<p>Why is Eng+MBA regarded as key to success? </p>
<p>How would it be advantageous by doing Eng+MBA vs Bcom + MBA</p>
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<p>Who regards it as key to success?</p>
<p>Many senior engineers I’ve talked to, and I assume OP has talked to as well. It’s completely anecdotal evidence. But the general thought process is that it’s pretty easy to get a good job straight out of undergrad with an engineering degree, work for a few years, then get your MBA and move into management. Management = $$$.</p>
<p>In engineering type organizations, many go into management from engineering without getting or needing an MBA; their engineering background ensures that they have understanding of the people and projects that they are managing.</p>
<p>Also, the $$$ depends on which level you get to. The real $$$ is at the executive level of a medium to big company, but few managers (with or without MBA, regardless of background) get there.</p>
<p>Managers are just a drag on profits (nonproductive). Producers are the engineers.
Good engineers will move if they are not treated well by managers. Better engineers will force out bad managers.</p>
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<p>In addition…</p>
<p>From the managers/executive managers that I have worked with over the years, there was no certain degree “type” that was held more than the other. In other words, some managers had a MBA. Some managers had a M.S./M.Eng degree. Even a few had neither but had project management certifications.</p>
<p>And some have no degree or certification beyond a bachelor’s degree in an engineering major, but effectively self-educated themselves in various management topics as needed.</p>
<p>This depends on many factors. In the situations that it does work well I would say you get a new way of looking at ROI and the cost of capital by taking the business classes. Now of course it is possible to pick this up in a good econ class during undergrad, but that varies so much from campus to campus. And some companies just like paper to back up their decisions.</p>
<p>Makes the switch into finance or consulting easier, assuming you go to a decent mba.
Both have higher salaries and are arguably more interesting.
Most top engineers don’t want their salaries to cap out at 250,000/year which generally seems to be the case if you stay in engineering.</p>
<p>more like cap out @ 120k. where’d you get the 250k number from?</p>
<p>I’ll add ky two cents worth. At most engineering companies, you’ll use very little of the course content of an MBA unless you make it to the higher levels of management. At that point, if necessary, the company would probably pay you to get your MBA. So getting an MBA early in your career will only cost you money and time in advancing your position.</p>
<p>Engineering management requires knowledge and experience of the technical side of the business as well as people skills. It would pay to take some classes in the people skills as you don’t normally get that type of class in engineering school. </p>
<p>I became a manager many moons ago with only a BS and some grad classes (I was working on my engineering MS part time when I was appointed manager). The first thing the company did was send me to “charm school”, or about 120 classroom hours worth of certificate level people skill classes. Now a days, they require you to have that much (more is better) before they will let you enter management. I also had a yearly training requirement to make me a “better” manager.</p>
<p>The “business” side of management (cost plans, schedules, etc) rely more on your understanding of the technical side and I had (since I’m now retired) people on my staff that would input and interface will all the computer programs that the company used. I just had to provide the data and have an understanding of what it all meant. “World Finance” was not required!</p>
<p>starwarsfan//Top paying Silicon Valley companies, I guess.</p>