Best Master's Degree's vol. Older NT heads

[savraj1]

Originally Posted by CMBWHODI

Just got into Yale for my MBA and am waiting to hear back from Tuck (Dartmouth) ... I am a career changer, trying to go into IB, I know how hard it is so this is just the beginning. IF you do not go somewhere where the BIG names in your industry of choice recruit, you may as well not even go.

Ps, any Yale/Tuck alumni, hit me up.

How have you spent the time since graduating with your bachelors, if you don't mind me asking. And how long has it been?

 

[Renaldo Balkman]

Masters in Education... you can teach elementary/high school/college

 

[salahuddinxciii]

dang...i just started working on my petro engineering BA here at texas a&m, i know its like top 3 schools in the nation for petro engineering..i just finished my first semester. should i look into a mba when im done?

 

[younglorious973]

my sister went to masters of nursing in anesthesiology and is making over 160k in NJ right now.
i'm currently in the process of getting my masters in biomedical science...  and hopefully get into dental school with that.

...but non-health related.. you're probably looking at MBA being the most worth-while.

...and to the dude who asked about Masters in Information Systems... that field is growing like crazy! would be a great idea to pursue that.

 

[dwyanewadeog]

Originally Posted by cristobal

Originally Posted by impalaballa187

Entirely depends on your field. "Best Master's" is about as ambiguous as asking what the "Best Career" is. What works for you may not work for someone else.

MBA's:

If it's not from an M7 school, your post-grad prospects aren't all that bright. If you go to below 10, you're really making it hard for yourself to break into a top "White Shoe" firm. That's where the absurd bonuses and great salaries (along with pretty terrible hours) are.

JD's:

Wayyyyyyyyy to many of them on the market. If it's a top-5 school then great, but below that it's increasingly turning into a very expensive sheet of paper. The payoff compared to other industries isn't that great either.

MD's

Always in demand because of the limited supply. You'll get stable well-paying work REGARDLESS of the tier of school you end up in. It's wayyyy too much school for me though. By the time you're bringing in over $100K, you're like 27... Analysts on Wall-Street and Consultants are making that at 21... although they have less job security.

General Master's Programs:

Ehhh... pretty useless IMO

Master's in Engineering/CS

Can definitely open doors. Engineers and CS folks are always in demand, and have a much easier time landing gigs than general liberal arts people. Entirely depends though. They pay will be decent, but for the difficulty that the programs require... I personally would venture elsewhere.

Specialized Master's (Architecture, Hospitality, Etc.)

- Not really in a place to comment as I haven't really researched the fields, but I believe you had to have done undergrad in the area in order to master in it.

I'll be heading to a MBA program in 2015. It's M7 or bust, to be honest... Strengthening the resume now and getting work experience that would make me an attractive candidate. You really have to be strategic with it.

Not true about the JD. The top 25 law schools' graduates mostly always start off in six figures and have prime picks for judicial clerkships, which are good for loan forgiveness and equals an automatic 50 grand pay-bump when you do go into the private sector. Hell, even if you graduate from a top 75 school and do decently well in your class, not even top, you can make 80 grand out of school if you're located in a city. The pay-off is there, you just have to do well in school and at least go to a top 75 school. 

1. top 25 law schools' graduates mostly always start off in six figures and have prime picks for judicial clerkships
No. To get judicial clerkships you need to be top 5-15% of your class and thats at a school like Columbia. If you are outside of the T-10 you better be in the top 5 at best to be competitive.

2. if you graduate from a top 75 school and do decently well in your class, not even top, you can make 80 grand out of school if you're located in a city.

Bi-modal salary distribution. 80 grand is the number you arrive at when you average the 45-50k salaries and 160k ones.

For the vast majority of people law school is a horrible decision unless, as previous posters have mentioned, you go to a T-14 or go to the strongest school where you intend to practice.

 

[frank 7he t4nk]

I'd say get a MBA.

 

[dt43]

Originally Posted by Destination Kicks

Originally Posted by Coolidge Effect

Originally Posted by omgitswes

Same thing here.
I want to go to Vandy so bad to get my MBA but they don't have Information Systems. So I was thinking maybe get it in Management. No idea how well those two will play together, get my Bachelors in MIS and a MBA in business management.
What do you guys think?

I'm doing my MBA right now and I feel like all my management courses are a waste of time teaching you common sense on how to manage people. But, my concentration is in Finance, so my opinion may be biased.

 Both of my parents got their MBA's from Kelley SoB (IU), and my dad says it was such a waste of time and that he's got a collection of like 5-10 books that taught him as much as he learned in his time there. 
I'm an Econ. major, and I'm thinking if I don't get a really good internship for this summer I'm either going to go directly to grad. school or Peace Corps and going to grad. school for extremely cheap/free.

my school is top 10 in business and the b-school kids don't do ANYTHING... like literally. they have catered parties every week with food/booze and everyone is expected to attend and "network" as part of their education.

 
i would never pay for an MBA program out of my own pocket, i know that much. 

 

[vkhoj]

1. An MBA is not an MBA...what you learn is irrelevant. It's all about the NETWORKING and the NAME to get you to the next step. Pedigree is HUGE.

What people don't mention even now is that even those with MBA's from the top schools are finding it hard to break into where they want to go...the market is saturated with highly qualified people and on top of that the finance sector is struggling at the moment - reforms are looming and internal hedge fund managers have been given the shaft already.

You also need relevant work experience before applying, and to give yourself the best shot you need to come from a target undergraduate school; you also need to have the grades and interview skills.


2. The job market is also looking pretty rough for JD's. Huge explosion of the number of schools since they want to make money...with no regard to the number of available jobs. It's becoming even harder to break into BIG LAW to make the real money...and again you need to come from top tier law school.


3. A job as a MD/DO is a little bit more resistant to changes in the economy and has better job security and good money at the moment...but healthcare is a deep mess. Future and current healthcare budget costs have made MD/DO salaries out of all professional degrees, the least to rise in comparison to inflation. Not only that but future cuts are looking to decline salaries even more. To top it off it is another 4 years of school and 3-6 years of residency training on top of 4 years of undegrad.

Take what I say with a grain of salt...I realize what I say has a doom and gloom tune to it...but the fact is that the economy blows.

4. To put things in perspective though, the bottom in business is lower than the bottom in medicine, but the sky is the limit in business and far exceeds medicine. Some rough numbers let's say for investment banking, 70-100k starting salary...put in your two years, get your MBA, and go into hedge fund or private equity etc...you can make millions in your bonuses, but the catch is that not everyone makes it there. I'm not going to really address going to address law school because I think it is becoming a less viable career choice.

In medicine, average salary for an attending is about $200k and you can make an upwards of 300-500K...but it's super variable depending on location, specialty and academic vs. private practice. With that said though, I would say, and others in healthcare will agree with me, that it is a poor decision to go into medicine with the SOLE intention of making money due to the opportunity cost. You will live comfortably, you just won't be as financially sound as someone who didn't take on med school loans, defer them for ~10 years, and had been early a salary and earning $$ via safely investing due to 10 years of compound interest.

IMO, it is best to get into a highly regarded undergraduate with a business school, get into accounting/finance/economics and get a job straight out of undergraduate. If you have the grades, network, USE THE CAREER CENTER AND ON CAMPUS RECRUITING...you have a shot into breaking it into McKinsey/Bain for consulting, a Big 4 for accounting or a bulge bracket IB for finance. That should be your goal if you are planning to maximize time and $$...but you will be working ungodly hours. If you're doing it right, you don't need to get a Master's to get a job until later.

 

[destination kicks]

Originally Posted by DT43

Originally Posted by Destination Kicks

Originally Posted by Coolidge Effect


I'm doing my MBA right now and I feel like all my management courses are a waste of time teaching you common sense on how to manage people. But, my concentration is in Finance, so my opinion may be biased.

 Both of my parents got their MBA's from Kelley SoB (IU), and my dad says it was such a waste of time and that he's got a collection of like 5-10 books that taught him as much as he learned in his time there. 
I'm an Econ. major, and I'm thinking if I don't get a really good internship for this summer I'm either going to go directly to grad. school or Peace Corps and going to grad. school for extremely cheap/free.

my school is top 10 in business and the b-school kids don't do ANYTHING... like literally. they have catered parties every week with food/booze and everyone is expected to attend and "network" as part of their education.

 
i would never pay for an MBA program out of my own pocket, i know that much. 

Where are you at?

 

[vkhoj]

However, if you have a passion for something by all means pursue it...if you love what you do, it won't be work or just a job...and that alone is priceless.

 

[dt43]

Originally Posted by Destination Kicks

Originally Posted by DT43

Originally Posted by Destination Kicks

 Both of my parents got their MBA's from Kelley SoB (IU), and my dad says it was such a waste of time and that he's got a collection of like 5-10 books that taught him as much as he learned in his time there. 
I'm an Econ. major, and I'm thinking if I don't get a really good internship for this summer I'm either going to go directly to grad. school or Peace Corps and going to grad. school for extremely cheap/free.

my school is top 10 in business and the b-school kids don't do ANYTHING... like literally. they have catered parties every week with food/booze and everyone is expected to attend and "network" as part of their education.

 
i would never pay for an MBA program out of my own pocket, i know that much. 

Where are you at?

Columbia (i'm not in the business school if thats what you meant)

 

[ooiron manoo]

Pursuing an MBA, I'm a fan of studying the field of something you want to do long term.
I have figured out in my short professional life that I am good at getting people to do things, I like telling people what to do and I like running !!%+, 

.

See myself consulting or in operations management.

 

[cmbwhodi]

I graduated from UW in 2007.
In 2008 I was laid off from my job as a credit analyst at a commercial financing company.

Early 2009 I was supposed to become a Marketing Analyst Intern for TOMS, but then they pulled the rug out from under me 5 days before moving there.

Since then, I have been working for my family, they own four restaurants and some apartments.

Brother is going Ivy for MBA straight out of USC undergrad, our parents are happy, to say the least. I want to make it on my own, my parents success and business will always be there, but something about doing it "on my own," is incredibly appealing...

Again, any IB/PE/VC connects in Seattle/LA/NYC or people who love Yale/Dart/UW/USC alumni, hit me up!!!

EDIT: Answering the question about what I did after undergrad, not trying to humble brag out of nowhere

 

[ricky409]

i'm getting ready to start searching for masters programs to start in the fall...

i got a BBA-Marketing w/ a minor in Biology w/ a school in the Texas A&M family...

few questions...

1. am i able to crossover into MS programs w/ just a minor in Biology?

2. i've heard of dual masters programs... like MBA/MS programs... could take me a few years to finish, but i'm for it...

3. dont have much experience besides management and asst management at retail sporting goods stores... is that even SOMEWHAT relevant?

4. i'm black. does that matter?

5. i really wouldnt mind attaining a masters degree in both business and science fields... how marketable would i be w/ both, even if they arent from top 25 schools?

 

[playmaker86]

Posting for Later

 

[elcatfisho]

trying to go to medical school... got to bust my +%# through these pre-reqs though. 

 
and the money is going to be an issue, I'll need to start working in college if I want to stay financially solvent in the future for any grad degree. 

 

[39478]

The wife is looking to gain a master's degree in strategic communication from the University of Oregon. She's in HR right now but knows that a m. degree would provide her with so much more qualification and experience for future positions in companies.

My wife is awesome

 

[drunken cow]

For anyone with a low gpa (sub 3.2), a sorry transcript, did the bare minimal to graduate(did not participate in anything significant). Here are some success stories for people that applied, did well on the GMAT(remember you can take it as many times as you want) and got into Top 10(if not 5) schools. Don't give up.
http://daveformba.blogspo...w-gpa-stories.html 

http://gmatclub.com/forum/low-undergrad-gpa-success-stories-79977.html 

And people with great GPA, I am assuming you will get into a top 5 school as long you do ~700+ on the GMAT

Im debating on going back to school for a MBA after I graduate with a BS in Aerospace Engineering this may. I'll probably take half a year off before I can think about taking that route...

 

[dt43]

^why would you go back? is it because of job prospects, or what? bc i've heard the aerospace sector is dying out these days, have you experienced that at all?

 

[drunken cow]

Originally Posted by DT43

^why would you go back? is it because of job prospects, or what? bc i've heard the aerospace sector is dying out these days, have you experienced that at all?

The space section is dying but aerospace is very much alive. The beauty of aerospace engineers is that we can basically apply ourselves into multi-disciplines whenever we graduate, applying for aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or petroleum engineering jobs. Only reason I might eventually go back is because I always loved the business aspect of things and with a MBA, I can only heighten my salary later on in life. 

 

[dathbgboy]

Originally Posted by ThrowedInDaGame

MBA from top 5 business school> all



lock thread.

MBA from school below T30 = piece of paper.

Yea ok. PAs come out makin dough if in the right field. Anything medical>>>> other +%!. 

 

[nikeairforce1]

reading this thread makes me feel sad

 

[andysleon]

Any Physical Therapy majors? barely 20 but thats what i wanna do

 

[rawsheed]

Originally Posted by ricky409

i'm getting ready to start searching for masters programs to start in the fall...

i got a BBA-Marketing w/ a minor in Biology w/ a school in the Texas A&M family...

few questions...

1. am i able to crossover into MS programs w/ just a minor in Biology?

2. i've heard of dual masters programs... like MBA/MS programs... could take me a few years to finish, but i'm for it...

3. dont have much experience besides management and asst management at retail sporting goods stores... is that even SOMEWHAT relevant?

4. i'm black. does that matter?

5. i really wouldnt mind attaining a masters degree in both business and science fields... how marketable would i be w/ both, even if they arent from top 25 schools?

1. if you're serious about at least an MS in biology, it really depends on what you want to head into. Biology is so broad and at the MS level you need to get specific, esp. on what you want to do on your thesis.

ie if you wanna get an MS in the cell & molecular field, you might need to take relevant coursework in those areas. Then you'll need to obtain research experience at a lab at your university that would give you a good advantage in terms of applying for grad schools.

Funny you mention that, I'm gonna get my BS in Biology/Ecology and was thinking of minoring in Marketing, but I don't want to be an undergrad for another year

2. Dual masters are a great idea, def. lots of work though

4. Being a black guy in biology certainly never hurts I'm betting. The last two seminars I went to were hosted by two black professors doing some extraordinary work in the STEM fields (engineering & immunology to specific) and their resumes/CVs are off the charts. Their labs are here & here.

and this all pertinent info to whoever have the same questions.

 

[vkhoj]

Originally Posted by Dathbgboy

Originally Posted by ThrowedInDaGame

MBA from top 5 business school> all



lock thread.

MBA from school below T30 = piece of paper.

Yea ok. PAs come out makin dough if in the right field. Anything medical>>>> other +%!. 

No hate against PA's, mid level providers do have a place in healthcare and are needed, but it's not all its cracked up to be. You'll never be fully autonomous nor have the full breath of knowledge that a physician has. In short, you will never be the captain of the ship and as such there is no career advancement - what you make coming in is what you'll be at...
I'm just trying to say it's not for everyone, especially the Type-A people.