Hi,
General or Specialist MBA - Which of these is a smarter choice especially in today's times.

General MBA

Strength
-MBA courses in general
-Wider knowledge base . Possible to move to other sectors as well.
Weakness
-No in-depth focus
-No specific area of expertise

Specialist MBA

Strength
- Learn about a particular sector, expertise in a particular subject
Weakness
-Not much choice in terms of pursuing career. Well Defined career path

-Do recruiters especially in the US generally prefer someone with a specialized degree over a general degree
-General sense is someone with a specialized has a career goal. People with general MBA don't have a specific career goal
-Today,is it wise to have options in choosing careers/industry post MBA by opting for a general MBA in US.

Many Thanks

I think this is a very regional. In India, for example, there are huge numbers of specialist MBAs which are close to European-style MSc degrees. The vast majority of the courses relate to the specialisation. The graduates are not taking up general management roles.

In the US, a specialisation or concentration in an MBA is similar to a major in an undergraduate degree: around 25% of the courses account for the specialisation. So these courses focus on the general management tool-kit, and have have an additional level of focus.

Thank you for your thoughts. Even I am confused about taking a general MBA or a specialized MBA (or a specialized MSc).

I am working in information technology IT and I want to eventually work in marketing. I intend to study a business program to learn more about marketing general management, as well as some specialized topics in marketing such as automation of adverting, targeted market research, and other topics. How should I proceed?

It depends: A general MBA would touch on enough marketing issues to prepare you for management roles in a marketing agency or a marketing department of a firm. MBAs are generally designed for people with at least 3 years of work experience - the average at many ranked programs is in the 4-7 year range, so, they're ready for management roles when they finish. This is the same for 'specialized' MBA programs, which can be good for people of this experience level who know exactly what they want to do, and need some additional (usually technical) training / electives.

A specialized MSc on the other hand is more aimed at younger people who are gunning for functional roles instead.

Thanks, I have two years of work experience. Does that mean I should apply for a specialized MSc program?

Depends on when you'd start the program, as well as the kind of work experience you have. Three years at intake would be the absolute minimum for an MBA program, and those with only three years would most likely have to have demonstrable career growth in those three years, as well as probably a higher-than-average GMAT score.

I just read this article today which might be of interest to you:

https://find-mba.com/articles/specialist-mba-degrees-find-their-niche-in-business-education