Are you pursing a career in marketing? Do you want to become the head of a marketing firm or the head of a marketing department? If you answered yes, taking the right educational path will certainly help you climb your way up the career ladder quicker than just relying on your experience.If you already possess an undergraduate degree in Marketing or a business related field, and you are looking for your next big challenge, you might be ready to earn your graduate degree.
As you compare marketing degree programs on the graduate level, you may start to wonder what the difference is between an MBA degree with a concentration in marketing and a Masters degree in Marketing. While both degrees has a focus on marketing, an MBA is designed to cover a range of business subjects to train leaders and managers. Read on and learn how an MBA and a MS degree program differ so that you can decide which path is right for you.
The Differences in Prerequisite Requirements
To get into either graduate program, students must meet the prerequisite requirements before they can apply for admission. One of the major differences between an MBA and a MS degree program is the undergraduate degree requirement. If you want to earn your MBA, you can have any type of bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and still be accepted into the program. In most cases, you do not even have to fulfill specific class prerequisites to get into the cohort program. If you want to earn your master’s degree in marketing, you will need a BS in marketing or a related field because there are strict course requirements you must meet.
What Will Each Program Teach You?
An MBA program is designed to prepare you to enter the field of business. While you can choose a specialty, like marketing, an MBA degree program is not focused on just marketing. You will take courses in HR, management, communications, and several business-related topics so that you are prepared to lead. You will also learn a lot of real world information.
If you are enrolled in a Master’s degree program with a major in marketing, the required coursework that you complete will be specific and marketing-based. You will learn marketing concepts, principles, and theories in a Master’s program. The Master’s degree is designed to help you show that you are an expert in the field and that you have specialized knowledge. If the job you are applying for requires experts in marketing with a high level of skill in the field, a Master’s degree is ideal.
You may be wondering which degree is best for you. This is a practical question, but there is not one right answer. If you want to pursue a position that requires a marketing-specific educational background, a Master’s is suitable, but if you want to contribute on a broader scale, an MBA is a better choice. If you want to save time getting a specialized education in Marketing by skipping the work experience requirements, most experts recommend a Master’s. Take time to compare the admissions criteria, pinpoint what you want to learn, and then you can decide which path is right for you.
Additional Reading: Decide Between an MBA and M.S. at Business School
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