Both MBA and MSC are very popular post-graduate degrees for undergraduate students. Here, MBA stands for Master of Business Administration and MSC stands for Master of Science. MBA is a business-related degree while MSC is a science-related degree. MBA and MSC have huge demand in the job sector but they have significant differences. MBA is a management degree while MSC is a technical degree. An MBA degree mostly focuses on business courses while an MSC degree focuses on the technical, and theoretical parts of a specific subject.
What is MBA?
According to Find-MBA.Com –
“The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is an internationally-recognized graduate-level degree that develops the skills required for careers in business and management. An MBA degree is a program usually taken by candidates with at least a few years of professional experience who are looking to accelerate their careers or switch roles in a new function, industry, or geography (or all three). Successfully completing an MBA can lead to a major salary boost and a massively expanded network of professional contacts.”
This degree was first introduced in the USA in the early 20th century and it is an internationally-recognized postgraduate degree. An individual with an MBA degree will have theoretical and practical knowledge of various business methods. Moreover, he/she will have a clear idea about general business management functions.
What is MSC?
According to Wikipedia –
“A Master of Science is a master’s degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering, and medicine and is usually for programs that are more focused on scientific and mathematical subjects; however, different universities have different conventions and may also offer the degree for fields typically considered within the humanities and social sciences.”
If you pursue an MSC degree then you have to focus on a specific area of interest in detail. Depending on the subject you choose, you have to choose courses that consist of individual modules related to the chosen subject. An MSC degree program usually includes these subjects –
- Astrophysics
- Cyber security
- Data Science
- Electrical engineering
- Mechanical engineering
- Chemical engineering
- Robotics engineering
- Finance
- Forensic psychology
- Nutrition
- International relations
- IT security
- Management
- Marine biology
The difference in the Career Option between MBA and MSC
| Career Option in MBA | Career Option in MSC |
| Business analyst or strategist Business development analyst, associate, or manager Market research analyst Managing Director (of a department) Investment banker Entrepreneur/founder Financial analyst, associate, or manager Management consultant Marketing associate, analyst, or manager Portfolio manager Healthcare administrator, analyst, or manager Project analyst or strategist Product analyst, associate, or manager Program analyst, associate, or manager Operations analyst, associate, or manager | Chemist Marine biologist Financial analyst Research Assistant Software Engineer App Developer Laboratory technician Food and Drug Inspector Professor Biochemist Information security analyst Ecologist Quality manager Data scientist Systems Administrator Database Administrator |
Comparison between MBA and MSC
| Factors | MBA | MSC |
| Type of Degree | Post Graduate | Post Graduate |
| Eligibility Requirement | Graduation in any discipline | Graduation in science background like B.Sc., Diploma, etc. |
| Qualifying Exam | GMAT | GRE |
| Main Subjects | Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Banking, Human Resource Management | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Microbiology, Numeral Analysis, Geometry of Numbers, Physical Chemistry, Quantum Mechanics, etc. |
| Duration | 2 years | At least 2 years |
| Average Cost (Per Year) | $45,432 | $21,412 |
| Work Experience | Depends on the company (2 – 4 years) | At least 2 years |
| Top International Destinations | USA | USA |
Key Differences between MBA and MSC
| MBA | MSC |
| MBA stands for Master of Business Administration | MSC stands for Master of Science |
| MBA refers to a business degree | MSC is a Science degree |
| MBA was introduced in the early 20th century | MSC was first introduced at the University of Michigan in 1858 |
| The core subjects of the MBA are business related like accounting, Finance, etc. | The core subjects of MSC are Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, etc. |
| An MBA degree offers more job opportunities | The job sector of MSC is not broad in the business industry |
| Compared to MSC, an MBA degree requires less time to complete | MSC degree requires more time to complete |
| The average starting maiden salary of an MBA degree holder is $115,000 | The average starting maiden salary of an MSC degree holder is $73,900 |
Comparison of State wise Salary between MBA and MSC Degree Holders
| Name of the State | MBA Degree | MSC Degree | ||||||
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage | |
| Washington New York California Idaho New Hampshire Vermont Massachusetts Maine New Jersey Hawaii Nevada Arizona Wyoming Tennessee Connecticut Montana Rhode Island Alaska Texas Minnesota Indiana Oregon West Virginia North Dakota Maryland Pennsylvania Virginia Wisconsin Ohio Nebraska South Dakota Iowa Delaware Utah Colorado South Carolina Alabama New Mexico Arkansas Kansas Oklahoma Florida Michigan Mississippi Kentucky Illinois Missouri Georgia Louisiana North Carolina | $93,943 $88,138 $84,819 $84,348 $83,317 $81,300 $79,786 $79,041 $78,689 $78,272 $77,686 $77,180 $76,941 $76,565 $76,080 $75,585 $75,414 $75,171 $75,036 $74,933 $74,830 $74,293 $74,070 $73,579 $73,074 $72,709 $71,854 $71,095 $70,696 $70,152 $69,959 $69,684 $69,532 $69,511 $69,179 $68,366 $68,309 $67,813 $67,242 $67,018 $66,251 $66,205 $65,383 $65,327 $65,094 $63,494 $63,165 $61,728 $59,992 $57,626 | $7,828 $7,344 $7,068 $7,029 $6,943 $6,775 $6,648 $6,586 $6,557 $6,522 $6,473 $6,431 $6,411 $6,380 $6,340 $6,298 $6,284 $6,264 $6,253 $6,244 $6,235 $6,191 $6,172 $6,131 $6,089 $6,059 $5,987 $5,924 $5,891 $5,846 $5,829 $5,807 $5,794 $5,792 $5,764 $5,697 $5,692 $5,651 $5,603 $5,584 $5,520 $5,517 $5,448 $5,443 $5,424 $5,291 $5,263 $5,144 $4,999 $4,802 | $1,806 $1,694 $1,631 $1,622 $1,602 $1,563 $1,534 $1,520 $1,513 $1,505 $1,493 $1,484 $1,479 $1,472 $1,463 $1,453 $1,450 $1,445 $1,443 $1,441 $1,439 $1,428 $1,424 $1,414 $1,405 $1,398 $1,381 $1,367 $1,359 $1,349 $1,345 $1,340 $1,337 $1,336 $1,330 $1,314 $1,313 $1,304 $1,293 $1,288 $1,274 $1,273 $1,257 $1,256 $1,251 $1,221 $1,214 $1,187 $1,153 $1,108 | $45.16 $42.37 $40.78 $40.55 $40.06 $39.09 $38.36 $38.00 $37.83 $37.63 $37.35 $37.11 $36.99 $36.81 $36.58 $36.34 $36.26 $36.14 $36.08 $36.03 $35.98 $35.72 $35.61 $35.37 $35.13 $34.96 $34.55 $34.18 $33.99 $33.73 $33.63 $33.50 $33.43 $33.42 $33.26 $32.87 $32.84 $32.60 $32.33 $32.22 $31.85 $31.83 $31.43 $31.41 $31.30 $30.53 $30.37 $29.68 $28.84 $27.70 | $72,485 $70,856 $66,908 $66,788 $66,458 $66,387 $65,422 $65,290 $65,158 $64,651 $86,475 $83,149 $65,763 $60,843 $59,185 $59,631 $57,417 $57,343 $54,625 $54,241 $51,402 $50,862 $50,747 $50,288 $49,619 $68,635 $68,502 $59,602 $49,017 $48,188 $65,158 $63,501 $62,961 $61,820 $61,556 $60,808 $60,675 $59,909 $59,221 $59,023 $98,684 $91,415 $67,443 $66,926 $64,806 $81,389 $75,417 $55,633 $55,220 $53,460 | $6,040 $5,904 $5,575 $5,565 $5,538 $5,532 $5,451 $5,440 $5,429 $5,387 $7,206 $6,929 $5,480 $5,070 $4,932 $4,969 $4,784 $4,778 $4,552 $4,520 $4,283 $4,238 $4,228 $4,190 $4,134 $5,719 $5,708 $4,966 $4,084 $4,015 $5,429 $5,291 $5,246 $5,151 $5,129 $5,067 $5,056 $4,992 $4,935 $4,918 $8,223 $7,617 $5,620 $5,577 $5,400 $6,782 $6,284 $4,636 $4,601 $4,455 | $1,393 $1,362 $1,286 $1,284 $1,278 $1,276 $1,258 $1,255 $1,253 $1,243 $1,662 $1,599 $1,264 $1,170 $1,138 $1,146 $1,104 $1,102 $1,050 $1,043 $988 $978 $975 $967 $954 $1,319 $1,317 $1,146 $942 $926 $1,253 $1,221 $1,210 $1,188 $1,183 $1,169 $1,166 $1,152 $1,138 $1,135 $1,897 $1,757 $1,296 $1,287 $1,246 $1,565 $1,450 $1,069 $1,061 $1,028 | $34.85 $34.07 $32.17 $32.11 $31.95 $31.92 $31.45 $31.39 $31.33 $31.08 $41.57 $39.98 $31.62 $29.25 $28.45 $28.67 $27.60 $27.57 $26.26 $26.08 $24.71 $24.45 $24.40 $24.18 $23.86 $33.00 $32.93 $28.65 $23.57 $23.17 $31.33 $30.53 $30.27 $29.72 $29.59 $29.23 $29.17 $28.80 $28.47 $28.38 $47.44 $43.95 $32.42 $32.18 $31.16 $39.13 $36.26 $26.75 $26.55 $25.70 |
Which Degree is Better: MBA or MSC
MBA and MSC are two very popular postgraduate degrees. Students often find themselves in a dilemma when choosing a post-graduate degree from MBA and MSC. Well, which degree will be best for you depends on quite a few things like –
- Your previous educational history
- Your current job
- Your future goal
- Your preference: Practical education or bookish education, etc.
If you are from a science background then MSC will be the right choice for you. But, if your current job requires you to have good command over various business or management-related methods then you have to opt for MBA. On the other hand, if you are from a business background and if your current job requires a higher business degree to boost your career growth then you should choose MBA over MSC!
10 Highest Paying Jobs for MBA Graduates
| Name of the Position | Average Salary |
| Chief Executive Officer Vice President, Operations General Manager Firm Associate Financial Director Financial Controller Senior Product Manager Senior Project Manager Management Consultant Investment Banker | $157,000 $135,000 $138,000 $147,000 $123,000 $100,000 $140,000 $125,000 $130,000 $125,000 |
10 Highest Paying Jobs for MSC Graduates
| Name of the Position | Average Salary |
| Engineering Manager Pharmacist Petroleum Geologist Data Analyst Cyber security Engineer Physician Assistant Nuclear Engineer Software Engineer Aerospace Engineer Operations and Supply Chain Manager | $115,204 $112,999 $109,740 $95,988 $95,021 $94,243 $86,939 $84,009 $82,724 $81,412 |
References:
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/msc-vs-mba