2 BA Degrees From 2 Universities?

[dfrecore]

I'm already on the accelerators group.   I don't know of any UMPI helper groups. UMPI is a MUCH smaller school. They currently only accept up to 150 students in YourPace which is pretty shocking. They are looking to grow up to 400 in the next few years. Still a long way from WGU.

Both an MBA and a MSML are FULL of business courses. At WGU 4 classes are in both the MBA and the MSML. So there's quite a bit of overlap. Neither one is a business light degree. They're both business degrees.

The MSML is hardly comparable to an MBA.  I'm talking Econ, Finance, Accounting, Ops Management - none of those are required in the MSML, which is more soft-skills.

[Alpha]

I'd suggest you find a forum dedicated to the field of graphic design. Talk to people in the field and find out their take.

I don't work in graphic design, so don't know, but please consider carefully:

1) Why not get an MBA? Do some research on BBAs, are they valuable in Graphic Design?

2) Will the employers care if you have a second BA? Will that make you look like you are desperate? Unfocused?

3) Is management an entry-level position in your field? Will employers hire someone with 0 experience in your field to be a manager with a BBA? or even with an MBA?

Personally, I went to UMPI for a second degree. That was AFTER a career change. After I had applied to jobs and my BA was clearly the reason I was turned away. And after getting my new UMPI degree I deleted the old degree from my resume, because it was no longer relevant. Having two degrees at the same level on a resume looks very odd to me.

I think that Pelican has raised some good questions.  If, as the op stated, the second Bachelors is for supervisory positions, wouldn't the Masters be even better?  And as far as MBA programs are concerned, there are so many available online now that it's hard to imagine that you couldn't find one to suit your needs/interests.

[bjcheung77]

It won't really matter which way you go, a second bachelors or a masters. Find the program you're really interested in and go for it, be it the BABA or the Masters. Depending on the scenario or situation, I would recommend one or the other. If I was in your shoes, I would need to know which degree would help me most.

A BA Graphic Design is pretty much in a vertical already, it's not like a general studies degree. Are you looking to change careers? Personal improvement? Or just that supervisory role in the future? If you're not really going for a Business Admin type of position in the near future, then the Masters may be more appealing as it's a "Leadership" degree.

One last thing that hasn't been brought up yet is, your SNHU transcripts will need to be sent to the school of choice. They are part of the National Student Clearing House, schools will "wait" for it to come in, if not, you'll just be stuck in application mode, you don't want to be stuck in limbo - waiting. Send ALL transcripts EVERY time you apply to an institution of choice...

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Oh, one more thing, work hard on your courses, focus on that first... this decision doesn't have to come right away, take your time, you can decide and apply when you're almost done with those 11 remaining courses...

[mojave]

Wow wow guys! Thanks for all the responses! You guys brought stuff to my attention I didn't think about.

This is just me trying to think ahead and understand my options. My first priority is graduating with my BA, upgrading my portfolio and then looking for a new job. Only while I'm at that end phase I'll be considering a second degree. Now I'm considering a Masters instead of another BA. The priority would definitely be more leaning towards a 'leadership' degree. I've got a lot to look into now!

Again thanks for all the advice. I'm just excited for the future and excited to learn! This website really changed my life on another level, gave me hope and so much happiness. Love the community here.

[Ideas]

You can also consider a graduate certificate or undergraduate certificate. Many are 12 credits, but they vary. Undergraduate varies too. Often 18 or more credits.

[ss20ts]

The MSML is hardly comparable to an MBA.  I'm talking Econ, Finance, Accounting, Ops Management - none of those are required in the MSML, which is more soft-skills.

They're both business degrees. Many people don't find the topics you listed to be challenging at all. Econ is usually considered a social science. Operations Management is a management course.

[ReyMysterioso]

I'd suggest you find a forum dedicated to the field of graphic design. Talk to people in the field and find out their take.

I don't work in graphic design, so don't know, but please consider carefully:

1) Why not get an MBA? Do some research on BBAs, are they valuable in Graphic Design?

2) Will the employers care if you have a second BA? Will that make you look like you are desperate? Unfocused?

3) Is management an entry-level position in your field? Will employers hire someone with 0 experience in your field to be a manager with a BBA? or even with an MBA?

Personally, I went to UMPI for a second degree. That was AFTER a career change. After I had applied to jobs and my BA was clearly the reason I was turned away. And after getting my new UMPI degree I deleted the old degree from my resume, because it was no longer relevant. Having two degrees at the same level on a resume looks very odd to me.

I work with graphic designers in the marketing department at a corporation. They had to fill a staff position, and definitely require a graphic design/art degree to fill a graphic design position. You would likely not make it past the HR pile at my company for a creative team designer job with only a business degree.

That being said, a graphic designer who had both a graphic design degree AND a business degree would likely be looked on pretty favorably as creative artists and marketing strategists often have language and wavelengths as if they are from completely different planets (in my personal experience. Your mileage may vary.)
The person who has a foot in both worlds and can speak the language of both business strategy AND creativity is a rare bird and a valuable asset. Having two degrees - one in each - is a shorthand for communicating that. Although doing them so close together might look kind of weird.

Education credentials get less important as you get older and have more proven work experience to lean on - but they will always be looked upon (whether fairly or not) as a signifier of skills/expertise.

You have to decide whether you wanna knock out two bachelor's now or get into the workplace and maybe do a Master's in business a little later instead. I don't think there's necessarily a wrong answer, so long as you can stay away from accumulating significant debt. That's probably the most important part. But workplace experience carries more job market value than education once you got the first bachelor's checked off.