New WGU MS in Management and Leadership

[sanantone]

Except that I would consider a doctoral "leadership" degree if I could find a cheap/doable one, I do agree with your premise.

I seriously considered University of the Cumberland's Ed.D in Educational Leadership program because it's not just a bunch of leadership courses, and I would have been able to create an 18 credit concentration in psychology or business. They also offer concentrations in history, English, math, education, and religion. I'm sure you've read Steve's posts on the other forum.

This type of leadership program is the kind that makes my stomach turn. How could someone stomach so many courses in leadership? I would die of boredom.
Department of Leadership Studies

[soliloquy]

I'm wondering if an MBA would be required in my field or if this streamlined Masters would be more beneficial. Yes, I'm all over the place with a Masters program but I also don't have to make any decisions until several months so you'll see me contradict, back track, and ramble on while exploring my options.

I was going to explain what a paralegal manager does but it's succinctly explained here:

Secrets of Paralegal Management Unveiled

I wonder if I would need a MBA if my goal is to be a paralegal manager in a larger corporate setting.

[Getiton1]

Looks good! Good for you for going for your Masters!

[burbuja0512]

A lot of people that would have done an MBA in the past are now seeking other more interesting options. It's the reason I chose my MBA. I think that you should just do what you want and what seems most interesting to you.

Since it may be similar to an MBA, keep in mind that many jobs will ask for an MBA specifically, and if you have an MS listed on your resume, the HR software may not identify you as a potential match for a job. This could result in a recruiter never seeing your resume. However, circumventing this issue can be very simple. All you need to do is list your MS on your resume and then after it put a note in parenthesis. For example, you could say "MS in Leadership (Similar to MBA, but with more emphasis on Management roles)" Or something like that.. obviously this is just an example and you'd want to re-word it to make it sound more professional. However, I can almost guarantee that this would be enough to be considered for almost any job that wants an MBA.

Of course you'll want to think about this - do you want to have to explain your MS for the rest of your career? If what I mentioned to you doesn't sound appealing, you may want to reconsider the MS. However, if you don't mind explaining, having a slighly different degree could be a great way to talk about your education and set you apart from other candidates... after all, there are quite a few MBA's out there.

[publius2k4]

Of course you'll want to think about this - do you want to have to explain your MS for the rest of your career?

I'm OK with that. As it stands now, I'm already going to have to explain my BS for the rest of my career.

I don't know, I think the "MBA" is still the principle qualifier for all things business. What will employers think? how will others view your degree?

With that said...the hardest courses in the WGU MBA appear to have been eliminated in this degree. No Finance, no Decision Analyses, no Supply Chain...I think this could be a degree plan that would allow you to move through at a cheetah's pace...you could bang this out in 6-12 months I bet.

You're right. The courses are easier, and I could complete it faster (several of the courses are objective assessments).

I honestly don't think that the MBA would hold much more power over the MS in this instance, since WGU does not have an AACSB accreditation.

The way I see it, if this degree holds me back, I can always return and complete the MBA.

[sanantone]

Employers rarely ask for AACSB accreditation. Having a highly ranked MBA would be nice and those happen to be AACSB accredited, but AACSB accreditation doesn't do much for an unranked MBA program. It's more important for academia.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Employers rarely ask for AACSB accreditation. Having a highly ranked MBA would be nice and those happen to be AACSB accredited, but AACSB accreditation doesn't do much for an unranked MBA program. It's more important for academia.

In the more traditional post-MBA job market, often graduates are hired by employers that recruit at business schools – through the career center, job fairs, etc. It's possible some employers open these channels preferentially to AACSB schools.

[publius2k4]

So I'm having trouble getting into the program. Initially, they told me that since this new program is only for new incoming students. Therefore, I am not eligible because I am a returning student. I argued a bit, saying that I may be a returning student, but I'm returning for a higher program since I've already graduated with my undergrad. They still wouldn't allow me into the program.

So as of right now, I am enrolled in the MBA - Management and Strategy program. I have the option to change programs after I am assigned an adviser, but I'm not guaranteed acceptance into the M.S. program, since it's a limited acceptance program as of right now.

[Prloko]

My main problem is with the curriculum. When I see "leadership," I know all of the quantitative courses have been stripped out and the program will be nothing but management and leadership courses. I'm not really sure if it's a subject that needs to be studied that thoroughly. If I wanted to study leadership from a social science standpoint, I would stick to political science/international relations, public policy, public administration, sociology, and psychology or I/O psychology.

Leadership courses are more application based and focused than the other courses. There is nothing wrong with wanting to focus on a certain aspect of a subject. Just like your Criminal Justice degrees are a focused concentration of law, sociology and psychology with some application of said subjects thrown in.

[sanantone]

So I'm having trouble getting into the program. Initially, they told me that since this new program is only for new incoming students. Therefore, I am not eligible because I am a returning student. I argued a bit, saying that I may be a returning student, but I'm returning for a higher program since I've already graduated with my undergrad. They still wouldn't allow me into the program.

So as of right now, I am enrolled in the MBA - Management and Strategy program. I have the option to change programs after I am assigned an adviser, but I'm not guaranteed acceptance into the M.S. program, since it's a limited acceptance program as of right now.

Good.

Leadership courses are more application based and focused than the other courses. There is nothing wrong with wanting to focus on a certain aspect of a subject. Just like your Criminal Justice degrees are a focused concentration of law, sociology and psychology with some application of said subjects thrown in.

I don't have any criminal justice degrees, but I'm working on a PhD in criminal justice. Criminal justice is interdisciplinary making it the opposite of concentrated. It's like the business administration degree of social sciences. Criminology is a concentrated form of sociology. The broadness of criminal justice is actually a problem at the undergraduate level. It ends up competing for the same jobs as social work, counseling, psychology, sociology, behavioral science, and human services. If one wants to become a professor in a non-STEM or non-business field, criminal justice is probably the best doctoral degree to complete. For a long time, there have been more openings than applicants. At the masters-level, you're good for adjunct jobs and moving up in correctional agencies where CJ degrees are preferred over everything else. I almost wish I would have completed a masters in CJ because there are so many adjunct openings in the field.

I haven't seen too many jobs ask for leadership degrees inside or outside of academia. The one professor I had with a leadership PhD was teaching based off the 18 credit hours he had in his masters program of a different major. In leadership programs, all of the courses are about leadership or management. In criminal justice programs, I've seen courses in substance abuse counseling, corrections, probation/parole, courts, criminal law, policing, behavioral science, forensic science, victimology, homeland security, and physical security. There are many different career fields in those courses. Lawyers/paralegals, police officers, correctional officers, substance abuse counselors, forensic scientists, probation/parole officers, social services, and security managers -- this shows that criminal justice is not highly concentrated. Your career options might be limited to the criminal justice and social services field with this degree, but the same can be said about sociology, psychology, and all of the other related degrees.