Masters of Science in Management and Leadership

[Sagan]

Don't be fooled by the "MBA Only" crowd. They might be right, but they also might be wrong. Your mileage may vary.

As a rule of thumb, the more experience you have, the less important the specific master's degree is. If you're early in your career, be very sensitive to the type of degree and its major. Concentrations, if offered, matter as well. But if you're highly experienced in your field, you might want to get a master's that truly reflects what you've done and who you are. That might not be an MBA. For example, a master's in finance might be a better option at that point. The MBA is a good degree for those just starting out. It's flexible. But the days when the MBA was the "it" degree are over. So are the days when there were very few distance learning options and the MBA was the most available. Now you can get just about any degree you want--especially if you think globally.

Get the degree that fits, and beware of advice from people who don't know your situation. Listen to what they have to say, but put it into your own context.

[sanantone]

Don't be fooled by the "MBA Only" crowd. They might be right, but they also might be wrong. Your mileage may vary.

As a rule of thumb, the more experience you have, the less important the specific master's degree is. If you're early in your career, be very sensitive to the type of degree and its major. Concentrations, if offered, matter as well. But if you're highly experienced in your field, you might want to get a master's that truly reflects what you've done and who you are. That might not be an MBA. For example, a master's in finance might be a better option at that point. The MBA is a good degree for those just starting out. It's flexible. But the days when the MBA was the "it" degree are over. So are the days when there were very few distance learning options and the MBA was the most available. Now you can get just about any degree you want--especially if you think globally.

Get the degree that fits, and beware of advice from people who don't know your situation. Listen to what they have to say, but put it into your own context.

I understand the purpose of earning a master's in accounting or finance. Finance would be related to the OP's field. I see no purpose for the master's in leadership either for the OP or 99.9% of the world population.

[dfrecore]

Don't be fooled by the "MBA Only" crowd. They might be right, but they also might be wrong. Your mileage may vary.

As a rule of thumb, the more experience you have, the less important the specific master's degree is. If you're early in your career, be very sensitive to the type of degree and its major. Concentrations, if offered, matter as well. But if you're highly experienced in your field, you might want to get a master's that truly reflects what you've done and who you are. That might not be an MBA. For example, a master's in finance might be a better option at that point. The MBA is a good degree for those just starting out. It's flexible. But the days when the MBA was the "it" degree are over. So are the days when there were very few distance learning options and the MBA was the most available. Now you can get just about any degree you want--especially if you think globally.

Get the degree that fits, and beware of advice from people who don't know your situation. Listen to what they have to say, but put it into your own context.

This thread was specifically talking about the MS in Management & Leadership, not other degrees. I don't think anyone said that someone should ONLY get an MBA, only that the MBA was preferable to the MS in Management & Leadership (the OP was specifically asking about getting an MBA and the advisor at WGU tried steering him towards this other degree, which not only is not applicable to his goal, but not applicable to his industry).

[davewill]

I understand the purpose of earning a master's in accounting or finance. Finance would be related to the OP's field. I see no purpose for the master's in leadership either for the OP or 99.9% of the world population.

It could be good for an accountant who thoroughly understands finance and accounting, but needs to concentrate on management and people skills in general so they can transition to an executive position. That's what one friend of ours did. She was pigeon-holed in a controller role, did an MS in Executive Leadership and ended up CFO for a big charity.