<p>What do you guys think about this? Will I be wasting my MS degree? I'm going to be getting my MS in bioengineering from UPenn, and was wondering if getting an MBA 3-4 years down the line would be worthwhile.</p>
<p>Depends on your career goals?</p>
<p>and how well your career is performing to get you to those goals.</p>
<p>I'd like to eventually do consulting for a biomedical company, or some sort of medical consulting. I've read on this forum that good applicants for a top MBA program need to show good work experience, ie advancement in their career from when they start to will then apply to MBA school. After I get my masters I'd like to become a research scientist for a biomed company. I'm a little worried that there won't be too many opportunities to advance in this type of field.</p>
<p>Anyways, with my career goals, would it be beneficial to pursue an MBA? If so, would my field of study be conducive to advancement in my career prior to obtaining an MBA? Anyone with any familiarity or input on this?</p>
<p>Depends on more info than you provided or probably have. I have a BS and MS Engineering (different fields) and added an MBA because it was obvious I needed one to advance in my field. (When all the managers and more senior colleagues have or are working on and MBA, that makes it pretty obvious!) Because of the situation (clearly work-related), I was able to go part-time and my employer paid for it. Downside is I couldn't get a full-time degree from a "name brand" b-school, but I never wanted to become a Wall St investment banker or globe-trotting management consultant living out of a suitcase anyway.</p>
<p>Am I wasting my BS/MS/MBA? No. (I pull from something I learned from one of them all the time, and having all 3 helps in the "our resumes can beat up your resumes" competition), and all the time (2 engineering degrees and the MBA taught me how to think and gave me a base of knowledge but what I do day-to-day is far more based on experience and on-the-job-training). </p>
<p>Finish your MS, start working in the industry, and see what people who are doing what you want to be doing in 5-10 years have. Get a mentor or two who know the business, and see what they say.</p>
<p>Your Masters in Bioengineering will help advance you in a technical role, i.e.SME. You will probably be headed towards a path that will peak at about Director level in R&D. If you are a natural at business than you might go higher. However, without an MBA (or a PhD) you will not be slotted for management higher than that without some serious networking, even with a Masters. Either way, consulting will be difficult to break into. This is all IMO of course, and full of broad generalizations.</p>
<p>If you want to go into consulting the Masters will help, but the MBA will almost assure you the job and aid in the career switch from SME to Consultant/Generalist. I would get the job and work on my MS at night or on the side. Then, I would apply to grad school full time for my MBA after the MS has been received. While at work I would express my desire to manage people and ask for trainings that would facilitate this. There is room for advancement as a research associate, it's just not as apparent from the outside looking in (my wife was one, and became a Lab Manager before "retiring"). </p>
<p>A good option might be to get a job at a vivarian/research clinic ran by a university. These jobs are generally less appealing than corporate jobs because they pay less, but might be more leaneant with you MS classes as far as time, especially if they are at that university (you might even get a discount on tuition). Additionally, because most researchers crave the high paying corporation jobs there should be adequate attrition and thus room for advancement, management should be obtainable within a couple of years. Then, apply to an MBA program.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input Japher! I'm already in the process of getting my masters from Penn, so taking the master's class part time at night is already out of the question. I like your advice to express my desire to manage people and ask for training, to be proactive about it. I will certainly do that. </p>
<p>Any others with experience or advice on this?</p>
<p>Oh, you already are in school for your Masters. Then don't worry about it, get your degree and then hold out for leadership training positions, then get your MBA. Many biotech companies have excellen leadership development programs which last about two years. </p>
<p>You never/rarely get what you don't ask for.</p>