MBA vs. PhD

Hi all,

I have a Masters in Human Resource Development from GWU. I am currently an internal OD consultant for a large company. I would like to move into a consulting firm. Also, have considered more formal education. I have heard three major arguments - the MBA would be very useful in gaining a consulting spot - a PhD would be most appropriate - and that getting another degree would not be helpful the one I have is fine. Any thoughts?

Hi Kara,

It all depends which area of consulting you want to move into, level and the type of role you want to do. I'm currently doing an Executive MBA at Lancaster, with a BSC Comp sci background.

Here's some advice from someone working in IT consultancy:

PhD: A threat to most managers around you: Being percieved as smarter than others around you, especially those that you report into- can work against you. Its great if you intend to work in a research consultancy / firm eg. Gartner

MBA: The MBA allows you prove simply that you can think outside the box. Some percieve it as a ticket to upper management. Its generally more respected in banking sectors. However, strategy consultants often have MBA's. The MBA combines research with industry analysis, which makes it more useful.

Hope that helps.

Oais Ahsan UK

Kara

Consulting is not about having the best or highest education - it's about having the right experience and the appropriate background. You need to know what type of consulting and what type of work you're interested in doing and remember, at the end of the day, you have to enjoy what you do. Which ever choice you make, PhD or MBA, it will NOT be the deciding factor in a job interview. The fact that you already have a Masters degree improves your chances of getting the entry ticket to the interview. Once there, it's up to you (as a person) to show your capabilities and experiences.

The advantage with an MBA is that it allows you to change career track or to broaden you skill base for more managerial positions. The PhD will obviously make you more specialised. Financially, both will cost you in terms of tuition fees and lost income - will it pay off? It depends on you chosen line of work - only a few consulting jobs offer sky-high salaries. But then again, you can't put a price on personal fulfillment. Best of luck