Applying to a Business Masters Without a Business Undergraduate Degree

Question

Hi everyone!

I have a question that I'm hoping some of you can help me with.

A friend of mine is hoping to apply to a business masters in Europe. However, she doesn't have an undergraduate degree in business administration - she has double-major in Criminology and French. She realized soon after she started studying that she didn't like her program and wanted to do business instead, but for various reasons couldn't switch her program.

While she didn't study business, she has tons of business experience. She worked for one term on the Marketing team at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong and interned at Scotiabank in Toronto. She is also on the team that created one of the largest student diversity & inclusion business conferences in Canada.

If she writes the GMAT and is successful at getting a decent score, say 600-650, is she still able to apply to business masters programs in Europe?

I'm personally looking into applying to the CEMS program at WU Vienna, and so my friend decided to look into their Marketing Masters'. However, it says on their website that a certain number of ECTs in business is required. Is this a firm requirement, and is this common at all business schools?

Sorry, this was a bit of a convoluted post, but I'd really appreciate any insight that any of you might have!

Thanks so much

nightblade354 · Answer

Hi,

I am not a consultant (one should respond to this), but an undergrad degree should never prevent someone from attending Business School. If she has real world experience in business, she is in great shape. Also, having a unique story isn't a bad thing.

A high GMAT score will almost assuredly get her into a few schools she wants to attend, so long as she is willing to attend night/summer courses to meet any prerequisites. Tell her she should study hard knowing her dream is alive and well!

justinemarie · Answer

Thanks for the reply! I do want to clarify that it wasn’t many years of work experience at Morgan Stanley - she worked in a full time contract role (not an internship) but for the length of what would be an internship (she took a semester off of school to do this.

So, while she definitely has really interesting work experience, it still isn’t many years of experience altogether. It’s about the same amount of internship-type experience as a business school new grad would have.

Would you still say it’s possible for her? I know a lot of things online indicate that many years of experience mitigate not having the undergrad degree, but in her situation she has the same amount of experience as many business school undergrads.

Haha sorry, I feel like I’m explaining this in a confusing way but hope that was clear enough!

Posted from my mobile device

schnaco · Answer

It depends a little bit. It is important to note that doing a Masters degree in Business/ Business Analytics/ Finance/ Marketing etc. is not the same as attending business school. It is correct that an undergraduate degree should not prevent someone from attending business school, in fact, many MBA students have a "non-traditional" background (like in French and criminology haha). However, an undergraduate degree can in fact prevent you from doing a Masters degree in a business field. Think the other way round: no criminology Masters program would take in a business undergraduate with limited experience and missing prerequisite study in the field. This is simply to ensure they can follow the pace of a Masters program. Unlike an MBA, a Masters program is usually designed to build on top of relevant undergraduate study.

The ECTs listed on the websites likely correspond with certain prerequisites they want to see listed on transcripts. From personal experience, especially for European programs these prerequisites are oftentimes quite strict. I would try to call the school and inquire more specifically about the prerequisites and business-related ECTs. If in fact these requirements are preventing your friend from getting accepted, there always is a possibility of taking them online/ re-enrolling at the undergraduate institution.

Good luck!

justinemarie · Answer

Thanks for the help! It's too bad for my friend, but the way you explained it makes a lot of sense. She'll just have to settle for an MBA in a fews years instead.

Much appreciated!

Applying to a Business Masters Without a Business Undergraduate Degree

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