People often write in to us asking us whether what’s ‘better’- an MBA in India or an MS in the US. The truth is, that this is an extremely open-ended question- the answer is purely subjective. An MS might be the perfect option for one individual, and an MBA for another. It’s up to every individual to recognize or identify his ‘cup of tea’. We here at stupidsid.com try making it easier for you to do so…
Basic Difference:
Crudely put, an MS is somewhat a continuation of your engineering degree (though there are many, many fields available nowadays, and it’ll certainly be a very new experience), wherein you specialize in any given stream for two years.
An MBA, on the other hand, is a totally new ballgame. An MBA will have absolutely nothing to do with anything you may have studied ever before in your life. An MBA degree, like the name suggests, teaches you Business Administration, which broadly comprises of management, along with specializations like HR, Finance, Marketing, etc. This, of course, begs the question- why did I do engineering in the first place? The simple answer- take any reputed b-school. See the Huge percentage of engineering students. That’s all there is to it.
Investment:
An MBA in India turns out relatively cheaper than an MS abroad. An average university in the US would have a fee structure of about 8,000-30,000$ a year. One can work side by side and manage their daily expenses, but the fee itselt is pretty high.
On the other hand, even the good B-schools in India (such as the IIMs, XLRI, etc) charge a comparatively ‘nominal’ fee of a few lakh (2-7) a year.
Of course, it is always suggested that one should not make a decision based purely on finances, as education loans are easily available, and are easier to pay off once you start earning.
Return on Investment:
The pay packages of students graduating from top universities in the US, or the top B-Schools in India, are both hair-raising. However, if one is to make a choice between a lower-rung B-school in India, and a lower-rung university in the US, then he should bear in mind that the latter option would most certainly pay better.
Life:
This is a common, and an extremely valid, question. Life in the States, away from pressures and watchful eyes of family and relatives, will naturally be more relaxed, and definitely more fun. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. There are a lot of hardships one has to bear, but yes, life is good.
That doesn’t mean that the life in an Indian B-school is bad. The top ranking b-schools have wonderful campuses and enough things to do within them, which will keep you occupied for the entire two years.
Interest:
If you like what you’ve been studying in engineering, then probably MS is the way to go.
If you’ve spent four years of your engineering life wondering what you’re doing, and you can’t think of anything else to do
OR
If you’re genuinely interested in management, marketing, finance, or something that rhymes with ‘commerce’, then perhaps you ought to be applying to those B-schools.
Verdict:
Like we said above, it’s purely subjective. If your interest lies in anything particular, we strongly suggest that you completely ignore anything written above, and just do what you think you’d like to.