Hi,

My Profile:
I am a B.com (Honours) graduate from India and a qualified licensed US Certified Public Accountant (CPA) which is kind of equivalent to ACCA or ICAS in UK. Possess around 6 years of work experience mostly in auditing roles and currently I work as a Senior Internal Auditor at a US based $1.4 billion public company. Since I have spent majority of my time working with people from west I rate myself to have good soft skills. I haven't given the GMAT exam since I was under the impression that one doesn't need this score to get admission in UK but little I knew that a lot of top universities "considered" it.

Aim:
My goal is to settle in UK (like a lot of other people) and therefore I am inclined more towards MBA but also considering Msc if that gives an edge over a general MBA.

Target University:
I have made a conscious decision to only target universities in the North-East region of UK around Newcastle since I have family there and I want their support. I do understand that by restricting myself I am reducing my chances of achieving my goal.

1. Newcastle University: Since I don't have a prior managerial experience Newcastle University rejected my MBA application.

2. Sunderland University: I got accepted after just few days of submitting my MBA with placement year application Jan 2021 intake (I have my apprehensions about this non-accredited program).

3. Durham: Waiting for their reply (Sept 2020 intake). This is obviously my Top Choice based on all aspects as an International Student and FT ranking.

Target Job:
So, I haven't picked one specific profile here and kept all options open although going back into auditing would make sense. However, I think I want to get away from auditing and perhaps get into finance/business management side of a company.

Please advice:
1. Does MBA makes more sense than a specialized Msc based on my profile and above targets ?
2. In case I don't get admitted in Durham would it still be okay to take up the 2 years MBA program with placement at Sunderland since by the time I graduate (2023) and get my PSW I reckon the economy and job market to be in a better condition and perhaps my US CPA might add some value as well. The reason I am thinking about this is because I don't want to wait 1 year for 2021 Sept intake.

When you say you want the support of family in Newcastle, does that mean you want to live there while studying? You should consider an MSc at Newcastle or Durham rather than an interior Freshers MBA. 

When you say you want the support of family in Newcastle, does that mean you want to live there while studying? You should consider an MSc at Newcastle or Durham rather than an interior Freshers MBA. 

Durham would be the best choice. A master's in finance is also a good choice. Both schools have a wide range of master's in accounting and finance. 

[Edited by Duncan on Jul 20, 2020]