Why do you think you need an MBA to make this happen? Getting into an executive position depends on a lot of factors. An MBA isn’t going to guarantee you this kind of promotion.
I am very familiar with how technology firms work, and I’m sorry - but what you’re saying doesn’t make sense. You already have a job, and soon you’ll have a master’s degree. You do not need to go back to undergraduate college and/or get an MBA.
For reference on High unit transfers, see page 34 of the link: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/_files/documents/quick-reference.pdf
@thumper makes a good point about Master’s courses being possibly classified as Upper Division.
@thumper1 & @Gumbymom Thank you for all the feedback! I think the next step is to reach out to the admissions offices or do a counseling session through a CC.
@MBWhitney That totally makes sense, and I am gonna look into that!
@DadOfJerseyGirl That’s fair. Not every exec has an MBA. If you have any guidance or resources on other paths that you’re willing to share that would be greatly appreciated.
How large is your company? The path from senior engineer to executive varies depending on the size, layers and other factors
OP-- put in a call ASAP to the career services/placement office at your CC. They should have a current list of MBA programs that do not require a BA. If my memory serves, Hult was one of the top programs that did not require a Bachelor’s… there may be others now.
Next, ask for a meeting with the HR/Talent person who handles your division. Ask this person point blank, “I’m interested in moving into management. Can you map out for me what would be required?” Many companies have internal rotational programs, mini-MBA type training, structured Learning and Development opportunities… if nobody knows you are interested, it’s likely that you’ve never heard of these resources.
There are many interesting roles in management that are not “C-suite” btw… so keep your mind open.
Good luck! Do not retake ANYTHING. At this point, you need to move forward, not backwards.
You can’t go backward, only forward. You wouldn’t go back to high school to get better grades and perhaps go to Stanford or Harvard for a BA. Colleges aren’t impressed with someone retaking classes to get a better grade. I’d think anyone could do better if given 2 or 3 chances with the same material.
Usually if someone wants to change careers, they will get a masters in a that. My sister, who has a BA in French and German, then got a JD and practiced law (as a partner in a Wall Street firm) and then went back to school to get a masters in education and has now been teaching 4th grade for 15 years. I have friends who wanted to go to medical school so took the pre-reqs in bio and chemistry because they’d never taken those classes. They did not retake any classes just to get a better grade.
Forward.
I understand (or hope) that the OP is just examining options at this point, but in the course of a day or so the OP has proposed redoing previous coursework in order to get a BS degree, a MS in CS, and also would like a MBA.
Given the OP is about 30 and claims to be a senior engineer, a MBA might be the best option to go into management. She/he isn’t going to get into Stanford but many schools offer a part-time and/or evening MBA. I suppose an MBA actually teaches valuable skills but my impression is that for many in tech getting a part-time MBA involves signaling. It takes real effort and time and shows the company they are serious about wanting to enter management.
I don’t see any use in talking with CC counselors. They are trained to help students get into 4-year degree programs, not MBA programs.
They may have a comprehensive list of institutions which offer advanced degrees with only an AA. Which is why I suggested reaching out. An MBA program which would consider work experience and an AA in lieu of a Bachelor’s would save time and money for the OP.
Getting into a management role is one thing. But OP said:
That’s a whole different story.
An MBA is not going to guarantee an executive level position. That is dependent on many, many factors including a little bit of luck (for example: having an executive level role opening up at the right time).
If OP wants to complete college or get an MBA, that’s fine. But s/he should not be viewing it as a guaranteed path to a management role in tech, let alone a c-suite job.
Hi folks checking back in.
For future people in my position. Having a masters without a bachelor doesn’t disqualify you from applying to UCs. Checked with both UCB & UCLA.
I also checked with private school and seems like non-traditional path options exist.
You are all correct in that classes cannot be retaken for UCs. However, privates did say that they put emphasis on recent coursework so I might be able to get an exception to retake some courses for those programs.
Thank you all!