Want to do marketing degree...MBA with conc. in marketing or MSc in Marketing?

[sanantone]

So is this coming from first hand experience or when you browsed through curriculum?
What would you suggest alternatively?
You don't think a degree like this would be useful at all?

I've never worked in marketing; I just know what marketing curriculum normally covers. I would often search for jobs looking for a generic social science degree or a degree related to psychology or sociology and marketing research often came up. If they're asking for people with bachelor's degrees in marketing, psychology, sociology, social science, other social science degrees, statistics, and business administration, my guess is that a masters degree in marketing is overkill. The marketing analytics program teaches research and statistical analysis skills that could be useful, but a generic masters in marketing is just fluff. However, you said you don't want to be a number cruncher. I don't know why one would get a marketing analytics degree if they don't want to do anything too quantitative.

I would assume that marketing research is just like any other research field. When you're a professor at a university, you can pay someone or partner with someone to do the quantitative stuff with your research. You'd be put at a huge disadvantage at a job if you went in saying that you want to design research questions and the results, but you don't want to do data collection through data science or analyze the results. You'll just give the impression that your skills in statistics aren't strong, and they'll wonder how you can interpret the results if you don't understand the statistics behind them. Plus, one of the common job requirements in technical jobs where results need to be given to management is that the employee have the ability to explain the results to laymen.

In my doctoral program, they beefed up the statistics requirements because they realized graduates will have a tough time finding jobs outside of academia without strong quantitative skills. They also learned that universities have a strong preference for abilities in quantitative research over qualitative research. People underestimate the quantitative skills a lot of people with graduate degrees in psychology have. A lot of statistics courses are taught by people with psychology degrees. If I were looking for someone who could do research, do statistical analysis, and understand the psychology behind the results, I would expect someone with a psychology degree to wipe the floor with someone with that marketing analytics degree.

[sgloer]

I edited out the profanity. Please keep the discussion mature and civil. Thank you.

[mednat]

I respectfully disagree. I think marketing can be taught in an applied way that clearly separates it from the typical social sciences. Marketing programs typically provide a more focused approach to the social sciences that can be beneficial. To say marketing is no more than social science with fluff is like saying learning medicine is biology and chemistry with fluff. It is extremely beneficial to focus on the applied nature of a subject when the goal is to enter the field. If you told me you wanted to teach marketing, I would agree more with the social science approach. But to gain entry into the field, I think a masters in marketing is fine.

With that said, if you have no experience in the field I would focus on schools that can offer community connections or internships. You will likely need more than the masters to break into the field. In cases of learning an applied field I value the internships and connections as much if not more than the degree itself.

That's just my two cents. I don't work in marketing, but I've worked in business for 18 years. It's an interesting subject and there is plenty of demand. To get their foot in the door many people start with sales positions. I'm not sure if you have the appetite for that but it's a great way to get into a company and transitioning into marketing.

[sanantone]

The thing is that sales jobs, when they require a degree, oftentimes just require any generic degree. IIRC, sales is one of the most common jobs among people with psychology degrees. Marketing is not as technical as medicine, so I wouldn't exactly compare the amount of training needed between those two. If you're talking about marketing research, then you're getting more into the social science realm.

Criminal justice has similar qualities. It's supposed to be applied, but many of the top researchers in the field don't have criminal justice degrees. You also don't need a CJ degree to advance in the field. Outside of corrections, a CJ degree normally won't make a candidate a standout for promotion.

Ironically, if you wanted to teach marketing, you would need those magic 18 graduate credits in marketing. Some schools might let you get away with business administration credits. Academia is pickier.

[TESUAbroad]

Thanks for all the advice. I suppose I'm still undecided at this point, these are the choices I have imposed upon myself:
A. Job in position I want
B. MBA marketing
C. MSC marketing

A is likely to happen considering my prior work experience. If not, I'm still conflicted with B vs C.
If A does happen, perhaps I can get a company to pay for my tuition later on or do a self-paced program on the side with my new salary.

I know this has been a heated discussion to say the least, but I truly appreciate all the critical feedback, it needs to be heard(good and bad). Thanks

[mednat]

That is true, most sales jobs don't require a specific degree (or any at all), however my suggestion was to get a sales related job as a path to a marketing job. I've rarely seen people transition from sales to marketing role without some sort of formal credentials in marketing. In this case, a sales person with a marketing degree would be a very desirable candidate in the company for any marketing role that may come available.

Marketing, although not as technical as medicine, is very much a technical field. This is definitely more true on the creative side than the accounts side, but either way it's a skill that can be taught/learned. I agree marketing does borrow from social science theories often, however there is value in a program that focuses completely on the theories that relate to one area. Marketing degrees are useful precisely because they area very limited subset of what you'd learn in a social science program. This allows students to really focus on the areas that translate to a job in the field. Not to mention should teach students the vocabulary to "fit in" with their marketing peers.

With all that being said, I really like an MBA for most people's first masters. Not because it best prepares you for work, but because IMHO hiring managers understand it better. Where I work, you're going to talk to 3 HR/screeners before I get to talk to you. I hire technical (IT) staff, and the first three people that an applicant speaks with have zero technical background, but they are responsible for screening candidates. It's a silly system, but most of these people can relate to an MBA degree better than a technical degree, because they have business exposure and can relate better to that sort of vocabulary. After an interview with myself, applicants interview with 4 other people, one of which is HR, two have finance backgrounds and one has a sales background. Business knowledge is not necessary for most of the jobs that report to me, but it will leave more of an impression on the non-technical interviewers because they can actually have conversations with you. If the people you speak with after me are impressed with you, it makes my job of hiring you easier.

[dfrecore]

Thanks for all the advice. I suppose I'm still undecided at this point, these are the choices I have imposed upon myself:
A. Job in position I want
B. MBA marketing
C. MSC marketing

A is likely to happen considering my prior work experience. If not, I'm still conflicted with B vs C.
If A does happen, perhaps I can get a company to pay for my tuition later on or do a self-paced program on the side with my new salary.

I know this has been a heated discussion to say the least, but I truly appreciate all the critical feedback, it needs to be heard(good and bad). Thanks

One of the things I like to ask myself is "Why am I doing this?" If I get a job that I want, then do I really NEED the MBA/MSC? What is the point?

If the point of getting the degree is to get the job you want, and you get it without the degree, then you're wasting your time and money.

If the point is self-fulfillment, then obviously you should get the degree that is of most interest to you (which sounds like the MSC).

If the point is to prepare for a future job, then you would probably do well to take the time to do more research.

[TESUAbroad]

One of the things I like to ask myself is "Why am I doing this?"

Isn't that the million dollar question? I'm not religious, so this question is all the more pertinent. I have an existential crisis every now and then, and ask myself why even bother? What's the point of it all?

Anyways, this question has been beaten to death within my own mind.

It is three-fold:
1. Self-fulfillment in the learning experience and the satisfaction of attaining a graduate degree
3. More credibility with employers in the hiring process and towards a career in a relevant and fulfilling field
3. Better upward career trajectory

As of now, I'm using the last of my funds to complete a Bachelor's at TESU. If I had the money to do a graduate degree now (without debt) it would be my FIRST choice.
However, since I do not, my first choice is to find a job, that's hopefully in marketing and in the tech sector.

[sanantone]

That is true, most sales jobs don't require a specific degree (or any at all), however my suggestion was to get a sales related job as a path to a marketing job. I've rarely seen people transition from sales to marketing role without some sort of formal credentials in marketing. In this case, a sales person with a marketing degree would be a very desirable candidate in the company for any marketing role that may come available.

Marketing, although not as technical as medicine, is very much a technical field. This is definitely more true on the creative side than the accounts side, but either way it's a skill that can be taught/learned. I agree marketing does borrow from social science theories often, however there is value in a program that focuses completely on the theories that relate to one area. Marketing degrees are useful precisely because they area very limited subset of what you'd learn in a social science program. This allows students to really focus on the areas that translate to a job in the field. Not to mention should teach students the vocabulary to "fit in" with their marketing peers.

With all that being said, I really like an MBA for most people's first masters. Not because it best prepares you for work, but because IMHO hiring managers understand it better. Where I work, you're going to talk to 3 HR/screeners before I get to talk to you. I hire technical (IT) staff, and the first three people that an applicant speaks with have zero technical background, but they are responsible for screening candidates. It's a silly system, but most of these people can relate to an MBA degree better than a technical degree, because they have business exposure and can relate better to that sort of vocabulary. After an interview with myself, applicants interview with 4 other people, one of which is HR, two have finance backgrounds and one has a sales background. Business knowledge is not necessary for most of the jobs that report to me, but it will leave more of an impression on the non-technical interviewers because they can actually have conversations with you. If the people you speak with after me are impressed with you, it makes my job of hiring you easier.

I think you made the case for a bachelor's in marketing or a BSBA/BBA with a concentration in marketing. I still don't see the case for a masters in marketing.

Similar to what defrecore said, I normally recommend that people study criminal justice out of interest, not because they think it'll give them a leg up over other majors.

[dfrecore]

Isn't that the million dollar question? I'm not religious, so this question is all the more pertinent. I have an existential crisis every now and then, and ask myself why even bother? What's the point of it all?

Anyways, this question has been beaten to death within my own mind.

It is three-fold:
1. Self-fulfillment in the learning experience and the satisfaction of attaining a graduate degree
3. More credibility with employers in the hiring process and towards a career in a relevant and fulfilling field
3. Better upward career trajectory

As of now, I'm using the last of my funds to complete a Bachelor's at TESU. If I had the money to do a graduate degree now (without debt) it would be my FIRST choice.
However, since I do not, my first choice is to find a job, that's hopefully in marketing and in the tech sector.

I sometimes contemplate the whole MBA thing myself, and then keep telling myself that I really don't need it (I'm not even working, I'm a SAHM for at least the next 6 years until my youngest graduates HS). It would purely be for self-fulfillment, and I'm not sure I need to spend that much money for self-fulfillment - I could continue to take courses for fun if I really wanted to...

I'm just very practical, and so I try not to "waste" money. I know knowledge isn't a waste of money per se, but there are free/cheap ways to earn it.