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Is MBA Suitable For Engineers? [5 Critical Factors to Consider]

Is MBA Suitable For Engineers? [5 Critical Factors to Consider]

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Rahul Karthikeyan

Last updated:

5th Sep, 2020

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Is MBA Suitable For Engineers? [5 Critical Factors to Consider]

With the promise of a well-paying, secure job, engineering captures most students’ ambition in the country. Parental and/ or peer pressure drives most of the young talent to enter an engineering college. However, most of these to-be engineers join a college without adequately understanding the course scope.

Over the next four academic years, most students manage to gain minimal practical and soft skills. This revelation pushes most to finally sit back and figure out their life goals and ambition. Like most college graduates, there are often only two options – secure a job or apply for a Master’s program. Even those who take up a job quickly realise the need for managerial skills within the early years.

Since the last decade, pursuing an MBA after an engineering degree has become the new cliché. So, it is hardly a surprise that most engineering students start preparing for their MBA entrance exams before even graduating from college.

Still, it is a degree in business administration, which begs the question – is the MBA for engineers? Is it relevant for technically skilled professionals? Does it help in career progression for engineers?

Let’s take a look at numerous reasons why B.E./ B. Tech. holders are opting for an MBA and if it is the right choice to make.

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Factors that make an MBA a good option for engineers

1. Quality of Education

Although it is not limited to the engineering curriculum, most students claim that the knowledge imparted across engineering colleges in the country is unsatisfactory. It is one of the primary reasons why students lose interest and prefer to change fields as soon as they graduate.

2. Easy to Crack Competitive Exams

Most competitive exams primarily focus on aptitude and reasoning. Engineers with a strong background in mathematics can crack these with little or no external help.

3. Lack of scope of M. Tech.

Due to the low quality of education and lack of job security, only a few continue to prepare for M. Tech. in their core field. It is also not uncommon for graduates to migrate to foreign countries for an MS.

4. Soaring unemployment rates

Every year, India produces more engineers than the USA and China combined. The lack of employment opportunities in the country continually pushes engineers to upskill themselves.

5. Financial Advantage

It is an open secret in the corporate market that MBA graduates get paid more than their engineering counterparts.

Must Read: MBA Salary in India

Benefits of an MBA for engineers

Easy career transition: An MBA opens up an array of alternate career paths, focusing on the individual’s talents and capabilities. This is particularly great for those engineers who want to contribute to non-technical fields like marketing or finance. Those who are stuck in a corporate job as an engineer also find an escape through an MBA program.
Building great products: While a business degree aims to build a profitable business venture, only the right products can be successful. With business acumen, engineers are known to create great products since they possess both technical skills and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Gearing the tech-driven ecosystem: As the world is going digital, most products and services today are technologically driven. In such a scenario, engineers with a deep understanding of technology have the perfect opportunity to find creative solutions and put them up in a market for what they are worth.
Personal and professional growth: Unlike other courses, an MBA stresses on building and polishing soft skills. This is an asset for the workplace and one of the least focused life skills. Networking, another essential skill for personal and professional growth, is fostered in an engineer during an MBA.

The Big Question – Is job Experience Important?

Most engineers’ burning question is whether to do an MBA immediately after engineering or to get some work experience. Although most significant institutes prefer individuals with some work experience, it is not mandatory. To better understand and apply the concepts taught during the MBA program, it is beneficial to have decent working experience.

Since most MBA graduates are hired on senior profiles, engineers with an MBA need to deepen their domain knowledge and pick up new skills, technical and interpersonal, to be respectable managers. A technical degree, along with an MBA, expands the horizon of possibilities and career progressions.

An engineer’s role is no longer limited to technical skills, and professionals need to change with the trends. With startups springing up across the nation, a senior engineer may most likely have to manage the implementation of new practices and technology and guide a younger team.

Even today, a few believe that an MBA for engineers is a waste of an engineering degree. However, this attitude is quickly changing. Today, HR managers are looking for individuals with a technical background, even for managerial roles. A student of MBA continuing in the same domain as their engineering degree is considered more productive.

A degree in management prepares and polishes an out-of-college engineer into a professional. It helps an individual focus on their long-term goals and motivates them to work towards putting their best self out. An MBA course is not only designed to teach the jargon associated with running an organization but also to push the students to innovate and experiment. An MBA is more than a mere addition to your resume.

Also Read: Best Online MBA Courses in India

Wrapping Up

upGrad is perfect for those looking to enroll for an MBA without quitting their job. Upskill yourself and gain the practical knowledge to grow as a business leader with upGrad’s online courses. If you are an engineer in a technical role and want to move up the hierarchy, upGrad’s international professional MBA program will help you transition to your dream job!

All in all, an MBA after engineering is a wise choice. Be it monetarily or from the perspective of challenges and prospective growth, an MBA opens up a vast horizon of opportunities that you’ll only get to see once you complete your 2 years of the degree. If you want to get your career uplifted and excel MBA, check out MBA from Liverpool Business School .

Rahul Karthikeyan

Blog Author

He is working as Associate Director of Digital Marketing at upGrad. Apart from marketing he is a crazy and courageous traveler. He has traveled from Kashmir to Kanyakumari through his bike(bullet).

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the prerequisites for B. Tech graduates who want to pursue an MBA degree?

An MBA degree is a global program that is open to everybody. If you’re a B. Tech graduate who wants to pursue an MBA in India or abroad, you will need to first clear the standard entrance exams such a CAT, MAT, SNAP, GMAT, and so on. Though these exams can be challenging, with proper and early preparation, they’re not difficult. After clearing these exams, your preferred institute will conduct an interview. However, most B-schools prefer hiring engineering candidates who have at least one year of work experience.

2. Which is the best MBA stream to choose after engineering?

Once you’ve made up your mind that you want to pursue an MBA after engineering, the next decision you need to make is the specialisation. Most B-schools offer MBAs with various specialisations including HR, finance, Operations management, entrepreneurship, business analytics and marketing. The elective you choose solely depends upon your career objective. Evaluate your career goals and skills, and then choose a specialisation that matches your interests.

3. Which is better – M. Tech or MBA?

After completing engineering, most students are in a dilemma whether they should pursue an M. Tech or MBA. While M. Tech gives you a chance to explore engineering in detail, an MBA opens new horizons of business and management. If you’re someone with amazing technical skills, and are interested in research and development, you should do an M. Tech whereas if you have a deep interest in finance, banking and marketing, and have no liking for technical subjects, consider doing an MBA.