One year vs two year mba

Question

Trying to decide whether or not to do a one year MBA in europe with coming back to the states after a year or two work experience abroad or if I should just do a two year MBA in the states.

I am 34 and have worked for myself the last 10 years. I am planning to stay in the same field more or less, but potentially working for someone rather than continuing my own business.

Does an internship (two year program) seem necessary in this case to go from owner to employee? Does it make sense to study in Europe when you eventually want to return back to the USA? (I speak German, Spanish, English so no language issues abroad)

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

cantrollmyrs I realize you don't have a crystal ball, but I would organize your strategy around the most popular schools for recruitment for your prospective employer.

Unfortunately I do not think it makes a lot of sense to do your MBA in Europe if you definitely would like to return to the US.

I guess it's a possibility if you have work authorization in both US and EU. However the fact is that in the US, we are simply more ignorant about schools in other countries... alumni numbers and the brand cachet for INSEAD is not going to be the same as top 10 schools in the US.

So you would be handicapping your network connections a bit by studying abroad. You might want to set up an exchange semester, and see if you can snag a job from that if you desire. I spent a semester in France and actually managed to get a couple interviews there at the end of my third semester.

About the internship question I think that is really dependent upon what you plan to do. If you are planning to go into private equity it would be a yes. So we would need more info on that.

I will say that your chances are a little better in Europe because they like older applicants.

One year programs tend to accept older applicants so I think I would recommend doing one-year program in the US. Unless you needed internship to move forward which is something predicated on the recruitment process at your target employer.

CBS J term, Cornell, Emory, Kellogg.... and there's the possibility of MIT Sloan fellows or Stanford MSX is that make sense for your profile.

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JatinBhandari1 · Answer

You have 10 years of work experience, and I agree with the choice of schools that Farrell mentioned above.

I mean- with 10 years of working in the industry, I am sure you have specific positions in mind.

100% of the applicants I work with are from India and I want to share a different perspective for them. There are a lot of applicants with 4 to 6 years of work experience who are keen on exploring MBA programs without really knowing - WHY DO THEY WANT TO DO IT. And I will really encourage everyone in the "I do not know WHY MBA" category look for two year MBA programs.

I met with an applicant who had completed a one year MBA from a TOP Global MBA Program in 2008, and he was keen on applying to other schools in the US this year. While he was working with one of the Big 4 Auditing firms in India, he was still not satisfied with the kind of role he had or even the remuneration that he was getting in exchange for his services. He had worked for 3 years before starting this 1 Year MBA in 2007, and it did not work for him- At all.

What do you think happened?

If your mindset is “I have no idea of the industries or functions and will explore them once the MBA gets started”, you are at a stage of life where you cannot afford a one year MBA program.

One year MBA Programs are meant for people have some idea of the nature of the post MBA jobs they will be recruiting for. They can confusions, but those confusions have to be very informed confusions i.e. they will know what factors to assess before jumping into any of the available alternatives.

Two Year MBA Programs are meant for people who are very open to experimenting and are willing to spend another year into learning what are the other alternatives that are available in various industries and functions. People with work experience of less than 5 years should normally look for a two year MBA. The ones with 5 to 7 years of work experience should consider both the alternatives based on the stage of their careers.

If one is looking making a significant switch in career( Industry/Funcation), one needs an internship. For example, barriers to entry are the lowest in investment banking only when you go through the internship route. Most of the bulge bracket banks would like to meet you several times before taking you for full time positions. The full time conversions without an internship are tough given the competitive nature of certain industries

If you are working with Infosys or any other IT firm and are keen on moving over to products( working for product management positions with Microsoft), you should take the two year MBA route. You should look at building the concepts in the first year, try out an internship, assess various alternatives after the internships, and do the full time recruiting in the second year along with building your base in product management and marketing related courses.
 
If you are already working in the product development teams and work with the product managers on the daily basis, and are now keen on making a switch from development side to management side of the products, I think you can do that with a one year MBA program too( US will not offer many one year MBA programs with strong placement support and you will have to explore Canada, Europe, and other global destinations. For someone willing to make a career in India, ISB is a good alternative too.
 
 In the nutshell, create a future that you are trying to capture through an MBA program. An MBA is a means to an end and not an end in itself.

cantrollmyrs · Answer

Got it, thanks for the answer. I understood someone did an MBA twice? Would that ever make any sense?

I still figured one year would help, but this makes sense.

AkritaJam · Answer

The choices we make lead up to actual experiences. It is one thing to decide to climb a mountain. It is quite another to be on top of it.

Now that you’ve decided to pursue an MBA, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with options regarding country and college. Alongside you’ll find yourself considering whether to opt for a One-year or Two-year MBA program. In this article, we aim to give you the knowledge necessary to make an informed decision.

One of the foremost concerns applicants have when faced with this decision is quality of education. Does a One-year MBA offer the same quality of education as a Two-year program? The short answer is a resounding yes! Duration is not an indicator of quality.

You must be wondering then, what is the purpose of a Two-year program when students can avail the opportunity to assimilate the same knowledge and information through a One-year program? The answer is anything but simple. You see, the duration of an MBA program is country and requirement specific.

Let’s see if we can simplify that! While countries such as the US have a propensity for a Two-year program, European countries (except schools such as HEC, Manchester, and LBS) prefer a 1-1.5 year duration. In India, the executive MBA programs have a one-year term. Singapore offers students a 16-month program. Canada provides options for both, One and Two-year MBA programs. The options are endless, no?

ssxdots · Answer

If your aim is to work in the states, wouldn't a US MBA have more value for you? (regardless of length)

After all, the network you form from the MBA is an important asset, and a US MBA may give you connections that are similar to you in many dimensions.

Also, with 10 years experience, are you considering an EMBA?

One year vs two year mba

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