My employer has identified me as a hi-potential employee and would like to sponsor me for a postgraduate course (any non-MBA Masters program). While my part time studies will be paid for, the catch is I will have to be bonded accordingly (1 year bond for 1 year of studies). In that regard, I have a few questions to ask before committing to this offer:
I work in the Marketing/Communications field. In general, do employers value a Masters’ certification? That is, do they offer better pay packages/career prospects than their degree counterparts? I asked also because there’s the possibility of overqualification, and thus it’d be harder to find employment next time.
Are there Masters programs offered by prestigious universities (ivy league or the likes) relevant to my field? I am currently working in Singapore and could not find any ivy league partner offering Masters programs here.
Otherwise, are there distance learning options provided by these top universities? (I have checked at least 4 of them, and none offer such an option for Masters programs)
On another note, what is the value of single certificate programs in relation to the employer/company? One example here: http://www.ecornell.com/certificates/
Thank you for your time.
Don’t waste your time with certificate courses if you are getting employee sponsorship. E-cornell does have a place providing supplemental knowledge but it won’t be seen on the same level as any master’s degree.
What type of marketing/communications positions are you in? If you are in a senior position I don’t think a master’s in Marketing or communications would be as beneficial as a master’s in say Management or Business Analytics. You want to add to your knowledge base and not waste coursework on rehashing old material.
If you are in an entry level position and want to stay in the field then a master’s in Marketing or Communications could be a nice salary booster.
You stated that you work in Singapore, National University Singapore is an excellent university that is worth looking into. I assume you would have a decent chance at getting in since you are looking into the ivy league schools. Other schools to consider would be
Northwestern University- Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications (online)
Johns Hopkins University- M.A Communication (online)
Indiana University- Kelley school of business (Kelley Direct) M.S Strategic Management (online with one residency requirement that would be only a week long)
Non-MBA master’s have weight. Don’t worry about over qualification.
If you plan on staying in Singapore nothing would beat National University Singapore except maybe INSEAD.