MSc, MA, MBA: Management degree programs

If you want to decide for a management program understanding the different types of degrees is important. For example, imagine you are interested in a Master in Management (MIM), a Master of Business Administration (MBA), or a specialized degree in management such as the Master in MARKETING, the Master in Finance, or the Master in Supply Chain Management.

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• Search for Masters in Management (MIM): More than 600 MIM programs in our database
• Search for Masters of Business Administration (MBA): More than 2,000 MBA programs in our database

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The Master as a second academic degree

These programs are so-called postgraduate programs. This means that in general you need to have successfully achieved a first academic undergraduate program such as the Bachelor already - for instance a Bachelor of Business Administration or a Bachelor in Economics. Then you either continue directly with a postgraduate program and a Master degree as title or you start a professional career before you come back to University for a Master program later - for instance, as a full-time or part-time student. In other words, your Master is your second academic degree.

Management degree programs: Master of Science (MSc) and Arts (MA)

Postgraduate programs provide you with the degree "Master". Masters can be divided into subgroups such as the Master of Science (MSc), the Master of Arts (MA), or the Master of Business Administration (MBA).

• The Master of Science (MSc) traditionally is granted for successfully completing a postgraduate program with a science or technical focus. 
• By contrast, the Master of Arts (MA) traditionally refers to disciplines of the humanities such as history or philosophy. In reality today, however, this distinction is not strictly upheld anymore and, in fact, you can find both degree types for postgraduate programs in business or management. 
• While business schools and universities appear to name their programs "Masters of Science" when they require a first degree in business or economics, and "Master of Arts" when the program targets also graduates from other disciplines, even this distinction is not strictly applied. As a consequence, there is no general guideline as for the degree granted and the eligibility of teh program. Future students, hence, need to check the respective admissions requirements to find out whether they are eligible or not.

Masters in Management degree programs in a nutshell

Masters in Management degree programs are usually the Master of Science in Management (MSc) or the Master of Business Administration (MBA) although also Master of Arts programs (MA) in management do exist.

• Master of Science (MSc) in management: These programs are postgraduate studies for people who have recently finished their undergraduate studies and want to enhance their knowledge on a deeper and more scientific level. Oftem, these programs target graduates with a first degree in business or economics.
• Master of Business Administration (MBA): These programs, in contrast, focus on people with a minimum of three years of professional experience (some schools even accept two years) and are more practice-oriented than Master of Science (MSc) programs. The difference between MIM and Master of Business Administration (MBA), however, is not always clear at first glance as both types of Masters are postgraduate management programs.
• Master of Arts (MA) programs in management or business are similar to Masters of Science in Management; sometimes this degree is granted, however, to signal that the program specifically targets graduates from academic disciplines other than business or economics.