I have an unconventional decision to make which is complicated by my unconventional background. Generally, I’m aware that the most stated advice for applicants is to attend the highest ranked or “best” program they are admitted to. I feel like I am an exception to this rule, and I need some solid advice. I’ll provide the details below:





Profile: Early 30’s, male, American. I’ve spent the last decade as an artist living and working in Europe and North America. I’ve had artistic residencies in nearly a dozen countries, and I’ve been fairly successful in this profession.





Goals: To pivot towards a more traditional and stable life and career. Specifically, I’d eventually like to work within the public sector as an senior civil servant or project manager. Specific areas of interest include healthcare, infrastructure projects, and the sustainable transition. These three areas have a large overlap between the public and the private sectors, and I hope that an MBA will assist me with this transition. I’m open to working in the private sector for a few years to gain experience, but I would like to move into government down the line.





Consideration: I’ve already been accepted to a handful of globally ranked programs (FT100, QS100), and I’ve deferred them for the year. I don’t know which will serve me best, and I’m open to applying to other programs that will better meet my needs.





Needs: Given my unconventional background, I feel I must limit my selection to high quality European schools. My age and non-traditional professional experience make me uncompetitive for neither a US M7 nor a T15 program. Moreover, I cannot justify the costs of US schools because I do not want to work in the heights of finance nor consulting. Fundamentally, I need an MBA to pivot from an artistic career into the more traditional job market. I’ve consider Masters of Public Administration and Public Policy, but a surprisingly small percentage of these graduates actually work within government. An MBA seems like a more applicable and diversified toolkit to attain.





Programs I’ve been accepted to and deferred:


University College Dublin - Ireland


Trinity College Dublin -Ireland


Vlerick Business School - Brussels, Belgium


Nyenrode - Amsterdam, Netherlands


ESCP - Paris, France


TIAS - Tilburg, Netherlands





Programs I’m considering:





Bocconi - Italy


ESADE - Spain


INSEAD - Paris, France


Oxford - UK


Cambridge - Uk





Further Considerations:





I’ve been an artist for my entire career, and I have a limited budget for this degree. I’ve received meaningful financial assistance from most of the programs I applied to, but I’m unlikely to be offered scholarship assistance to the more competitive programs in the second list. Again, I realise that most applicants should attend the best school they are admitted to and deal with the debt burden that creates, but I’m not looking to work in finance or consulting. I cannot expect salaries that are commensurate with those traditional MBA roles. I have limited tolerance for debt.


I am happy to work in Europe for a few years, but I hope to return to America within 2-5 years time. Although I realise this degree will not be as “valuable” in the labour market as a domestic degree, I would still like for my program to be recognised and appreciated at home.





Conclusion: I would appreciate some thoughts on what programs would best serve my goals. Of the programs I’ve deferred, I believe Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin would be the best “brand equity" institutions in America. Vlerick is also a strong option because of its location in Brussels and its proximity to European governance institutions and the European sustainability industry.





The programs on the second list that are significantly better institutions. I’m sure that they would have better cohorts and better traditional outcomes; however, I am not looking for a traditional MBA role upon graduation. Moreover, the amount of debt that I would incur would be life changing. With that being said, if one of these schools would dramatically assist me with this professional transition, I would strongly consider it.

[Edited by Travels_and_travails on Aug 25, 2024]

The general guidance is to attend the school with the best fit for your goals, not the highest ranked. I suggest you identify you identify a few dozen people on LinkedIn in such roles and see what sort of education they have. That shows you the "low road". Then look for people with a background in the arts who are in those roles. That shows you the "high road". Then look for vacancies where being a US citizen is not a disadvantage. That might include roles in the UN system.

Thank you for the reply! I will take your advice and spend time on LinkedIn. With that being said, I’ve been able to connect with over a dozen individuals in public sector careers of interest throughout my travels, and many seem to have diverse educational backgrounds. A consistent theme was that they all attended graduate school of some variety, and that they pursued “real world” job experience within the private sector before pivoting into the public sector or the civil service. A handful of them had Msc’s in business or MBA’s. So far, I’ve never met anyone pivoting from the arts, but I will investigate this further.

Do you have any thoughts regarding my concern about the recognition of these programs in North America? “Brand equity” is a big deal in the states, and attending a school which best suits my goals in the short-term might hinder my transition back home in the medium to longterm. Do you have suggestions on how best to navigate that paradox? Again, I believe that TCD and UCD would have the best “name recognition” out of the programs I’ve applied to. Conversely, I feel they might be the least aligned to my particular career aspirations.

P.S. I like the idea of looking at positions within the UN upon graduation. That might be an excellent pivot that provides practical experience but also work that is directly related to governance and the public sector.

Well, it's obviously not the case that UCD or TCD have better outcomes than Oxbridge (or, indeed, any of the top UK schools). So, I think there may be other criteria at work for you.

A few more thoughts.

Goals: Start with the end in mind. I don't grasp in what you have written a clear working hypothesis of where you feel you can leverage your background to add value with an MBA. I can imagine some potential roles for you (Cultural Policy Advisor [arguably your best career fit, Sustainable Urban Planning, or International Development) where an MBA would not be the ideal qualification. European citizens will be favoured for many government or PPP-type roles. Therefore, I think it's worth looking at specific job roles where you might fit. For example: Sustainability Consultant or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager.

Therefore, I wonder if a specialised MS might be a better fit with your budget and viable career paths. Some examples.

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK

MSc Environmental Policy and Regulation
MSc Environment and Development


University of Oxford, UK

MSc in Environmental Change and Management
MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment


Imperial College London, UK

MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance


University of Cambridge, UK

MPhil in Environmental Policy

Dear Duncan,



Thanks again for the thoughtful and informative reply. Again, your suggestions regarding my goals are excellent ideas, and I will meaningfully investigate them further. Your tutorial on how to use Linkedin has been a life saver for me.



I've seen you suggest MSc's to other board members in the past, and I'm wondering when a specialized masters is advised vs an MBA. I was drawn to the MBA's applicability across myriad industries and professions. In theory, the toolkit of an MBA is applicable for anyone managing and running an organization. With that being said, I understand the value in the knowledge and expertise that concentrated masters can provide. How does a candidate decide which is the best fit for them?

[Edited by Travels_and_travails on Aug 27, 2024]

I think there are three common scenarios.
- You want a traditional MBA-type role. Take an MBA
- You want to transition into a business function but not an MBA, in an organisation that recruits people with specialised masters or professional qualifications. Take the relevant masters or qualification.
- You don't know what to do so you want a general qualification. Invest in career strategy until you have a working hypothesis of the role where you can add the most value and where a viable path can be identified. Please don't take a masters degree for professional purposes unless it supports a specific and viable professional goal.