Posted by - - on 5 April 2013 - 12:13pm

• Posted by - - on 6 April 2013 - 7:15am

  Thanx a lot Graf !

  Will think about it !

  Reply

• Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 5 April 2013 - 2:03pm

  Hi there,

  thanks for your question. Why don't you decide for a Master in Marketing?

  MBAs and MIMs are general management programs. But you are fairly sure that you want to become a marketing manager. Also, your extracurricular activities point into that direction. With such a specialized master, you would deepen your knowledge in marketing - and depending on the program and school - you can choose a concentration and become an expert even in a specific marketing area (e.g., social media etc.).

  So, if you are clear that your job after graduation should be in marketing I would do that. You can do the MBA as fulltime or parttime program later anyway, should you feel in some years that you need general management knowledge or the title.

  Best wishes
  Thomas

  By Thomas Graf

  Reply

  • Posted by - - on 5 April 2013 - 3:32pm

    Thanx Graf !

    From what I know, MSc is more of a theoritical course. I thought I will do some general management and then specialize with some electives during my course. Is that advisable ?

    So, considering this, MIM now or MBA later ?

    Thank you !

    Reply

    • Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 5 April 2013 - 3:43pm

      Hi there,

      It depends in what YOU want. All options are valid options.

      Marketing vs General Management
      You can go for a general management program and take some electives in the more advanced stages. But keep in mind that with some electives you will not gain expert knowledge in the field of marketing. It stays on a rather superficial level.

      Or you go for a Master in Marketing and develop in-depth knowledge. As for theoretical vs. practical, of course you learn theoretical foundations. That's what a master is about and what experts whould know. But you can also watch out for programs with a strong practical focus, for example with real life projects or in-company projects included. Finally, a master in marketing can provide you with a strong network within the marketing area (depending on the school).

      MIM now vs. MBA later
      I personally doubt that it is possible to determine the "longterm value" of one degree against the other. The MBA clearly is more known as the MIM and, hence, may have a stronger potential to push your career. But your overall career will depend on so many factors that I would neglect that degree criterion.

      Instead, I would recommend you to decide what you need NOW.

      • If you are happy in your job or with your current job options - then why doing a master?
      • If you want rather general management knowledge, go for a MIM.
      • If you want in-depth marketing knowledge and ideally a marketing network - go for a master in marketing.

      If you take the perspective "What do I need now?", you can ignore the question about the MBA for the moment - and you don't need to be afraid of losing anything in your life as you can do the MBA at any point in your life.

      Does that make sense?

      Best wishes
      Thomas

      By Thomas Graf

      Reply