Tired of spending all day in a cubicle, wondering if there’s something better out there for you? Or maybe you know you need to earn more money to live the life you want. You might be like thousands of returning college students who know they have something more to offer the world, but are unsure where to start.A Master of Science in Management (MSM) can empower you to do what you love and reap the rewards of a well-chosen career. You will learn the science of management so you can climb the corporate ladder, or just become an exceptional manager.
Here’s how to decide if this path is right for you:
Reasons to Consider a Management Degree
Careers in management are lucrative, often with wages starting in the low six figures. In May 2020, the median annual wage for management occupations was $109,760.
Education pays no matter what career path you choose. As your educational level rises, so too does your employability. Unemployment rates are lowest among highly educated workers.
A stable job with good pay offers many benefits, opening the doors to a better life. This might mean:
- A chance to set your own schedule, work remotely or get more time off.
- A bigger house in a better neighborhood.
- A decrease in work- and finance-related stress.
- Better schools for your children.
- Opportunities to pursue your favorite hobbies or travel.
- A chance to give your kids the life you know they deserve.
As you can see, a good job can greatly improve your personal life. However, it can also empower you to give back. A Master of Science in Management prepares you to be an innovative and thoughtful leader. With this degree, you can change the lives of the people you work with by:
- Ensuring your company has leaders who treat people with dignity and respect.
- Shepherding your organization through transformational change.
- Detecting organizational and managerial issues before they become crises.
- Bringing your unique skill set, personality and interests to management to better serve a diverse group of people.
- Spurring innovation, creativity and thought leadership.
So what can you do with a Master of Science in Management? Some of the most popular career paths include:
- Entrepreneurship (e.g., starting your own business, working as a business consultant)
- Financial careers (e.g., investment management, capital markets analysis)
- Accounting careers
- Management consulting roles
- Human resources roles
- C-suite roles (e.g., CEO, CFO, COO)
Many people with MSMs pursue different occupations throughout their careers. This is a highly flexible degree that can only open career doors, never close them.
What to Expect from a Master of Science in Management
Your MSM training focuses on the science of management, including a strong theoretical base. You will complete 34 credit hours. Courses for this degree include:
- Business Essentials
- Business Leadership
- Ethics and Law
- Exploring Business Strategies
- Global Business
- Project Management
- Quality Management Systems
- Strategic Leadership for Organizations
These classes prepare you to become a true leader and tackle a wide range of challenges, including:
- Ensuring regulatory and legal compliance.
- Assessing the effectiveness of management strategies and business programs.
- Understanding business norms, including differences across cultures, geographic regions and industries.
At SNU, you can graduate in as few as 18 months. That means more time to pursue your dreams, a more affordable degree program and less time spent juggling the roles of student, worker, parent and more.
Master of Science in Management vs. Other Management Degrees
SNU offers three management programs: the Master of Science in Management, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the Master of Leadership (MOL).
So what distinguishes one degree from another? The differences are qualitative, and any of the three career paths can be excellent for aspiring managers. Some key differences include:
- Math requirements: The MSM requires some math, an MBA requires significant math and the MOL requires almost none.
- Theoretical orientation: The MSM is a system- and process-oriented degree, the MOL focuses on people and the MBA focuses on businesses.
- Future roles: The MSM program is ideal for aspiring chief technology officers and chief operating officers, thanks to its careful focus on processes and operations.
How to Choose the Right School
Choosing the right school for your MSM is critical to graduating on time with a degree you can use to achieve your career goals. So what are the hallmarks of a good school?
- The right accreditation: Schools must be regionally accredited by the right bodies if you want your transfer credits to follow you from one school to the next.
- Expert professors: Instructors matter. Choose a school that gives you the opportunity to learn from experts in your chosen field.
- Diversity and inclusion: The real world contains all kinds of people, so you must know how to relate to them. Diversity is more than just a buzzword. It’s something good managers not only feel comfortable with, but also actively promote.
- Professional development: The right school prepares you to do more than just take tests. You should choose an institution that teaches you to network and apply for jobs.
If you’re an adult learner, you may need additional support. Some services to look for include:
- Flexible scheduling and course structure: Learning at home, at night and on your own schedule may be critical to your success.
- An innovative cohort model: A cohort builds your professional network.
- Support for veterans: Veterans returning to civilian life may need support. Quality schools prioritize their needs.
- A thoughtful approach to online learning: It’s not enough to merely switch all coursework to a video format. Schools that succeed at online learning have thought through how to make this model successful.
SNU relishes the opportunity to serve adult learners. We offer flexible scheduling, online and in-person night classes, an innovative cohort model that builds your professional network from day one and so much more. Other schools place adult learners into a model that was not intended for them. However, we built our approach entirely with adult learners in mind.
To learn more about what makes us unique or begin planning your own career, check out our free “Business and Leadership Career Planner.”