Wondering if you should pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) after mechanical engineering? We discuss the positives and negatives of completing an MBA after you mechanical engineering degree.

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Professionals in the mechanical engineering field appreciate the value of a good education. Their foundation is made up of math and science, and without these we would not be able to perform even the most basic of daily job tasks.

Your advanced degree (mechanical engineering) provides you with the knowledge needed in order to obtain an entry level mechanical engineer position. This will consist of details of the finer points of mechanical engineering that are only available through a mechanical engineering degree.

There is one degree that gets a lot of attention when discussed in relation to post-grad mechanical engineering. This is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and this post will outline whether this particular direction is worth the investment of your precious time and money.

Recruiters love to inflate the value of an MBA degree, however it is not such a straightforward decision for a mechanical engineer.

A mechanical engineering degree is specifically targeted towards your chosen area of study, while an MBA can be described as being quite a vague option. Furthermore, the vast majority of MBA programs only except candidates that have several years of relevant experience, which can force a potential candidate to either sacrifice years of career growth and experience, or pursue the degree part-time.

Either way, this is a decision that the candidates will need to make, and if they do pursue the MBA they will want to feel confident that it is worthwhile.

Dual MBA/MSE Degrees

It is made possible for professional mechanical engineers to get their MBA through distance education programs. However, if they have an interest in business management, a popular approach is to complete a dual MBA/MSE program.

Mechanical engineers who want to further their knowledge in the mechanical engineering, while also developing the desired business and management skills that will open up more opportunities for them, are now completing dual-degree programs.

These courses can be taken online through downloadable MPEG-4 files or streaming video. The engineering portion of the curriculum focuses on an area of specialization, while the MBA section includes accounting, economics, law and ethics, financial management, project management, strategy development and much more.

Below we go through the pros and cons to obtaining an MBA as a mechanical engineer and will hopefully aid you in making your own decision should that be the case.

Cons of an MBA Post Mechanical Engineering

1. Cost

Probably the most basic analysis for deciding whether an MBA is worth it or not comes down to the price. The cost of obtaining this degree does not come cheap, costs for higher education have outpaced the rate of inflation and the MBA is no exception.

An MBA at a well respected college such as Harvard or Stanford will cost you above $60k per year on average, these are just the fees and does not include housing, books or any other expenses.

This can seem quite expensive, however there is another factor affecting the cost of an MBA, full-time work. MBAs require some work experience before you can enroll, so some students will have to give up full-time work so they can pursue the MBA.

With this taken into account, depending on differences in salary, an MBA could cost upwards of $150,000 a year. Some schools have actually advised students to budget $200,000 a year for their education, this money could be spend improving your knowledge in other ways, such as taking online courses on a platform like LinkedIn Learning, which offers courses in business and tech among others, and the first 30 days are free.

2. No Guarantee of Leadership Positions

It is known that if a high-up leadership position is what you desire, experience is far more important than education. A relatively small number of job placements actually ask to see degrees and less than 2% actually require a masters in mechanical engineering, and only 0.6% require an MBA.

3. Pay Increase?

Mechanical engineers looking for a pay increase due to the new MBA that they have obtained might be misinformed to a certain degree. From numbers generated by an engineering staffing firm, the average salary of the position asking for an MBA is $131,000, and the average salary for a position requiring a masters of engineering was $137,000. A different strategy some mechanical engineers use is to enhance their skills is modern technology, like in 3D CAD programs like AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor and Fusion 360.

Seems that an MBA is more of a tool that a mechanical engineer can use, but it is definitely not a necessity. It is important to note that if an MBA is completed the costs incurred may not be recouped from salary increases.

4. Negative Effect?

Young graduates holding an MBA may be looked at by employers as an expensive hire, they may not be worth the cost because of their inexperience and lack of real world experience. Start-ups especially have a bias against MBAs, they generally see graduate with an MBA as being traditionally taught and thinking, and not having the innovative ideas and out of the box thinking that they need.

This is not to say that you will not get one of these positions while holding an MBA, but it is a good idea to acknowledge what the position is looking for, be it traditional thinking or not.

5. Quality of MBA

Not all MBAs are created equal, if you are looking to get into a Fortune 500 company then it is a good idea to spend the extra money to go to a top institution. If you are looking for an MBA solely for the purpose of boosting your value with your current company then you might think of saving a few dollars by not attending the top of the range schools.

The largest companies in the USA do not make it a secret that is is image related, and if you do not have a degree from an Ivy League school do not bother applying. They treat these institutions as a pre-screening process and believe that if you attended one of these that they can teach you whatever else is needed for the job.

6. Material

A quick note to keep in mind, the material included in an MBA will not be challenging compared to what you have had to go through obtaining your mechanical engineering degree. The math will be nowhere near the same standard and the other technical components will definitely not be as challenging as the curriculum of your mechanical engineering degree.

Pros of an MBA Post Mechanical Engineering

1. Value of Business Language

Getting an MBA is like adding another tool to your toolbox as a mechanical engineer, once you can combine your uncanny ability to problem solve with thinking and speaking in business terms you will be ready to take on the world!

Companies are quick to acknowledge the certain type of skill set that a mechanical engineer with an MBA has. There could be 100 normal bottom of the ladder engineers that need to be managed and guide them through the business activities of a company, and that is where your MBA comes in.

This allows you to think like an engineer while having a business mindset, and if you are looking for a position that requires financial forecasting and budgeting this level of a business education is very beneficial.

2. Promotion?

If you are hanging around the lower levels of the current engineering company that you are working at, and are looking for a way to enter the world of management, an MBA could be the way to achieve that. It is common knowledge that managers with an engineering background are perfect to oversee other engineers.

The leadership skills learnt while completing an MBA can help you to move from a lab coat to a corner office, it can also give you an understanding of marketing and allow you to promote yourself better for more promotional opportunities.

Some companies do offer tuition subsidiaries for exceptional talent to complete advanced education courses, so be sure to research before you commit to such a big expense.

3. Timing?

A lot of graduates that apply for postgraduate degrees, MBA included, think that there are no good opportunities in their field due to extenuating circumstances such as the economy, downsizing or financial instabilities, and by completing an MBA is the way to stand out from the crowd.

However, be sure to think such a big decision through as either putting yourself into student loan debt or spending such a big amount of money on more education might not be a great idea while unemployed.

There are times where obtaining an MBA can work, if your industry is on the verge of a breakthrough or if you are seeing a lack of management experience among your colleagues, an MBA might be the right choice.

Candidates have increased their salaries drastically by either moving companies or progressing to higher roles due to the management aspect of an MBA.

Again, this is a decision that must be thought through thoroughly, as mechanical engineers may benefit from getting some working experience and waiting for the right moment to complete an MBA. This will also give you a chance to consider the direction of your career and see what you do and don’t enjoy. It is then that you can make the decision of whether to put yourself into hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt or not!

4. Switching Careers?

There is no doubt that an MBA is a beneficial postgraduate degree in many careers, however the value to a mechanical engineer may be limited. Where an MBA may come in handy, is when a candidate is looking to switch fields. It will back up your argument that you are serious about switching fields, even if the employer is doubtful of your sincerity.

For example, if you are looking to get into a Fortune 500 company, say in the finance, analytics or accounting sectors, an MBA could help secure the opportunity of a lifetime. Of course if this company has a background in engineering, you will be even more suited to the role.

Is an MBA Worth It to a Mechanical Engineer?

It really depends whether an MBA is worth it to a mechanical engineer or not. It is a substantial cost and a huge decision regarding your career.

An MBA may be valuable to you as a mechanical engineer if:

• You want to move to a managerial position
• Your job includes budgeting or financial forecasting
• Your employer offers tuition subsidies for postgraduate degrees
• You are looking to go down a different career path

An MBA may not be valuable to you as a mechanical engineer if:

• You do not want to forego two years of your career and incur the expense of an MBA
• You have a second career path that already has opportunities for advancement
• You want to remain on the technical side of engineering
• You plan on staying with a traditional engineering company

Going to school for any sort of degree or education is a huge investment of time and money, be sure to extensively go over the pros and cons of any decision that you make.

You can use your mechanical engineers mind to problem solve and analyse all of the different options and if you finally decide that an MBA is for you, then go for it! Once you approach this decision with the logic and reasoning of a mechanical engineer then you can’t go wrong!

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