MBA vs MFin with 10 years leadership experience

Question

I'm looking for some advice in my decision to obtain an MBA or MFin. I join the military as an officer after college, where I've been for the last 10 years. I'm am now transitioning into business and want to bridge the gap between my leadership experience and business by attending grad school. The two career paths I've most interested in are corporate finance or consulting. I'm not really interested in IB and want the more consistent career path that corporate finance would provide. I know the MBA is by far the preferred choice by most and bring the candidate a more well-rounded approach, discussing all functions of business, not just finance. From what I found through research, MBAs also tend to focus on basic management issues, providing the student with additional leadership and team building experiences. While I find this important, especially since I have been in a different career, I feel that since I have a tremendous leadership experience, leading multiple staffs and hundreds of employees in complex situations. If my reasoning is correct, would an MFin be just, if not more, as valuable as an MBA. An MFin would give me more focus to finance and give me the 'meat' of an MBA. An MFin would also allow me to get into the workforce faster. With my leadership and management experience, I feel that I would 'climb for corporate ladder' just as easy with an MFin. More background on me is I'm already 32, which limits programs and time. Thanks for reading my post and I hope to get some feedback. Please, let me know if my reasoning is way off or not.

MSFHQ · Answer

Do an MBA. You'd benefit from having an internship during your 1st and 2nd year of your MBA and the network you get will pay off in spades. With 10 years of military experience you should be competitive at many great schools. The Mfin is really ideal for those with 2 years or less experience. While it can be used by people with more experience, it is better to go with the flow (IMO).

Have you taken your GMAT yet? What is the rest of your profile like?

Have you taken your GMAT yet? What is the rest of your profile like?

mbabound24 · Answer

Thanks for your feedback and response. Another option that I'm considering is an EMBA. Thoughts??

Profile - 33, GPA 3.2 (BA), GMAT 640 (only taken once), 11 years in the Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer (led hundreds of Marines in various leadership and staff positions),

MSFHQ · Answer

I'd probably redo your GMAT. With a higher GMAT and good admissions package I could see you getting into a T5-15 program. I would do a traditional two year MBA as to give you a solid civilian network and time to adjust. EMBA's are great for established executives looking to brush up on their skills or add to their resume.

MBA vs MFin with 10 years leadership experience

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