Hi,
I’m based in London and I’m looking to do an EMBA at either Warwick or Cass.

My experience is mainly in Ecommerce/Digital (user experience, website performance, conversion rate optimisation) – 8 years. The main reason I want to do the EMBA is career progression in the same sector (although, as a secondary objective I’m not discarding the consultancy route in the future - but not a priority)

I think the depth of core subjects at Cass might suit more my main goal. They also have a lot of electives on Digital innovation and transformation, which is where I could “personalise” the course to my sector. I also find the lifetime access to the electives really valuable.

On another hand, although not far from each other, Warwick has better ranking and better brand recognition. I read on one of the blogs here that Warwick is good when one wants to move in a new functional area (not my case). Also, the networking – I feel that with Cass being London focused, it might be more what I need.

If I throw Cambridge Judge here too (although it’s over my budget) – Leaving the Cambridge reputation to the side for a moment, and taking into consideration my goals, is the course quality at WBS/Cass comparable to JBS? Would I be missing on a lot if I went for WBS or Cass? 

Thank you for all your help in advance.
Rebeca

[Edited by Rebeca D on Jan 17, 2021]

I think City is a no-brainer. It's a much better EMBA than Warwick and has been for 30 years. Obviously there is a brand issue (City dropped the Cass name but people still use it) but in professional settings it's a better school than Warwick which is a stronger brand for manufacturing and public service. 

Thank you very much for such prompt reply, Duncan. 

I was wondering what is your view on my question regarding JBS (now compared to City). I'm curious if you think the quality of the courses is similar (considering the brand discussion separately, which is where JBS would win of course). I received an offer from JBS, but unless I manage to convince my company to partly sponsor, it's over my budget. So I'd be interested to understand if I'd be missing out on more than branding.

Thank you
Rebeca 

JBS is a large brand probably larger than even Oxford Said 

There is not always the perfect time and perfect budget. The reason that JBS is over your budget also signal that you are a lower than average profile in terms of financial earnings compared to your peers accepted to the Group.

That means you will network with people on a higher career path, at a later stage in their career trajectory and it is just a very positive thing.

in MBA people will compete for spots in investment banking and consulting but EMBA is more about networking 

go for jbs

Great reply from Donho. Educationally, the difference isn't in the courses as in the cohort. 

Thank you both very much! Really appreciate your advice.

I did have the feeling I was underestimating the networking and the quality of the cohort. That's very clear now.

Playing devil's advocate here, but are you sure an MBA would be the best option for your career development needs? Your 8 years of experience on the web side of UX, optimisation etc is relatively operationally focused. Digital transformation is broader and more strategic in scope. Which one of these do you think you will focus on? If it's the former then I think an MBA isn't necessarily going to help you that much.

For what it's worth, I worked for one of the UK's largest e-commerce firms by sales value and I can't think of anyone I ever came across who had an MBA in what was a large e-commerce function.

That is a very valid point you make, Aslamo. One that I've been playing in my mind for some time now. I always wanted to move into a more strategic position rather than one specialism within ecommerce.

I mentioned UX and performance earlier in my try to keep the post concise, but throughout these years I had a couple of roles that involved responsibility for the entire website i.e. performance, UX, CRM, digital media, operations and all the costs involved. More like a Head of for a medium company. Looking back, those are the roles I enjoyed the most and where I see myself going forward.

The idea of the MBA is to fill in the gaps and enhance my knowledge on the more familiar subjects, so that I can move into a more strategic role in a bigger organisation/multinational.

You're right when you say one doesn't necessarily need an MBA for these roles. In my case, I'm trying to play a bit of catch-up, as I have a few stagnant years in my career due to personal reasons. I'm trying to accelerate my growth through an MBA I guess.

Am I completely off-piste here?

I don't think you're off piste but I do think you need to work out your specific goals a bit more. 

Also, pay close attention to the detailed content of any 'digital' electives. Looking at the list from Cass for example, you ideally want the content to focus more on the business side of technology e.g. developing new business models, creating a business strategy enabled by technology and implementing change, rather than the technology itself. Some digital orientated courses focus too much on what the tech is at the expense of how it is used to meet the organisation's objectives.

Thanks a lot, Aslamo. Makes sense.

Hello Rebeca,

Which EMBA did you choose finally? 

I went for JBS in the end, Ronny. (Despite the fact that I received a bursary from CASS.) 

I went for JBS in the end, Ronny. (Despite the fact that I received a bursary from CASS.) 

Thank you for the reassurance, Aslamo! I can't say it wasn't tempting to go for the more affordable option, as Cass's bursary increased the gap with JBS. But the (right) choice is made now :) 

[Edited by Rebeca D on Mar 15, 2021]