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Does Kearney work with pharma often?
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MBA/MS in Biotech is my plan.
OP: HBS and Sloan both offer opportunities to take courses at Kennedy and frankly the speaker events are even better than a lot of the classes (so does Tuck but it's harder obviously). I don't know much about Wharton's but would suspect SOM, Columbia and Haas are also good based on some outside research years ago.
Don't get the JD/MBA since people just end up using one of them primarily and the process is painful. Otherwise I think they are mostly a perceived option value--have the MBA and MPP and think just an MBA would have sufficed.
Yes Kennedy. I think a considerable portion of the coursework is focused on public management and economics that is duplicative in concept to MBA or UG courses at good schools. Plus in many MBA programs you can take electives in the policy program. In the end you go back to private industry and they don't really value the MPP (even most NGOs) and for later in your career you aren't going to talk much about courses you took 3+ years ago. Or you go into government/social sector and top-rated MBA's don't carry too much additional weight. You can make the case for "the network" but I don't think it's worth a year and $50K of cost.
I am advocating for one or the other with a very strong leaning toward MBA. If you are a consulting partner in the public sector practice you hopefully are leaning on your network and years of experience more than a 10+ year old MBA for that senior post. Do you know how many Kennedy grads make <$70K/year 3-5 years after graduation living in DC? I support public service but practically are you going to take your consulting partner lifestyle and take a GS-15 or SES role making what a senior consultant does while still working ~60 hours a week? How sure are you that you will do this and the additional value of a MPA later in your career that you will forgo a year of salary and spend $50K on another degree? Just go to Yale or Duke for your MBA.
Yup, going for MBA/ MS in Engineering. Looking to go back to astronautical engineering
Thanks! The MPP is my target second degree - did you get it from Kennedy, and why do you think the MBA would've sufficed?
It seems like you're advocating for one or the other, then, based on short-term placements. Is the long-term optionality of the second degree dubious (e.g., transition from being a principal or partner in public sector/healthcare/education consulting to public sector leadership)?
Thanks, very helpful. You aren't the first person I've spoken to who seems to have buyer's remorse with the MPP.
I'm getting a Masters in Fine Art when I retire in a few years but the MBA I earned before starting as a Senior a long time ago was good enough. These joint degrees are not really valued. Pick your pool and jump in.
@Bain, if you haven't yet turned off notifications, what do you think of public/social sector coursework and extracurricular opps at HBS, Wharton, and Sloan?