MS vs MBA - A Tough Dilemma

Posted by Mahesh Ramani to Help and Advice | January 31st 2014

Most engineering students are faced with a tough question usually in their fourth year of study. The question is - Do I study an MS or M.Tech? or Do I do an MBA? This question does not have a simple - this option or the other answer. A lot of factors come into play, like - finances, career aspirations, knowledge quotient and aptitude and patience to study. This article examines various scenarios wherein we compare an MS and an MBA after an undergraduate engineering degree.

Did you know?

The MBA program was originally designed to help experienced engineers move into senior management positions in running the day-to-day operations of companies. India has approximately 214 engineers per million people. More than 70% of MBA aspirants studying in top business schools in India are engineers. Leading companies, which hire fresh engineers, spend a sizeable sum of money in training them to be job-ready. In the last two years there have been multiple instances of IT-firms offering placement letters to engineering students and then placing their recruitment on hold. More than 70% of engineering students with a career in the IT industry come from a non-IT/Computer engineering background.

The engineering students conundrum:

A normal full-time engineering undergraduate degree is for a duration of four years. The trend shown in the higher education sector in India over the past five years is that most engineering graduates work for two to three years, save money, prepare for the GMAT, write the test and either go abroad for an MBA or write the CAT and join a premier Indian B-school. The contentious issue here is if the end-goal was an MBA what was the point of spending so much money on an engineering course and studying for an extra year. There are two ways to look at this query!

One - After completing a regular arts or science undergraduate course it is difficult to find a well-paying job.

Two - Getting an engineering degree from a good institution assures students of a campus placement with a secure salary. Additionally, most students deviate from their core branch of engineering studies and do a part-time course in computers and networking to go into a career in IT.

So what is the solution?

At first glance it may appear that the MBA is the most coveted degree in the world and is a sure-shot way for a big-fat pay-cheque; jet-setting across business capitals and staying in top-class luxury-hotels. Well my friends sorry to disappoint - wake up and smell the coffee! The world of cinema, Wall Street executives and London bankers and popular fiction are different from the harsh realities of actual life. Every degree and every job-role has its merits and demerits and the MBA-bubble, like the IT-bubble of the past decade is almost reaching a breaking point. Companies are unwilling to offer fat pay-cheques to fresh engineering graduates, then invest in training them and watch them leave the company at the end of their contractual obligatory stay period of two or three years. Similarly MBAs coming out of top B-Schools in India are facing another problem getting a job that satisfies them both monetarily and professionally. This has had one positive impact in the mushrooming of start-ups and entrepreneurs who are starting businesses ranging from online businesses dealing in books, clothes and vegetables to organic foods and fruits, home-cooked gourmet food and much more. In essence, the country is slowly reaching a stage wherein there are numerous engineers and MBA-holders who are either hunting for a relevant well-paying job or working in an industry, which does not utilise their academic learning/core-area of study fully.

MBA or MS - India or Abroad?

So it all boils down to just one question finally - What exactly do you want to do in life? If you are able to answer this question honestly and work towards achieving that goal - then my friend you are sure to succeed. If you wish to focus on engineering as your core passion and work in an engineering related sector or conduct research in engineering or take up teaching engineering as a career then an MS or an M. Tech would be a good choice. If you are planning to study for an MBA degree then most US and UK institutions demand that you have prior workexperience of at least two years. It is in this case-scenario that the BE + 2 or 3 years of work and then the MBA makes sense. With B-school students in India getting placement letters from top companies with annual salaries in excess of Rs 25 lakhs; the gap between Indian and foreign institutions is thinning. As far as engineering research and facilities go - unfortunately Indian institutions are yet to catch up with their UK, US and Australian counterparts. This is the primary reason why the so-called brain-drain continues and intelligent students keep migrating abroad in search of better facilities and resources.

Money Matters and Demand vs Supply:

There is a high demand for trained engineers with relevant postgraduate degrees and relevant research experience. The world of engineering is huge with opportunities in manufacturing, oil and petro-chemicals, automobiles, computer-technology, communications, infrastructure and a whole lot of other industries. MBAs can also offer their expertise in diverse fields like finance, marketing, sales, human resources and administration. Salaries vary as per industry, though it can be safely said that the demand-supply imbalance is slightly in favour of the MS-holders now.

Interest and Passion:

Students who have an analytical and technical bent of mind are more suited for MS and M.Tech and students with an aptitude for entrepreneurial and managerial skills are more suited for an MBA. Eventually let your goals, ambitions and necessities let you choose your higher education degree. Do not opt for a course to just be part of a herd. Do not end up studying something which you detest and will not let you secure a job that will offer you financial security and peace of mind. Look at the various courses listed on our website and make a wise, calculated decision. Remember each course has its benefits and the world needs all kinds of people to continue we need engineers as well as financial analysts and stock-brokers! To conclude remember what American footballer and coach Vince Lombardi said - The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

ABE Post Graduate Diploma in Business and Management

Course Overview
This qualification prepares learners to progress to a qualification in the same subject area or in another subject area (including MBAs, with the required professional experience) It aims to prepare learners for employment or supports their current role in the workplace and gives opportunities for personal growth and engagement in learning. This qualification contains a range of units which are relevant to general management and to business. Register for this Course

Employment/Progression
The ABE Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management has been developed by senior university professors, utilizing current academic learning and research, as well as employer knowledge and practice. It is therefore an ideal progression route for those who:

are currently studying professional qualifications and wish to proceed to a Masters degree in business/management have a related Honours degree but wish to proceed to a Masters level business/management qualification are in employment, at managerial level, and wish to achieve a Masters level qualification

Entry Requirements: Candidates who have passed any ABE Diploma (NFQ Level 8) are eligible to take this qualification. Other applicants must have obtained one of the following:

A UK Degree or Overseas equivalent Other Level 8 qualifications from another internationally recognised awarding body or approved Overseas Institutes of Higher Education Five years senior management experience.

Programme Outline: Candidates must pass these mandatory units:

Strategic Business Management and Performance Management of Financial Resources and Performance Leadership Change and People Performance Corporate Strategy, Governance and Ethics in the Global Environment Research Methods and their Application to Marketing

Assessment:
The Post Graduate Diploma encourages students to reformulate and use practical, conceptual or technological understanding to create ways forward in contexts where there are many interacting factors. Students are expected to critically analyse, interpret and evaluate complex information, concepts and theories to produce modified conceptions. The understanding of the wider contexts in which the area of study is located is examined and current developments in the area of study is reviewed. Students will assessed on their understanding of different theoretical and methodological perspectives and how they affect the area of study. The three-hour written external examination in Strategic Business Management and Planning is held twice a year (usually the first week in June and December). ABE manages the entire examination process, from its external centres around the world, to invigilation and marking. All other units are assessed by a written assignment, which is internally moderated by the college or by Management Approaches.