Studying for a higher education is a great investment for the future and increases your chances of getting a senior job role. It is totally worth it to go for an MBA and a master’s degree.
Have you make a decision that you wish to study a master’s degree? There are a lot of choices available these days. And how do you choose which kind of master’s degree is the best choice for you?
Well, selecting which kind of postgrad degree to study may be easy for some. On the other hand, can be hard for others.
Since the choice comprise of wisely thinking about a number of factors. These can be your interests, academic aims, and finances.
One of the best postgraduate degrees in 2026 is MBAs. It is ideal for those who want to excel in management, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
This master’s degree can easily boost your prospects, professional growth, and salary chances. However, other postgrade degrees as well who differ from MBAs.
A lot of people often confuse that master in Business Administration with the Master’s degrees are the same. But they are not.
Before you choose the right one, firstly, you need to understand both of these degrees in-depth.
Let’s explore in the next section in detail.
What is the real difference between an MBA and a master’s degree?
An MBA (master’s in business administration) provides wider strategic leadership skills for general management. And the aim of this degree is to focus on every one of the business functions such as finance, HR, and marketing.
Further, it is ideal for experienced applicants who are looking for senior roles. On the other hand, a general master's degree, such as an MS or an MBA focus on in-depth, specialized knowledge in certain fields like finance or data analysis.
A master’s degree is best for recent graduates or specialists. The key difference among both degrees is range v depth. An MBA teaches learners how to run and handle a business.
While other master’s degree teaches how to master a certain field. So, if you want to run your business in the future and look for leadership roles, MBAs is perfect for you.
But, if you are not a business person and learn more in-depth, such as finance, pursue a master’s degree like MA or MS, the choice is yours.
What is a Master’s degree?
A master’s is a graduate-level degree. It is more advanced than a bachelor's degree, and it takes 2 years to finish.
It is less advanced than a doctoral degree, such as PHD. A few common examples of master’s degrees are Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS or MSc), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Education (MEd), Master of Accounting (MAcc), and Master of Fine Arts (MFA).
While a master’s degree is not terminal (Since a terminal degree is the highest degree that can be pursued only in a specific field. But the exception to this general rule is the MFA, which is the highest degree that can be obtained in the field of fine arts.
The benefits of getting a master’s degree
Well, the benefits of finishing a master’s degree can be pretty equal across different fields. These are increased salary ability and the skills to take on leadership positions.
Here are some benefits.
- Increase salary
- More advanced job chances
- Competitive edges in your career field
- Chances to create skills you can use for the duration of your career, like sharpening your critical thinking skills.
- Chances to fully discover your passions concretely.
What is an MBA?
An MBA (Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree. The field explore on different range of roles such as marketing, finance, business leadership, and management.
Many of the MBAs programs feature 30 to 60 credits. And they usually take 2 years to finish.
Compared to general master’s programs, MBAs programs need learners to have working experience to improve classroom debates. And thus they learn more about practical world applications.
Benefits of getting an MBA degree
- Higher salaries- One of the best benefits of getting an MBA is a higher salary. You will boost your salary chances in just a few years. As per the newest survey of edX, the average median salaries of MBAs are 125,000$. While other master’s degrees’ salary is 86000 $.
- Career growth- The MBAs are best for those who are seeking leadership roles and move to more senior-level positions, such as senior management, executive roles, and higher responsibility roles.
- More chances- You will get many chances after you done this postgraduate degree, such as marketing, HR, finance, and entrepreneurship.
- Job security- The MBA offers more job security if you add value and expertise. Hence, it will make you crucial in an uncertain time to your present boss.
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Take a look at a key difference between an MBA and a master’s degree
| Feature | MBA | Master’s degree (MA, MS) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Offer a wider holistic business ( strategic and leadership) | Offer in-depth, specialized courses such as finance and marketing |
| Target audience | The target audience of MBAs is mid to senior-level managers and leaders | It aim on present grads, specialists, and technical experts |
| Experience | The experience of enrolling in an MBA requires 1 to 3 + years | Whereas a Master’s degree does not require any experience, a fresher can enroll in it. |
| Approach | MBAs offer Experiential, strategic, and practical | It offers more theory and a technical approach in-depth |
| Networking | This postgrad aim on strong focus on high level experts contacts | Create a peer network and often focus on less senior |
What are the differences between an MBA and other Master’s degrees?
If you are thinking about pursuing a master’s degree or MBA, or you want to know more about these two programs and grasp the variations.
Here are the key differences among two master’s degrees.
1. Focus and Syllabus
Maybe one of the key differences between MBAs and master’s degrees is that a master's in business administration aims to prepare learners with a top-level of knowledge.
Also, guide them on how to move to the senior-level roles in business, management, and leadership.
On the contrary, a Master’s degree places more emphasis on theory and specialized knowledge. Also, a Master’s degree can open the doors to further education like PHD.
2. Career results
A master’s degree usually provides specialized knowledge in a niche field of study. As a result, this can lead to advanced career chances in extremely technical positions that need a specific skillset.
But an MBA prepares learners offer broad business knowledge and leadership skills. So, once you finish this postgrad program creating a solid applicant for management roles across multiple firms.
3. Admissions requirements and prerequisites
Applicants need a bachelor's degree in a specific field to pursue a master’s degree. In a few of the cases, certain working experience is needed and must be relevant to the area of study.
While an MBA normally requires a bachelor's degree in any are of field. But, need significant working experience, pertinent to the area of study, and normally need GMAT or GRE scores.
On the other hand, an MBA also needs leadership experience. However, this will depend on a certain course.
4. Learning methods
A master's degree normally focuses on research-based and theory learning, regarding how you will study. These are research projects, seminars, and lectures.
However, MBAs have more focus on practical knowledge rather than theory, collaborative, experiential learning via group projects and case studies.
For instance, this kind of learning is designed to develop high-level managerial and leadership skills via real-life experience and case studies.
5. Cost and ROI
Well, MBAs are more cost as compare to master's degrees. In general, a 1-year MBA can cost in the range of 10,000 to 15000 GBP in the UK.
But it can cost up to 45000 GBP if you study at top universities such as Harvard and Cambridge.
A master’s degree, on the contrary, normally costs around 8000 to 10000 GBP. A master’s degree often involves student loans and funding opportunities.
MBA vs Masters Salary
In the next table, I will explain to you in detail the salaries of MBA vs Masters degrees.
| Industry | MBA | Masters degrees |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting | 165,000 to 200,000 USD | 65000 to 85000 USD |
| Financial services | $150,000 – $180,000 | $60,000 – $80,000 |
| Technology | $140,000 – $175,000 | $70,000 – $90,000 |
| Consumer Goods | $125,000 – $150,000 | $55,000 – $75,000 |
| Healthcare | $130,000 – $160,000 | $60,000 – $80,000 |
| Manufacturing | 120,000 – $145,000 | $55,000 – $70,000 |
These numbers from last year, November 2024, and the sources are Indeed and Glassdoor.
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Where can you work with a Master’s or MBA degree?
An MBA applicants are the ability to work in any firm since they have a diverse range of skills, strategy, finance, and leadership. These are university-applicable.
But, a master’s degree normally works in a firm that precisely needs their huge technical understanding.
So, assume about a huge pharmaceutical firm. An MBA grad may be in the marketing department, and their key duty is to launch a strategy for a new drug.
While a person who has a master’s degree works in chemistry in the lab, and they work on drug formulation. Hence, both play a vital role. However, they normally work in extremely different situations.
How do you select the right career path for you?
Well, this is where you must be honest with yourself. The right selection depends totally on your personality, working style, and long-term aims.
Remember, no online quiz can offer you the answer to this question.
So, you need to ask yourself these questions.
- What kind of problems do I like solving? Do I prefer forming tricky projects and inspiring people? then MBA is ideal for you. Or do I prefer a deep dive into a technical challenge till I find the way out?
- How do I want to lead? Do I see myself running a business or handling a budget? Or want to lead a research team and create the technical direction?
- What is my key career driver? Is your career driver strategic influence and career flexibility? Or is it a subject matter master and want to become a familiar expert.
The most essential answer to this question is this: "Where do I obtain my energy?" As a result, once you answer these questions that will tell you if you are bound to be an integrator (MBA) or a practitioner (Master's). The choice is yours.
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FAQs: MBA vs Master’s degree
1. Is an MBA considered a Master’s degree?
Yes, it is indeed, it focuses on leadership and business management instead of an academic specialization.
2. Do I need working experience to work in a Master's in business administration?
Yes, you must have at least 1 or 3 years of experience if you want to enroll in this postgrad programs
3. Which is more valuable, an MBA or a master's?
A: The answer is totally dependent on your career aims; the MBAs focus on leadership and business management. But a Master’s degree offers more specialized courses.
