<div><br></div><div>The priority is to get into a great business school. Cranfield and Strathclyde are much better than Brunel, for example. "Queen Mary Belfast" s a garden, not a university. Queen Mary University is in London. Queen's University, in Belfast, is founded by Queen Victorial.</div><br><br><div>Other things being equal, an MBA is better than an MSc but do not go to a worse university just to get a better-sounding degree.
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Sorry for the mistake. I meant QUB (Queen's University Belfast).&nbsp;<br>So considering your suggestion, the order should be like<br>Cranfield &gt; Strathclyde &gt; Qub right?<br><br>

I think so. Probably you would benefit more from thinking about the goal in a more specific war than 'business'. Did you consider taking a career apritude test?

Don't do a masters degree in project management, it's probably overkill and a very narrow specialisation. They are not really valued in industry.&nbsp;<br><br>The well established and recognised project management certifications are from PMI in the US or PRINCE2 in most other English speaking countries.

Cranfield is where you should go

[quote]I think so. Probably you would benefit more from thinking about the goal in a more specific war than 'business'. Did you consider taking a career apritude test? [/quote]<br><br>I havnt taken any career aptitude as of now, but definitely I would like to take one. Any partyicular test that you would like to suggest ?

Also, there is another update. I got an offer from the University of Birmingham for MBA(International Business). Now Im very confused between Cranfield MSc and Birmingham MBA. From my research, I found Cranfield MSc is in the top 100 FT rankings for management courses. And Birmingham MBA is on the list of top-ranked business school in europe.<br><br>In a nut shell,<br>Past experience: 6 years in computer programming.<br>Aim: Switch career domain (From programmer to consultant or analyst or manager...etc) and prefer to work in either of these locations - UK/US/Canada/Europe&nbsp;<br><br>Looking at my profile and aim, which course would suit my career goals ?

Start with the aim in mind. Without a specific career goal it's hard to choose. An MSc might be better for a career transition because employers would expect to pay a lower salary. I use CareerLeader. See: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/alumni/career-resources/job-search/self-assessment and&nbsp; https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/alumni/career-development/articles-videos-and-career-guides/article-self-assessment.aspx for context.&nbsp;

'Consultant' or 'manager' are very wide categories. A career aptitude test will help you think about the industry you want to be in, the specific business function you want to consult on or manage, etc.&nbsp;

[quote]Start with the aim in mind. Without a specific career goal it's hard to choose. An MSc might be better for a career transition because employers would expect to pay a lower salary. I use CareerLeader. See: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/alumni/career-resources/job-search/self-assessment and&nbsp; https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/alumni/career-development/articles-videos-and-career-guides/article-self-assessment.aspx for context.&nbsp; [/quote]<br><br>Hello Duncan,<br><br>Thanks for the links and I am planning to take them this weekend.<br><br>But I'm a bit confused about the entry to the management/business field.<br>The reason for me to switch my career from software development is because I want to start a fresh new chapter in either of these below , I mean I need a program which can help me to get an&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>1. Entry into Product/Operations management (Preferably in the automobile sector)<br>2. Entry to Management Consultant roles<br>3. Entry into Administrative management<br>4. Even Strategic consultancy is something I'm interested in.<br><br>Looking at this, Can MBA from University of Birmingham help me to get a starting role in any of the above sectors ? If not, which master's program can be of help? I have one offer from Cranfield for MSC in management, and another from QMUL for MSC in international business.<br><br>My time is ticking so I need to make a decision asap, it would be really helpful if I get some inputs in a quick time.

An MSc might be better for a career transition because employers would expect to pay a lower salary, and there will be a better fit for product management or an initial role in consultancy. Administrative management is a broad term and again an MBA will not be needed. Take the aptitude tests and focus.&nbsp;

[quote]An MSc might be better for a career transition because employers would expect to pay a lower salary, and there will be a better fit for product management or an initial role in consultancy. Administrative management is a broad term and again an MBA will not be needed. Take the aptitude tests and focus.&nbsp; [/quote]<br><br>I still do have a lingering doubt, Is MBA only for those who want to progress in their respective career? I mean, it will not help in a career transition for a software professional like me ? I ask this because when I search in internet, each and every article mention about MBA to make career switch happen.

It's obviously not the case that every article about career transitions mentions an MBA. The MBA is a general management degree and, since you are not going to a top-ranked MBA, the odds of desirable placement into an MBA-type role are low. And you are not targeting an MBA type role: you are targeting an initial role in a functional silo. Perhaps you also think that the MBA is general so you can avoid having to make specific choices about where you want to do. That would be mistaken. Start with a specific destination, and then pick the road that leads most directly to it. Don't pick any road just because you want to move from where you are.&nbsp;

[quote]It's obviously not the case that every article about career transitions mentions an MBA. The MBA is a general management degree and, since you are not going to a top-ranked MBA, the odds of desirable placement into an MBA-type role are low. And you are not targeting an MBA type role: you are targeting an initial role in a functional silo. Perhaps you also think that the MBA is general so you can avoid having to make specific choices about where you want to do. That would be mistaken. Start with a specific destination, and then pick the road that leads most directly to it. Don't pick any road just because you want to move from where you are.&nbsp; [/quote]<br><br>That's what I'm working on now. The reason why asked is that I checked LinkedIn jobs to get an idea about the requirements for the above roles I mentioned. I searched for internships, and entry-level consultant jobs in good companies (Since I'm from sftwr development background, I thought it's better to start with entry roles). And from my search, I could see that most ad mention only "degree in business/management" as one criterion (Even for a few roles related to supply chain). That confused me. And the immediate thought that came into my mind was - If companies are only looking for a degree in business, why not take the highest degree among the two and progress from that role.<br><br>I know I might be wrong somewhere or I might be missing something in the bigger picture.&nbsp;<br><br>What's your say about this, Duncan ?<br><br>Since I worked only with small tech startup companies, I rely on different blogs and articles to get a clear picture of the path in management I want to pursue.

An MSc might be better for a career transition because employers would expect to pay a lower salary, and there will be a better fit for product management or an initial role in consultancy.

[quote]An MSc might be better for a career transition because employers would expect to pay a lower salary, and there will be a better fit for product management or an initial role in consultancy. [/quote]<br><br>Thank you Duncan for your feedback on my queries.!&nbsp;<br><br>Apart from MSc, what's your opinion about taking a 2year dual degree (Msc+MBA).<br>I happen to see a dual degree course offered by University of Newcastle in Australia.<br>whats your opinion about such degrees ?&nbsp;

Focus on developing specific goals. There's no benefit to any degree if you don't know what fit they have with your goals&nbsp;&nbsp;

Will a management degree from Strathclyde University be recognized in Canada in terms of jobs?

Study where you want to work. It will be seen as a real degree, but a degree from one developed country won't have much brand equity in another one. There are only a dozen or so universities with intercontinental brand awareness in the general public (Harvard, MIT, Oxbridge, Stanford...)