MBA vs. PhD in Engineering

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

<p>Hi All,</p>

<p>First some background. I'm an EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) Major from UC Berkeley. For the longest time I wanted an MBA as a means to move into IB/Finance and make lots of money, but lately my priorities have shifted a bit. I applied for grad school last fall and now it looks like I'll be going to UIUC for a MS degree. </p>

<p>Long term, I'm interested in moving up in management on the technical side, and I was wondering if anyone here knows whether going for a Ph.D after finishing my MS or pursuing an MBA is more beneficial for that goal. After working at a few internships, it seems like everyone and their dog has a Master's, so I feel like I definitely need one of the two (at least) to differentiate myself and prevent myself from hitting that "ceiling" that everyone's talking about.</p>

2

<p>if you want to move up in tech mgmt at a company, part-time MBA is the way to go. </p>

<p>if you want to fast-track up mgmt in a tech company, you should try to get business experience first (like management consulting) then go to a top MBA full-time, then go into the general management programs available at various companies.</p>

<p>phd is NOT the way to go if this is your goal. phd’s main utility is becoming a research scientist, not management.</p>

3

<p>I’ve worked for several (and currently report to one) PhD in Eng and they are fast track into management for technical roles. I think either PhD or MBA is fine. However, PhD will carry more clout with tech management if that is they way you want to go, especially if you want to be in R&D. </p>

<p>I’m a BS ChemE with an MBA and am in development.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the replies. It definitely seems like a Ph.D doesn’t mean I will be in a research lab all of my career - that it can be a means for advancement in industry. However, an MBA is more versatile in terms of different careers, especially non-technical ones.</p>

5

<p>and am a parent on this board.</p>

<p>A few points:</p>

<p>1) You might actually find that the best route for you is to get the PhD and then after some work experience the MBA if you want to make money. I say this because, as long as you aren’t so old by that time, you can open up some great options with technical expertise capped by an MBA. You might be able to get into venture capital or private equity with this kind of expertise, if that is an interest.</p>

<p>2) It really doesn’t matter which degree you go for, unless you want to go straight into finance. Then, you need the MBA.</p>

<p>3) You’ll need work experience after you come out of the MS program before trying for the MBA. At least 3-4 years.</p>

<p>4) You need to do a self-assessment. If you are smooth, or can develop smoothness, a mainstream business degree can work well for you. If you are overly geeky or too much of a late bloomer, a more academic environment might work better for you. This would help select the right degree. Be realistic in your self-assessment. If necessary, ask other people. Yes, you can grow.</p>

<p>5) If you are really interested in finance, but not so equipped for a mainstream business program, consider a degree in Financial Engineering. Berkeley has one that is widely considered the best, but I think Columbia does and there are several other schools as well. I say this because with you math background in engineering, it would be a good fit.</p>

<p>6) Following on point 5, an MBA is like a liberal arts/introductory education for people wanting a career in mainstream business. The level of quantitativeness, if you will, would make someone with your math background laugh, at least in the mainstream courses.</p>

<p>I am just throwing this stuff against the wall. Don’t know if any of it will stick for you.</p>

6

<p>BedHead - I tried to send a PM to you but your mailbox is full. I was wondering if you could expand on your point #4:</p>

<p>Hi BedHead,</p>

<p>I read one of your replies from 2 years ago:</p>

<p>4) You need to do a self-assessment. If you are smooth, or can develop smoothness, a mainstream business degree can work well for you. If you are overly geeky or too much of a late bloomer, a more academic environment might work better for you. This would help select the right degree. Be realistic in your self-assessment. If necessary, ask other people. Yes, you can grow.</p>

<p>I was curious if you had any suggestions about how to assessment oneself for smoothness? And if you had advice for “developing smoothness” and “growing”?</p>

<p>I have 18 years experience as an engineer and am thinking about going back for my MBA (been accepted - need to decide quick). I have a MS in engineering all ready.</p>

<p>Thanks for the sage advice. Your reference to “smoothness” is never talked about and has been on my mind for some time.</p>

<p>Dan</p>

7

<p>I think by smoothness Bedhead means the ability to facilitate change, handle management, and work well with others. </p>

<p>I have now worked for 2 years at the same place from where I was there in 2010 and work with a ton of PhDs. In that time I have been promoted once, the PhD I worked for left, and I was given a nice substantial raise. What singles me out from the other engineers, PhDs included, is that I have that big picture view of not just my responsibilities or the responsibilities of my reports, but how that relates to developing technology and applying to create value, and thus revenue. My take on the technical side is that they are more concerned on “if” they can accomplish something rather than “should” they accomplish it… It’s really nice to do have the academic work to back up claims to convince customers to buy your good or service, but it really doesn’t matter if what they develop (no matter how awesome) doesn’t have a market.</p>

<p>While I can agree that there are those people without MBAs who can do this and see the wholeness of the company I do not believe it is common in engineers. Engineers, in general, are problem solvers not market definers or creators. Even if an engineer can do this, the MBA really says that “I want to.” </p>

<p>Again, MS or PhD for purely technical leadership, + MBA for technical and strategic leadership…</p>