Ashworth MS in Marketing -- Worth it?

[dfrecore]

Forgetting about the accreditation issue, I am wondering why you asked this question. Is there a reason why a masters in marketing is not worth it in your opinion? This is a real question and not a sarcastic one. My brother is looking into a masters in marketing, and I am wondering if you have reasons as to why someone should not want a graduate degree in marketing. Thanks.

Sanantone, I also kind of wondered that. Working in HR for 10 years, we NEVER asked for this degree, even for a high-level Marketing person. Actually, even for a lower-level marketing position, I don't think we ever asked specifically for a Marketing degree.

Usually, if we wanted an experienced marketing person, job experience, rather than degree, was what we looked at. I've known plenty of marketing people who had degrees in things other than marketing or even business; communications was popular, but so was journalism.

[cookderosa]

https://www.ashworthcollege.edu/masters-...marketing/

The curriculum kind of interests me...Pros and cons of this degree? General thoughts are appreciated

Thanks!

My opinion is that marketing jobs won't care much about RA/NA, but I'm not sure they care about BA/MA. I'm assuming your BA isn't in business, so this would be used for entry into a field? If so, you may want to try some individual courses first- get your feet wet, and see if you can land a job in marketing (maybe even your local CC offers an intro course where you can interact and network a bit?) or internship. If you can, you'll be better able to assess which -if any- additional education you'll need to ramp up your career.

In my opinion, applying for your FIRST marketing job with a master's degree might come back to bite you in the rear. You'd simply be over-educated and under-qualified.

[videogamesrock]

I think the OP's concern is that they are not happy with their current line of work and are feeling they have hit a ceiling. Many are posting that experience is important yet the OP may not have the experience marketing necessary for a different position. Therefore, I don't see the degree as a negative. I too have been stuck with deciding about lengthy studies after my BS, and I'm stuck deciding whether or not to pursue studies in business that I may or may not one-day need, or peruse something that I like. I think I've decided to study what I like, and if I have to go back for an MBA later I will. If the OP goes for something, they cannot stand like an MBA, maybe they won't finish the degree due to lack of interest and boredom.

[sanantone]

I think the OP's concern is that they are not happy with their current line of work and are feeling they have hit a ceiling. Many are posting that experience is important yet the OP may not have the experience marketing necessary for a different position. Therefore, I don't see the degree as a negative. I too have been stuck with deciding about lengthy studies after my BS, and I'm stuck deciding whether or not to pursue studies in business that I may or may not one-day need, or peruse something that I like. I think I've decided to study what I like, and if I have to go back for an MBA later I will. If the OP goes for something, they cannot stand like an MBA, maybe they won't finish the degree due to lack of interest and boredom.

That's why it's being advised that the OP get experience first. Like Cookderosa said, getting an entry-level marketing job might be made more difficult by getting a graduate degree. I don't know what the OP's bachelor's degree is in, but like Dfrecore, many people work in marketing without business-related degrees. I've come across many marketing job ads that ask for degrees in communications, English, public relations, and journalism. For marketing research analyst positions, I often see job ads asking for degrees in statistics, psychology, sociology, mathematics, and even general social sciences. There are also many marketing job ads that don't specify a major at all.

[AJ_Atlanta]

Just wanted to chime in here, but yes I have seen MS in Marketing preferred in many job descriptions. I don't know that RA vs NA are that important, except perhaps if you are pursuing a marketing role in an agency.

You and the agency are selling the team to every new prospective client, some will only care about the agency's (or your) portfolio and past work while others could be swayed by a great name on a degree. In fact this is one case where I would consider spending the $9k for that Harvard Extension certificate in marketing myself.