Hello,



I am a makeup artist from India. I've been wanting to move to marketing within the beauty industry for the longest time.



I have about 8 years of experience as a makeup artist. I have taken up a managerial role, lead a team or two. To make my switch I have been taking up consultancy projects in content and creative management (mid-senior level management).



My original plan was to do an MBA from the UK but the more I research, the more I find that an Msc in marketing might be as useful, if not more. I am 30 years old and got a firm no from Imperial for Msc in Strategic Marketing because of my age and work experience (this shocked me because I figured that Mscs would be designed for slightly older students).



I have taken the GMAT thrice and my best score was 590. The B-schools I am currently looking at are the following:



MBA:

1. Bath

2. Edinburgh

3. Cranfield

4. Manchester

5. Warwick

6. Exeter



Msc in marketing:

1. Kings college

2. Warwick

3. Manchester

4. University of Birmingham

5. Cass

6. Edinburgh

7. Cranfield



Please advice which program I should go for. My undergrad GPA was 8.3/10 (83%). I believe that is a UK 3/4. I am open to other suggestions as well.



I have seen some "International Marketing" programmes (like KCL) but they seem a bit dodgy (why put in that extra "international").

[Edited by VMU28 on Aug 21, 2021]

Given your goal, of a marketing role, an MSc in marketing accredited by the CIM would give you a better foundation and would make you more affordable for employers, and less of a risk. Digital marketing and marketing analytics are very hot, so look for industry oriented programmes. Bayes, Cranfield, Edinburgh and Warwick stand out to me. 

Thanks for your reply Duncan, I appreciate your time. I am honestly leaning a little bit towards an Msc rather than an MBA (its more affordable of course, plus those are the subjects I really want to study). 

Do you have any thoughts regarding my age? As in, would I be several years older than the others in my cohort? I honestly feel that Imperial has instilled that fear into me...I'm super anxious as a person . I have asked schools direct questions about this but gotten very vague responses. 

The CIM accreditation is a big one for me because I want to be much more employable and I believe it is almost a necessity for marketing professionals in UK. 

It's possible that you might be a a few years older than most of your cohort but I wouldn't let that put you off if the course meets your needs. 

I've worked in the health/beauty and holiday travel sectors which have some similarities in terms of employee demographics. There were plenty of women in the late 20s to late 30s age range in marketing and digital, so I think you should be fine (I'm assuming you're female.)

[Edited by aslamo on Aug 21, 2021]

I was 32 when I took my MSc at City University. I was not the oldest but, yes, I was older than the average. I don't think that was any sort of issue academically. However I must admit that a setting where living on campus is much easier, like Warwick or Bath, is a bit less attractive when the campus is mostly undergraduate. But that's about your preference, and whether you plan to date in particular. 

Thank you Aslamo and Duncan. I am indeed female :)

Glad to hear about the mix of age groups both at uni and in employee demographics.

I don't plan to date but I was concerned about being in a different headspace than the rest of the cohort. You've both really helped :)