From Music to Management Consulting - Advice?

Hi,

I am trying to break into management consulting (MBB, Big 4 and the like) and looking for advice on a Master's degree.

I hold a BA degree in Music and Music Technology (GPA 3.96 though) from a non-target university. I changed direction before graduating and secured an internship at Rolls-Royce. Over the past 5 years I advanced through the ranks, made it to management and earned a PMP and a Six Sigma Black Belt qualification.

The "Education" section on my resume is not very impressive and is quite a deterrent to elite firms, so I would like to make up for it. I am interested in broadly defined business and management, but also have been working on Digitization and Data Science projects, so considering that too.

COST AND TIME MATTER - I currently can't afford an elite MBA and can't stop my career for 2 years, so looking at distance / online learning.

What Master's Degree would you recommend? I have found the following options:

Arizona State - Online MBA
Johns Hopkins - Flexible MBA (this is getting expensive)
George Washington - Online MBA (expensive too!)
Harvard Extension School - Master's in Data Science or Master's in Management
Georgia Tech - Master's in Manufacturing Leadership, or Master's in Analytics
University of Pennsylvania - Computer and Information Technology
Columbia's MS in Technology Management really hits the spot, but it's fully on campus :/

Any help would be much appreciated.

 
Most Helpful

Which firms are you applying for which won't give you the time of day?

Honestly, I would think Big 4 and boutiques would be interested in you given your PMP and black belt now that you are a mid-career professional. Feel free to PM me your resume if you'd like me to take a look at it. I think something else might be going on there since I've come across people who majored in psychology, romance languages, etc. and work for major firms.

MBB will be a struggle, moreso because of your lack of top-tier MBA. They would continue to be a struggle if you went through any of those programs.

 

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