UNC KF (MBA) vs Fuqua (MSQM)

Question

Hey All,

Having a bit of trouble deciding between these two programs, both would be online since I live in Nevada (not really interested in the California schools). I also have money from each, although not much (10-15k).

Background on me:

34, Working in Operations Management for a large energy company. Already making a strong salary (150k+) but both my undergrad and graduate degrees are in the social sciences. I really want a better business education and I know that I will need to eventually go down this path if I want to promote to a VP position in the future. I am interested in analytics and will most likely go for the Data Analytics concentration at UNC if I pursue the MBA path. Since I already have a great job, I am not sure if I really need the full MBA and the opportunity to study at Duke and join that great network is definitely tempting. Although I don't have much experience with R/Python languages so that is a bit worrisome. Any insight from anyone who has been in either program would be extremely helpful.

TLDR: What holds more value professionally, the MBA over MSQM....or Duke over UNC?

bb · Answer

Congrats on your admits!

Would you be doing the online MBA at UNC or is this a full-time program? I’m assuming it’s the full-time program but I want to make sure so I don’t type up two pages for you that are completely irrelevant 😬

PS.  FinanceMan  knows a lot about the Fuqua MSQM.

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GunnerFrost · Answer

Hey, sorry, yes it will be online! I don’t want to forgo 2 years of salary for a FT program

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bschool22 · Answer

I have read a few threads here lately comparing an MBA to MSQM or another specialized master's program, and it is somewhat confusing.

I think Finance Man already has an MBA from a smaller school, so MSQM or similar is another way to get a better academic brand on a resume.

If you are in a non-technical, managerial role and do not have an MBA, you should do the MBA.

The UNC MBA will get a lot more respect because it is a universally known credential that a lot of senior-level individuals have, and it's from a T25 business school.

These degrees are not comparable; people should stop looking at specialized masters as MBA substitutes because they are not. Most people will launch their careers with MBAs; these other degrees do not have as much value as MBAs do.

Wouldn't you wonder why an experienced non-MBA professional pursued an obscure degree instead of the Fuqua or similar MBA?

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blowice27 · Answer

A friend of mine last year bought a brand new iPhone 11 Pro Max. I recently asked about him about as I wanted a new phone. He told that there is literally only 2 things he does with his phone. Call and Text. Functionality not to difficult to find. Knowing this would he go back in time to buy a cheaper phone, although iPhone is still considered more VALUABLE.

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FinanceMan · Answer

Thread has been cleaned to allow no distractions from original topic. Sorry for the derailing of the thread OP.

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UNC KF (MBA) vs Fuqua (MSQM)

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