Forum: General Forum (4 Comments)
MS Marketing/ Management.
Posted by - HV - on 28 November 2011 - 8:25pm
I'm honestly thankful to this forum for providing a platform to share our ideas and suggestions about these relatively new courses on the market.
I'm an applicant from India, and graduated in Engineering in 2010 ,had written my IELTS in september and scored an 8.0.So,i have about a year of work ex. thats about it.
Having said that,my interest lies in Marketing. I'm clear about that.That is the profile of work i'd like to apply be it post MiM or MBA.But the confusion for me is,should i pursue a Masters in Management or Masters in Marketing ?
MS Mgmt is more generalised,whereas MS Mktg is more niche from what i understand.
But the dilemma i face with MS Mktg is,it will become a specific program and am not too sure,if that'll be a plus or actually go against my odds.ALthough,there is not doubt over my interest in Marketing.
Looking from various odds and an employer's perpective,does it make sense to do an mgmt or marketing program ?I request all the experts to kindly guide me through this.
It'll really help.
I intend to apply to the 2012 program.Much thanks !
Posted by - alexadavid - on 4 May 2023 - 7:40am
This post was a great read, providing
a well-rounded overview of the topic with valuable insights and practical takeaways.Posted by - Thomas Graf - on 29 November 2011 - 2:40am
Hi HV,
thank you for your question. Let's face the dilemma from several perspectives. Let's start with your intrinsic motivation.
1. Intrinsic Motivation: Where are your interests?
Imagine you have one year of learning ahead. One year of thinking, one year of solving problems and case studies, discussing with friends, colleagues, professors, and business experts. Keeping away any career perspective for a moment - which areas do you want this experience cover?- Marketing issues: in depth-knowledge, marketing from all angles
- General management issues: in the first part of the program a mixture of management tools such as strategy, marketing, cost accounting, supply chain management, human resources management etc. - in the advanced parts of the program concrete general management problems through integrated courses?
Next, leave away your intrinsic motivation and take a career ENTRY perspective for a moment.
2. Career ENTRY perspective: Which role in a company do you want to play directly after your Master?
- a Marketing expert?
- maybe a role in a marketing team, but not necessarily?
- a project management role or a trainee program?
- consulting role?
3. Finally, let's take the career DEVELOPMENT perspective: How important should marketing be for you three to five years after graduation?
- very important
- less important
- irrelevant
My personal recommendation (!!!) is: Follow your (1) interest first!
- If you really want to learn marketing and not general management then do a Master in Marketing NOW. If you have doubts that your interest may change overtime then don't stress yourself - you can do an MBA later on, once you have started your career and once you clearly feel the interest for it.
- If your interests are NOT 80%, 90%, or 100% on the Marketing side - if you are swaying between marketing and general management (again: I am only talking about your interests here, NOT about career perspectives), then go to the next step: career entry perspective.
From the (2) career ENTRY perspective, you can do both programs: a Master in Marketing and a Master in Management and still end up in a marketing team. In other words: You can apply for a marketing job with a MSc in Marketing and with an MIM. Also, both Masters allow you - depending on your performance - to achieve leadership positions and climb up the hierarchy.
From a (3) career DEVELOPMENT perspective, my gut feeling is that a Master in Management will allow you to take responsibilities beyond marketing faster in your career while a Master in Marketing will stronger keep you in the Marketing track of a company. Again, even from a career development perspective both Masters can lead you to a career within and beyond marketing. However, if you want to "leave" the marketing area overtime a MIM might be the easier way - with a Master in Marketing you may need to do an MBA or receive training from your company in order to leave the marketing area overtime.
Bottom line:
Considering that your Master education will primarily have an impact on your career start and early career years, think about your (1) intrinsic interests and the (2) role you want to play directly after starting in a company and make your decision based on this - at least this is my recommendation and it seems to be the safest way.And keep in mind that later on - (3) during your career - you can always add another education: You can add an MBA (or training) if you need general management knowledge, and you can do a Master in Marketing (or training) if you need more detailed knowledge.
I hope this answer will be helpful for you.
Best wishes
ThomasPosted by - Thomas Graf - on 29 November 2011 - 1:41pm
By the way... you can also use the direct contacts to business schools that the MIM-COMPASS offers for his users. For example, you can contact Katja Gomer from Hult International Management School and share your doubts with her. Very likely she is used to them and can provide you with additional "inside" information that help you finding a decision.
Hult offers both, a Master in International Business (more general) and a Master in Marketing. You can contact Katja even if you do not start your studies at Hult later on.
Best wishes
Thomas
