Marketing MBA Degree, Finance MBA Degree, which is better?

The question is not 'which MBA Degree is better', but 'which MBA Degree is more popular'. The reason behind this is that the relative value of each MBA Degree changes according to the type of market and its condition.

Is finance MBA Degree better than marketing MBA Degree? The answer is yes and no, as finance MBA seems a better option in today's situation where the stock market is optimistic.

Finance MBA people -- the bean counters, as they are called -- are viewed as pessimists. They will always tell you why the company should NOT go for the proposed plans. On the other hand, the marketing MBA people -- the optimists -- will have no doubts about the success of these plans.

Hence, it's not strange that we always see finance MBA and marketing MBA people coming out of meetings fighting with each other. But the moment one doubts (as marketing MBA people do) a well-planned step (which marketing MBA people have), one is out of the market.

To drive home my point, in many a monopolistic and cost-driven market, the sharpest tool is finance. However, one should not forget every effort is being made all over the world to have competitive markets by restructuring these monopolistic markets (the electricity market, for example). So the name of the game is marketing rather than finance.

Every wannabe manager should keep in mind that an MBA Degree in finance gives you the tools to analyse and expand your market, but not the marketing skills and tactics necessary for increasing your output.

As for the clearer picture, one also needs to consider the thumb rule while getting a job -- what your ambitions are and what you have to do when choosing a specialisation.

The MBA you choose should also depend on your personal ability. If you are good at number-crunching, have a flair for juggling numbers and think you can manage the party well, then finance is the job for you. If you are creative and have a zeal to sell, then there's no doubt you should be in marketing. So you have to really assess yourself before you decide on your specialisation.