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Purdue MSIA vs. Penn State MBA?

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ovmaxim
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Purdue MSIA vs. Penn State MBA? [#permalink] New post   04 May 2007, 22:39
Hello Paul,

I was accepted to Penn State MBA program and to Purdue MSIA. I would like to choose Purdue, however I am concerned about the degree. I see my career progress the following way: Supply Chain manager- SC Director- VP Operations/ COO/CEO. I heard an opinion that I might have difficulties during career progression after SC Director to executive level since the degree looks much narrower than 2year MBA. So which school to choose? I would greatly appreciate your expert opinion. Thanks!
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Re: Purdue MSIA vs. Penn State MBA? [#permalink] New post   11 May 2007, 11:11
ovmaxim wrote:
Hello Paul,

I was accepted to Penn State MBA program and to Purdue MSIA. I would like to choose Purdue, however I am concerned about the degree. I see my career progress the following way: Supply Chain manager- SC Director- VP Operations/ COO/CEO. I heard an opinion that I might have difficulties during career progression after SC Director to executive level since the degree looks much narrower than 2year MBA. So which school to choose? I would greatly appreciate your expert opinion. Thanks!


ovmaxim,

I hope this post doesn't reach you too late. GMAT Club has been down so I haven't been able to answer. The opinion you heard is a good one; certainly, the MBA degree is the better-rounded credential. That said, there are plenty of executive leaders who have degrees other than the MBA. It depends alot on your industry. In more manufacturing- or technology-based industries the MBA is not as critical in rising to senior spots.

Purdue is a better-ranked school then Penn State and in operations management and supply chain management it is top-ranked (so is Penn State in supply chain). Don't let the MBA vs. MSIA be your only deciding factor; put it in the context of what you think of each school, any financial aid offers, etc. But, yes, as a general rule, the MBA is the more versatile degree.

Good luck,
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[#permalink] New post   11 May 2007, 14:34
Dear Paul,
Thank you so much! As usual your words are the words of wisdom. This whole week I was waiting for your post and thanks God it reached me in time (I have time till Monday). However even after your advice I don't know what to do. I am very passionate about Purdue. But I don't know who (from the point of view of employers) will have a better carrier edge: one with Penn State MBA or one with Purdue MSIA? Especially considering that MSIA is actually 1 year MBA. Here is what Purdue say about it:

"MSIA students take the same core curriculum as the two-year MBA students. The typical one-year student is a little older and more experienced than the average two-year student. As a result, many MSIA's are leading contributors to in-class discussions and team assignments.
Krannert's one-year business program is ideal for professionals with solid work experience and well focused career goals who wish to return to the job market from a full-time program in the shortest time possible, and who wish to combine a general management background with previous academic work. "
"The Master of Science in Industrial Administration (MSIA) is a unique accelerated program that is Krannert's one-year alternative to its traditional two-year MBA. Krannert has chosen to use the MBA degree label in West Lafayette to apply to its two year, 60 credit hour program that allows students to select one or more areas of business to study in depth. However, the rigorous 48-credit MSIA program includes Krannert's MBA core curriculum, along with several electives and meets the minimum curriculum standards for an MBA program under AACSB accreditation guidelines. Therefore, MSIA graduates should be regarded as having an educational background equivalent to someone with a one-year general MBA. "
And from this point of view I can't understand why should MSIA student be at any disadvantage in comparison with MBA if it is just a mater of program's name, not knowledge. Just because employers don't understand that MSIA= 1 year MBA? What do you think?
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[#permalink] New post   19 May 2007, 16:57
ovmaxim wrote:
Dear Paul,
Thank you so much! As usual your words are the words of wisdom. This whole week I was waiting for your post and thanks God it reached me in time (I have time till Monday). However even after your advice I don't know what to do. I am very passionate about Purdue. But I don't know who (from the point of view of employers) will have a better carrier edge: one with Penn State MBA or one with Purdue MSIA? Especially considering that MSIA is actually 1 year MBA. Here is what Purdue say about it:

"MSIA students take the same core curriculum as the two-year MBA students. The typical one-year student is a little older and more experienced than the average two-year student. As a result, many MSIA's are leading contributors to in-class discussions and team assignments.
Krannert's one-year business program is ideal for professionals with solid work experience and well focused career goals who wish to return to the job market from a full-time program in the shortest time possible, and who wish to combine a general management background with previous academic work. "
"The Master of Science in Industrial Administration (MSIA) is a unique accelerated program that is Krannert's one-year alternative to its traditional two-year MBA. Krannert has chosen to use the MBA degree label in West Lafayette to apply to its two year, 60 credit hour program that allows students to select one or more areas of business to study in depth. However, the rigorous 48-credit MSIA program includes Krannert's MBA core curriculum, along with several electives and meets the minimum curriculum standards for an MBA program under AACSB accreditation guidelines. Therefore, MSIA graduates should be regarded as having an educational background equivalent to someone with a one-year general MBA. "
And from this point of view I can't understand why should MSIA student be at any disadvantage in comparison with MBA if it is just a mater of program's name, not knowledge. Just because employers don't understand that MSIA= 1 year MBA? What do you think?


ovmaxim,

Sorry for the late reply. I was having some trouble getting my posts to GMAT Club to appear. The question is not really whether the MSIA or MBA give different sets of knowledge, it's more about perception, and the MBA is perceived as the more generalist, management-oriented degree. But as I said, there are plenty of people with technical degrees running companies these days. Go with the program that appeals to you most.

Good luck,
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[#permalink] New post   19 May 2007, 22:31
Thank you Paul!
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[#permalink] New post   21 May 2007, 13:55
ovmaxim wrote:
Thank you Paul!


You're welcome.
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21 May 2007, 13:55

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