What factors should I consider when deciding between a general MBA vs. a specialized MBA?

Question

I'm currently in the process of applying to business schools and I notice that nearly all of them have general MBA degrees and MBA degrees with different areas of concentration or specialization. I currently work in the IT industry doing some project management and customer support, though I'm on the fence about whether the IT industry is where I'd like to stay.

I'm going back and forth between the general MBA and something like an MBA in IT Management, but I'm having trouble deciding. What are some things I can consider during this process so that I can make a good decision and not get a degree that's either too general to be useful or too specific to give me options?

Answer 1

Because you already have real world experience in IT but are unsure it is where you want to stay, a general MBA should be fine.

If you want to stay in IT, what most companies care about is actual experience - and it seems you have that. Having an MBA and experience in IT is a great combination and having experience in IT is far more useful than having a specialist MBA in IT.

Another issue is that IT management is usually not a challenging place to get to if you are interested. I've worked with quite a few people in IT and it was the rare one who wanted to be in management. Most wanted to keep their hands in the technology. For this reason, IT management is different from many other fields in business.

Answer 2

You are saying that you have working experience in project management and customer support in the IT sector, in that case you can choose MBA specialization, that means MBA in IT. This specialization will give more fruit.

But for non working person I want to suggest to all go for general MBA

Answer 3

I think a general MBA is much better.

The course load is about the same; to qualify for a specialist MBA you often only need a few specialized classes.

The MBA general or specific is still a very broad based super-generalist degree. Uninformed employers may believe that a specialized MBA makes you a specialist and not someone for the management track.

A general MBA will allow you to progress through many changes of industry and jobs. Yesterday a banker, today a quality control supervisor, tomorrow a head of strategic management, that is an MBA. Specializing is for undergrad and msc.

When I did my BBA in finance, my main professor allowed me to sit in his finance MBA classes, they knew less than undergrads. It is quite understandable a BBA needs nearly 2 years of finance courses, an MBA like 3-4 courses. So when I did my MBA I chose General but elected to do a thesis in finance.