psuKinger

The age old question. I'm looking for some advice regarding the issue of M.S. vs. M.B.A., as well as the Graduate School timeline in general, and finally a question about a couple of M.B.A. programs.


I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. I've landed what I'd consider a pretty exciting (and reasonably lucrative... at least for an entry level position) job. I'm sitting for the FE's in October, which means I could have my PE before I hit the 5 year mark.

I'm wondering what kind of graduate schooling will coincide best with that to accelerate my ability to climb the corporate ladder.

1. Do I go with an M.S. in Engineering (probably Mechanical, but possibly Nuclear or even Industrial), or an M.B.A.? Maybe I should do both? If so, which one should be my first priority?

2. When should I hope/plan to earn that first degree (whichever one it may be)? At the "4 years experience" mark? 6? 8?

3. If I were to earn an M.B.A., either first or second, What kind of "focus" or "concentration" should an engineer who wants to move into Management take up? Are any of them better than others?

4. What's the value of an online M.B.A. program? I've seen a couple now that claim that the degree you will earn will not be an "Online MBA" degree, but instead the same M.B.A. that the students who attended the campus earn. The transcript/diploma will not differentiate between the two.


I ask number 4 because I do have a geographic preference. Moving is fairly unappealling. I suppose not impossible, but I'd rather not. Because of this, I'm limited to about 2 (or maybe 3) good choices for graduate school unless, of course, online MBA's for working professionals are an acceptable way to go.

I realize this is an MBA board, and many of you may be partial to the MBA route. I'd really appreciate and value your objective opinions on this issue, though.