MSc subject decision.

[Iqbal Achieve]

As an update to this thread- I finally settled on studying for an MBA with the Open Uni. Although it is quite pricey, the Business School is triple-accredited, with some excellent connections. I am fortunate enough that I can afford to pay for installments, over the next 4 years- which will take me nicely to my 22-year point.

Thanks for all the advice, definitely gave me food for thought. I'm sure people will have their opinions on the MBA, particularly online, and I'm happy to take them on board...but I'm signed up and good to go!

 

[LimaOscar]

Best of luck with the course.
FWIW, as someone who's recruited for blue chip companies for thirty odd years.From shop floor to board level.
A candidate who's completed a relevant OU postgraduate degree would get serious brownie points for successfully balancing work, study and possibly a family.
Until you've experienced it, you don't necessarily appreciate how tough it can be to study part-time, in addition to other responsibilities.
Quality employers would generally be of the same opinion.
Enjoy the journey, as well as the destination

 

[amazing__lobster]

When I looked at this a couple of years ago the best advice I was given is that MBAs are pay-to-play and that the value of the top tier courses was in the networking opportunities. The teaching at Ox/Cam isn't 4x better than anywhere else but the opportunities to mix with the future global elite are what make it valuable. Maybe good for a young thruster with ambitions of shooting for the top but perhaps an unnecessary expense for those with a more established career path.

Generally what you find as well is that many of the lecturers have most likely to have worked at some of the top tier universities too. I currently lecture in a post-92 (an ex-poly in old money), although not in business, and most of my colleagues have also taught/lectured in a number of RG or internationally etc. I recently sat in on some interviews at the ex-poly my other half-works at and one of the candidates interviewed already had a lecturership at local RG, but wanted to move because the ex-poly offered more research time. In fact, thinking about it - our place also just hired someone who gave up a lectureship at Oxford to join us.

Generally, as you say - they don't teach any different to how they did at other institutions, the main difference will be your student peers.

 

[amazing__lobster]

As an update to this thread- I finally settled on studying for an MBA with the Open Uni. Although it is quite pricey, the Business School is triple-accredited, with some excellent connections. I am fortunate enough that I can afford to pay for installments, over the next 4 years- which will take me nicely to my 22-year point.

Thanks for all the advice, definitely gave me food for thought. I'm sure people will have their opinions on the MBA, particularly online, and I'm happy to take them on board...but I'm signed up and good to go!

Good luck with your course!

 

[Effendi]

As an update to this thread- I finally settled on studying for an MBA with the Open Uni. Although it is quite pricey, the Business School is triple-accredited, with some excellent connections. I am fortunate enough that I can afford to pay for installments, over the next 4 years- which will take me nicely to my 22-year point.

Thanks for all the advice, definitely gave me food for thought. I'm sure people will have their opinions on the MBA, particularly online, and I'm happy to take them on board...but I'm signed up and good to go!

Good luck mate.

 

[bobthebuilder]

Good choice and good luck. Enjoy your course

If I may pass on a word of advice from one of the tutors on my MBA; don’t focus on the assessments. Unless you have an ambition to earn a Distinction, all you have to do is pass them.

I wish I’d thought that through earlier in my course; I focused on the assessments because that’s what I’d always done on military courses. Coursemanship and all that; the course report was more important than the learnings.

If you do that on an MBA, you miss a lot of learning opportunities.

 

[Effendi]

Good choice and good luck. Enjoy your course

If I may pass on a word of advice from one of the tutors on my MBA; don’t focus on the assessments. Unless you have an ambition to earn a Distinction, all you have to do is pass them.

I wish I’d thought that through earlier in my course; I focused on the assessments because that’s what I’d always done on military courses. Coursemanship and all that; the course report was more important than the learnings.

If you do that on an MBA, you miss a lot of learning opportunities.

I got around 68% on my masters, had a good time getting that, and also spent a lot of time delving into the more interesting, but not so necessary to know to get high marks details.......and cos I did the interesting stuff which impressed a prof., who glanced over our dissertations, he offered me an all expenses paid, plus bursary, and teaching money, research studentship.

The time doing a masters can also be used to tactical future employment advantage. As a mature, experienced, more rounded individual [doing research for an MBA] it is much easier to call/contact seniors in industry than a fresh faced student. Contact, visit, interview, chat up, make acquaintances, so that when it comes to finding a job time you already have some groundwork, and loose contacts, in place. Contacts are worth their weight in gold.

 

[Just_plain_you]

As an update to this thread- I finally settled on studying for an MBA with the Open Uni. Although it is quite pricey, the Business School is triple-accredited, with some excellent connections. I am fortunate enough that I can afford to pay for installments, over the next 4 years- which will take me nicely to my 22-year point.

Thanks for all the advice, definitely gave me food for thought. I'm sure people will have their opinions on the MBA, particularly online, and I'm happy to take them on board...but I'm signed up and good to go!

Can recommend some books if required! These are a good primers:
The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman
Amazon.co.uk: 10-Day-MBA-step-step-mastering/dp/0749927003
Amazon.co.uk: Complete-Dummies%C2%AE-Kathleen-Allen-Ph-D-ebook/dp/B0013KAJYI