Specialized Masters Degree Courses On The Rise

Specialized Masters degree courses have certainly been on the growth path with more and more Business schools, especially during the past five years, offering a variety of choices from business analytics, financial engineering, realty sector to fashion business.

What attracts students towards these courses? For one, unlike many MBA programs, you don’t necessarily need to have years of work experience. Most of these courses evolved out of current market needs like Entrepreneurship program and Data Analytics which means an assured job.

While starting salaries are higher than those offered to undergraduates, in some specializations like Finance, the pay could be competitive to those earned by MBAs.

What attracts students towards these courses? For one, unlike many MBA programs, you don’t necessarily need to have years of work experience. Most of these courses evolved out of current market needs like Entrepreneurship program and Data Analytics which means an assured job.

Another factor is flexibility. There are part time and full time programs that could be completed between 6 to 24 months. These have, unlike the general MBA, more focus on particular areas of specialization.

On the flip side, it lacks the broader, generalized approach to management that comes with an MBA. Focusing on one functional area or skill set may limit one’s ability to create and innovate in the broader business environment.

For the courses, one is spoilt for choice. These include Master in Applied Economics, Computer Information Systems, Construction Management, Economic Development & Entrepreneurship, Engineering Management, Health Administration, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Industrial Relations and Human Resources, Information Technology, International Business, Real Estate Development, Marketing and Consumer Studies, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management and Master in Public Health.

These specialized courses are a big hit with the B-schools. But what about the recruiters? There’s good news on that front too.

The latest MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance survey report has found 55% of the responding business schools reporting a rise in both on-campus recruiting and full-time job postings during the past year.

The MBA CSEA is a global association of business school career management offices and companies who hire MBA and Masters in Business students. It released the findings of its Fall 2015 Recruiting Trends Survey on February 17, 2016.

The single biggest increases were in the financial services and technology sectors.

Interestingly, the survey report, based on responses from 83 B-schools, found the top ten reporting no fall in recruitment, 64% of the top 20 saw rise in employment offers while 36% said the market was flat.

While 67% of schools ranked 21-50 reported increases, even 50% of the unranked schools also saw a rise in job opportunities, with 19% reporting flat and a mere 4% experiencing a fall.

Following are the highlights of the survey:

• Full-time, on-campus opportunities increased for Specialized Masters programs regardless of a school’s
  ranking.
• The industries that experienced the largest increase in recruiting activity were Financial Services and
  Technology.
• The industries that experienced the largest decrease in recruiting activity were Energy and Healthcare.
• The largest increase by organization type was seen in start-ups and Fortune 500 businesses.
• 66% of respondents experienced increased on-campus recruiting this year for Specialized Masters program International students compared to last year.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES INCREASING FOR SPECIALIZED MASTER’S GRADS

INDUSTRIES WITH LARGEST DeCREASES IN JOB OPPORTUNITIES 

INDUSTRIES WITH LARGEST INCREASES IN JOB OPPORTUNITIES