Hello

 I have a rather unique predicament here. I am 36 years old, hailing from India with close to 13 years experience working in some of the top Ad agencies in the world. Currently I am at a mid-senior level, but I feel that my career is not progressing at the pace that I would like it to. Though I hold a PGDM in Marketing, it is not from one of the top B Schools, which possibly is acting as a deterrent for my next big career move. Hence I am seriously contemplating to augment my career with a Masters in Management from one of the top schools in UK. Below are the decisions I have made so far:


1. I would like to pursue the programme in UK because I feel the global exposure will go a long way in boosting my profile. Also, my wife is moving to London, which makes UK the easy choice.
2. I do not wish to do an MBA, as with my ongoing work I don't have the time to prepare for GMAT. Hence I am looking at an MSc programme. I am not considering an EMBA either as once I move to London, I will have enough time on my hands which I rather invest in a full time course.
3. I do not wish to do a generic Management programme, as I already have the academic knowledge and relevant work experience in the area. What I am looking at is a specialisation programme in Strategy or Analytics which will bring in fresh learnings and perspective.


So here are my questions to the community:

1. Given my current situation, do you think this is a wise move? Will an MSc in Management help in my career progression at this stage of my career? Or do I need to go for an MBA instead?
2. I have observed that the average age for MSc programmes are around 24 years and are meant for fresh graduates. Though I believe that one can learn at any age, do you think the institutes will have a problem with my age factor and will it negatively affect my selection possibilities?
3. Based on proximity to London, I have identified Imperial, Cranfield and Cass as the possible options. Though these universities are reputed for their MBAs, do their MIM programmes also command the same value?

Apologies for the long post. Any advice in this regard will be much appreciated. Thank you.

[Edited by Rian L on May 25, 2021]

You are not looking for a MIM, since that is a general management degree: you are looking for a MSc in a business function, like strategy or analytics. It confuses me a bit when you call it a MIM. 

MSc degrees are less valuable than MBAs from the same school. 

It's not clear what your career goals are, so I can't comment on whether it will help. Certainly take a look at the Senior Management Apprenticeship scheme. 

Hi Duncan
Thanks for the quick revert. I apologise for the lack of clarity in my post. I was under the impression that an MSc is Management was considered as an MIM programme. To be more specific, I am keen on the MSc in Strategy Management programmes like the ones they have at Cranfield. 
My career goal is to find a job in the UK after my studies. But I am looking to be placed at a mid- management or above level, and hoping that I don't have to start all over again from a junior level. For a Sr Management apprenticeship or EMBA, I believe I still need to be employed, which won't be my case as I will be quitting my job in India to move to the UK. 

Hence keeping all these factors in mind, I thought MSc would be the right programme for me. Hope I have been able to provide sufficient clarity. I understand that MSc degrees are less valuable than an MBA, but will it drastically affect my chances of landing a good job if I opt for an MSc?

Business schools will offer several MSc degrees. The general MSc is the MSc in Management. You seem to want an MSc specialised in strategy or analytics. There are more jobs for analytics than for strategy. If the Apprenticeship attracted you, you could set up a small company. 

Thanks. Setting up a small company sounds easier said than done. Will take your advice and look out for specialisation in analytics. Hope the campuses I have identified- Cranfield, Cass, and Imperial are good places to pursue this. My wife can even choose to work out of Edinburgh. So University of Edinburgh is the other option I have. Any recommendation on this would be really helpful too. 

Edinburgh University has a good MSc in marketing analytics with a Micromasters available too. 

Thanks a lot for your patience and advice. Will explore Edinburgh as well. Cheers. 

The Micromasters looks great: https://www.edx.org/micromasters/edinburghx-predictive-analytics-using-python

Yes. They do look interesting. However I am more keen on doing a full time programme as I won't be working during this period and hence invest my time in a more intensive programme. Also, are there any good MBA programmes which you recommend, that give a GMAT waiver for candidates with extensive work experience? 

if you want an MBA, which firts with your goals of a more senior role, I suggest you take 30 hours or so to rehearse high school maths and take the GMAT. There's such a huge difference in outcomes from the non-GMAT programmes (with the exception of schools which have their own GMAT-type test like Manchester and Cranfield). 

Hi Duncan,

What about University of Edinburgh Business School? it is in top-10 and GMAT is not mandatory.

How does it stack against Cranfield MBA?

PS: I really want to thank you for running this forum, as most other are filled with US MBA reviews. This is one active forum for UK/Europe MBA programmes.

The people on the board don't run the forum. 

Hey Stuart, 
Thanks for correcting me. Just wanted to appreciate the good work find-mba team is doing.

Hi Duncan,

What about University of Edinburgh Business School? it is in top-10 and GMAT is not mandatory.

How does it stack against Cranfield MBA?

PS: I really want to thank you for running this forum, as most other are filled with US MBA reviews. This is one active forum for UK/Europe MBA programmes.

We don't run the forum. We're just contributors :)

Then you all are awesome :)