MBA or MHRM?

[mickeymedic]

I have the opportunity to go to school for my Master's Degree without it costing me a whole lot. I don't NEED an advanced degree. But I feel like I would be crazy to pass up this opportunity. I currently work in recruiting with a background in recruiting and training. I have an interest in owning my own business at some point in the future. So I can see a potential use for both degrees. I'd love to hear opinions and personal experiences. Master of Business Administration or Master of Human Resources Management?

 

[smokeyblue]

In my opinion I think the MBA is more recognizable and versatile. My BF has a masters in Engineering Management and I think in our area he would have been much better off with the MBA because it is what people are familiar with. Don't paint yourself into a corner.

 

[LukenDC]

I recommend the MBA, since it is a more versatile degree. I'm a human resources professional, and I have a Master of Public Administration (MPA). An MPA is similar to an MBA, but designed for careers in the government and nonprofit sectors. The breadth of study required for an MBA would position you to be a strong strategic business partner, and likely garner more respect than the MHRM from C-suite executives outside of the HR office.
An MBA would also be quite valuable if you do decide to open your own business.

Instead of pursuing an MHRM, you could demonstrate and document your HR expertise through certification. SHRM and the HR Certification Institute provide certifications that are widely recognized by employers.

 

[Southernmiss]

MBA. Ds went to an employer fair at his college and asked about their hiring of human resources management majors and was told by several employers that they don't hire too many HR graduates.

Fortunately, it was early enough in college for him to change his major to accounting. He'll go on to grad school after the 4 years.

 

[barkley]

I think it really depends on the hiring/contracting norms for where you are/plan to be eventually, AND what you plan on doing down the line re. your own business pursuits.

I worked/retired from government-all of our h/r was hired (promotionally) from within our agency and subsequently trained/educated based on federal but more specifically our state's labor and employment laws. I was in a management position but was the rare exception of having taken prior to hiring any public agency supervision/management coursework. that said-if you are looking at government employment, look to what the minimum qualifications are b/c they may be much lower educationally than what you perceive and give you no edge in hiring/promotion (I had many employees with entry level jobs who had masters degrees-made no difference if they didn't meet the minimum qualifications in other areas for jobs/promotional opportunities). in the division of government I worked within (as well as many others I am familiar with)-the only time a masters degree was required for a job (or contract) was due to a law requiring it (as an example-social services where federal and state laws require that certain child welfare actions must be handled at the worker and managerial level by individuals possessing a masters in social work).

I don't know the specific differences between the 2 types of masters you are looking at, but I will say that when I retired about 13 years ago in California-mba's had become so common among applicants that they were largely viewed as a 'back up' degree (basically-lots of people had them to get their application read, but it was the other degrees and certifications that would set them apart).

 

[mickeymedic]

Thank you for the responses so far. I agree that the MBA is more versatile. But I am also concerned that MBAs seem to be a dime a dozen these days.