I would like to career switch from IT to supply chain management. Is this a reasonable expectation from an MBA?

I would also like to know what would be the best approach: should I pursue a generalist MBA or one that has a concentration? In past discussions I have read, the advice seems to be mixed. Some suggest that a generalist MBA will cover enough supply chain topics so that you can land a job in field. Other times suggestions have been made to do a concentration especially for careers that involve a lot of analytics.

It's hard to chart a best course with limited information - but you know that already.
I came into the MBA program thinking i want to get into SCM. During my MBA i found it pretty boring and the career trajectory wasn't appealing. Feedback I got from recruiters was that since I had no SCM experience I would start off as an SCM "analyst: with a undergrad salary. I wasn't ready to do that.

Of course I didn't come from a top 20/30 school or a SCM specialty school. 3 years out of my MBA I largely feel that MBA was a waste of time and money. It's better to do a 1 year course in analytics (since analytics is real hot in US right now).

Getting your MBA is worth it - in my opinion if you get it from a top 20/30 school - better still if you do it from specialty school that's in top 20 like MIT, CMU, Ross.
So pecking order for MBA could be MIT/Ross/CMU >> Smeal, MSU, ASU >> UTKnoxville??

Do calculate your ROI based on your scholarship. Make sure that you are aware that in SCM they will teach lot of stuff in your MBA. In your actual work/job profile might be just a small part of it - Don't think you'll be doing some Winter/Holtz modeling in your job. It will most likely be some vendor management, or using Ariba in procurement, or contract reconciliation to start with..

Looking at the high salaries, the MIT Scale masters could be better. Great salaries from the MIT and Zaragoza locations and good scholarships at the newer sites in Luxembourg and Malaysia.

thank you both!

The MIT master looks interesting, but I really want to do an MBA. Wouldn't an MIT MBA be better for my career? The CMU Operations Management track looks really interesting too.

At many of the Scale sites there are dual MS/MBA options (For example https://www.zlc.edu.es/es/educacion/mit-zaragoza-masters/dual-degree-programs/). Certainly, an MBA from MIT is better than an MS from MIT, but one of the Scale MS degrees, plus an MBA from a top-ranked school like IE or INCAE, would still give you membership of the MIT alumni association and some global leverage.

PS If your career is focussed on the US, then most employers will be more comfortable with UT Knoxville than with a world-class school in another country.

[Edited by Duncan on Mar 02, 2018]

Yes, my career is focused on the US. I think I will focus on, in order of preference:

MIT (core MBA)
Carnegie Mellon (MBA Operations Management)
Rutgers (MBA concentration Supply Chain Management)
UT Knoxville (MBA specialization Supply Chain Management)

Anything else I should consider?

Did you see this list?

https://find-mba.com/lists/top-business-school-by-speciality/top-business-schools-for-supply-chain-management

Broad and Smeal, etc. are also good choices.