enter those professions. Nobody really "needs" an MBA, and certainly, nobody "needs" a dual-master's. You should therefore get it only if it makes sense for your career.</p>
<p>I thought of a similar path coming through undergrad. Talking with professors and colleagues, I have found that the MBA part of your plan could very well be 'useless'. As sakky mentioned, it does depend very heavily on your career path.</p>
<p>I was told that if my goals were to go into engineering management/exec status, I could easily 'pick up' anything an MBA program would give me. If you plan on moving away from engineering into a complete business world, an MBA would make sense. But as far as growth in engineering is concerned, I doubt an MBA would get you farther than an MS with experience.</p>
<p>Also, I feel that an MBA is useless without work experience. Sure they allow students to take on the program straight out of undergrad but it seems like you would get much more out of it with experience. After undergrad, go work a while or get your MS and work a while then decide if this expensive schooling is really worth it.</p>
<p>-phpguru</p>