MSc vs MBA: What's the difference?

Interested in postgraduate study but not sure which is the right option for you? In this blog, we break down the key differentiators between an MSc and an MBA, which might help you decide on your next steps. 

Key differences

What is an MSc?

A Master’s degree is a postgraduate qualification, which is typically the next step for those who’ve completed their undergraduate bachelor’s degree. Warwick Business School (WBS) offers a range of pre-experience MSc courses across three portfolios: Business, Finance and Management. All are full-time courses, with a duration of one year. 

What is an MBA?

An MBA is also a Master’s degree, with MBA standing for Master of Business Administration. However, in the UK, an MBA is aimed at those who have already gained experience in the workplace, so you’re unlikely to study for an MBA directly after your undergraduate degree, or even straight after a Master’s degree.

There are a variety of types of MBA on offer in the UK, from full-time courses, to online, part-time, and blended options. They’re also aimed at different levels of experience, with Executive MBAs tending to appeal to those who want to make it into senior management or C-Suite positions, whilst Full-time MBAs attract a less senior audience, who may want to broaden their business knowledge.

WBS offers a full range of MBA programmes, with something to suit all levels of experience and desired learning format.

Course breadth of focus

A Master’s course is generally curriculum-focused, encouraging you to specialise on usually one or more particular areas, such as finance, marketing or strategy. There are exceptions to this rule as some MSc courses do offer a wider perspective, for example our MSc Management and MSc International Business.

An MBA, however, typically adopts a broader focus on business management and administration. These most commonly cover leadership and management, business strategy and analytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, and finance and accounting.

Entry requirements

Our Master's programmes may require an undergraduate degree, usually in the field of the postgraduate course you’re applying for. On our MBA programmes, we welcome applicants without a degree who can showcase equivalent professional experience. Specific entry requirements for all MSc and MBA courses will differ.

Our Master's courses are typically be for those who have completed their undergraduate degree and wish to continue their studies immediately, though we also consider applicants with accrued years of work experience. An MBA on the other hand, will require several years of professional or managerial experience. 

All of Warwick Business School’s MSc and MBA course pages detail their exact, unique entry requirements. 

Course length

Course length can differ greatly between MSc and MBA courses, and this is the case at WBS. All of our pre-experience MSc courses take place over one year, via full-time study. Our Full-time MBA follows the same format, while our other MBA course variants are part-time, with a flexible timeline of between two and five years for completion. 

Career opportunities

An MSc is often undertaken to offer new career opportunities – by digging deeper into your subject area, building your expertise, and making use of careers services and industry connections, you’ll open doors to career opportunities that may not have been available to you with an undergraduate degree. An MBA also offers new career opportunities, supporting the development of leadership and management skills which will help participants move upwards within their own company, change role, industry, or location, or even set up their own business. 

All WBS postgraduate courses, whether MSc or MBA-level, come with dedicated careers and employer relations support which is carefully tailored to the career aims of that cohort. 

Discover more about the careers support on offer for our MSc and MBA programmes:

•    MSc Careers
•    Full-time MBA Careers
•    Global Online MBA Careers
•    Accelerator MBA Careers
•    Executive MBA Careers

Things to consider when deciding between a Master's and an MBA

Consider your personal and professional goals

Before you decide on an MBA vs an MSc, think about what you’d like to gain from the qualification. Consider your aims: do you want to focus in on one specific area and specialise? Or are you looking to further develop a rounded understanding of key business areas, at the same time as boosting your leadership skills?

If it’s the former, then an MSc might be more suitable. You’ll dig deeper into your area of interest and develop specialist knowledge. If it’s the latter, an MBA will widen your understanding, building on your existing experience.

Consider your educational and professional background

As previously mentioned, in the UK, Master’s degrees tend to be for those in the early stages of their career. At WBS, a good proportion of our MSc students have joined us directly after their undergraduate studies, or following internships or grad schemes.

MBA participants are required to have had a level of professional experience; on our Full-time, Accelerator, and Global Online MBAs we ask for over three years of professional experience, and on our Executive MBA this extends to four years’ managerial experience (with most cohorts reaching an average of ten years’ professional experience).

Consider the length of the course

Length of course can also be an important deciding factor. At WBS our MScs are all studied full time, and are one year in length, running from late September – late September. Our Full-time MBA follows the same time scale. Warwick Business School’s Executive MBA, Global Online MBA, and Accelerator MBA all run part-time over two to five years. These timings offer flexibility to those who want to continue working whilst studying, and provide you the chance to study at your own pace.

Consider how you will fund the course

Both the MSc and MBA are an investment, so it’s important to select the right course for you, ensuring that you’ve considered all of the above when making your decision. 

For our Executive MBA, Global Online MBA, and Accelerator MBA, we find that our participants are a mix of self-funded, and employer-funded, meaning that they have been funded by their company whilst they continue to work there. 

As our MSc and Full-time MBA students don’t continue working whilst they study, they tend to self-fund or obtain postgraduate loans to cover their course fee. 

We also offer significant scholarships, on both our MBA and MSc courses, to those who display excellence within their course application.

MSc and MBA frequently asked questions

Which is better?

Both MScs and MBAs are highly beneficial options to advance your career, depending on your situation. WBS offers a plethora of options for both qualifications, each of which are highly sought after by employers. 

Can I do an MSc without a degree?

You’ll need to have, or be expecting to obtain a degree to study an MSc course at WBS. Each of our MSc and MBA course pages detail their exact, unique entry requirements. 

Can I do an MBA without a degree?

At WBS, MBA candidates are required to have either a degree or equivalent professional experience.

Is MSc higher than BSc?

An MSc is a postgraduation course, which is a natural progression from a BSc – a graduation course.

If you’re not ready for postgraduate study just yet, you can find our extensive undergraduate offering here.

Is MSc or PhD higher?

Often the entry requirements of a PhD require a level of MSc study – business schools set these entry requirements to ensure that you’ve gained an adequate knowledge base to continue your study. 

Both of our PhD programmes require an MSc that relates to your area of PhD study. Warwick Business School’s PhD programmes actually contain master’s-level study within them, as your first two years of study will result in an MRes (Master of Research). 

An MSc is often taken to support a particular career path in industry, whilst a PhD tends to support a career in academia, although this is not always the case. 

What is the difference between MSc Management and an MBA?

Whether our MSc Management or an MBA course is right for you, all depends on your experience and stage of your career.

MSc Management is designed to equip you with the theoretical knowledge, critical thinking and practical understanding of the various facets of management, which will unlock your pathway to a management role and career. An MBA by contrast, will finetune and hone these skills. You’ll apply your experiences to master your understanding of all traditional management roles, and gain the strategic acumen and leadership qualities to acquire a senior management position, and flourish within it.

What is the difference between MSc Finance and an MBA?

Although you can sometimes specialise on an MBA, the MBA tends to provide a far wider breadth of business knowledge, with core and elective modules that dig into the subject of finance. 

Conversely, an MSc in Finance will focus specifically on relevant topics in the sphere of finance. Entry requirements for an MSc in Finance will require previous academic study in the field of finance, often in set areas such as quants, economics, econometrics etc.

Entry requirements for an MBA will focus more on professional work experience, often including managerial experience.

Discover postgraduate courses at WBS

Whether you’re looking to focus in on a subject area to further your career opportunities following your undergraduate study, or develop the leadership skills to take the next step in your managerial career, Warwick Business School offers an MSc or MBA for you.