I/O Psychology Ph.D. vs. MBA for Management Consulting

[Oblivion08]

Hello everyone! I am new to this forum and I am just looking for some good advice!

I have a Bachelor's degree from Cal State Northridge in Psychology. My emphasis was in human factors psychology, however, I have noticed that a lot of schools are not offering that program anymore. My second choice was always I/O Psychology because I wanted to get into consulting and Org Management. I have applied to Antioch for the MA in Org Man and Alliant in Los Angeles for the Ph.D. I was just admitted into the Ph.D. at Alliant today and I am really excited about it.

I am not willing to leave Southern California so I figure Alliant is perfect for me. However, I also applied to a couple schools for an MBA in Organizational Management. The one school I have my eye on is California Lutheran University. I hear they are a pretty good school, but I have not heard much about the MBA.

What I am wondering is if I should go the MBA route or the Ph.D/MA route in I/O Psychology. Ultimately I want to get into Consulting, but I also want a Ph.D. so I could teach later on. I know I could be an adjunct professor or a community college professor, but I would have loved to teach graduate courses as well. However, I am more concerned about finding a great consulting job in organizational management.

Is an MBA better or a Ph.D. for what I want to do?

Also, is Alliant a good choice for a Ph.D. in I/O Psychology? I was about to apply to Phillips Graduate Institute but I hated the vibe when I went there so I decided not to. Did I make a good decision there? I also applied to Capella (Online School) and was admitted immediately (which really turned me off), is there a reason to even consider furthering my education with them?

Sorry about all the questions, I am just really confused. Anyways, I would appreciate all the advice!

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[Therapist4Chnge]

I am not willing to leave Southern California so I figure Alliant is perfect for me.

This is a *REALLY* bad way to go about picking a program. Unless you happen to live near a top-notch MBA program: HBS (Harvard), Wharton (UPenn), Sloan (MIT), Ross (UMich), etc., being geographically restricted is going to significantly limit your options. The last thing you want to do is cut yourself off at the knees before even setting foot on campus.

...I am more concerned about finding a great consulting job in organizational management.

If you don't go to a Top 5 program (if you want to work in NYC, BOS, CHI, LA, etc) or Top 10 (if you are willing to live in a smaller market), you will be one of thousands of graduates fighting for a job. Most of the top firms will hire 10+ new "associates", have them battle it out for a year, and whoever produces the most...wins a promotion. These are all top students too, it is modern corp. blood sport.

Is an MBA better or a Ph.D. for what I want to do?

It depends, Organizational Management is a pretty broad area. You'll probably have a bit more leeway with a Ph.D. than an MBA, but it all depends on the program.

Also, is Alliant a good choice for a Ph.D. in I/O Psychology?

Alliant, Anticot, Argosy, Capella/any online program, University of Phoenix, etc...they are all very poor options for training. Period. No exceptions. You will not be the 1% because many companies use an applicant's school as a first cut. Having a degree from one of these places could *hurt* your application because they are known degree mills and many companies will not accept applicants with degrees from those programs. A solid state school where you can make local connections and make a name for yourself is infinitely better than going to one of those programs that will cost your 2x-3x in tuition. If you lived somewhere else (and not in SoCal), you may be able to get by with a university that has a solid local reputation, but you still have plenty of Stanford & UC-B grads willing to relocate to SoCal for the top jobs.

 

[Ollie123]

Disclaimer: Not an I/O psychologist.

If you want to teach at the graduate level, a PhD is likely to be of great benefit (though its not impossible with an MBA). Overall though, I think you are setting yourself up for a tough time. My understanding is that the business world cares a lot more than many others about "pedigree" and none of the schools you listed provide anything approaching on that. These are not even mid-tier schools you are considering, but are pretty much bottom of the barrel, "we accept anyone who can pay" type places. Which doesn't mean success is impossible, but does mean you should be expecting to start from the bottom upon graduation and have to work very hard to prove yourself and work your way up.

I don't know what schools in Cali have I/O programs, but if it isn't Stanford, USC or the UC's its probably not going to be a great option. A Stanford or Berkeley MBA will almost certainly have a much easier time in that world than an Alliant PhD.

 

[jblil]

OP: I have a MBA (along with a couple of other degrees - see my profile). I think there is no comparison between a MBA and a PhD. A MBA only takes up 2 years if you go full-time and there's no dissertation required. Usually there is some kind of capstone project, but IMO it'd be 1/50th the work required for a doctoral dissertation.

I don't know how easy it is for a PhD to get a job in Consulting, but I think 40% of my MBA class took up management consulting jobs upon graduation. I was also offered one, but ended up declining it as I disliked the heavy travel requirements. Now, that was in 1999 and during the days of the dot-com boom, but I still think that it'd be easier for a MBA than a PhD to land a job in consulting - although you may get paid more with a PhD. Caveat: also provided that you go to "comparable" schools for either degree; I'm sure nobody would seriously think that a U of Phoenix PhD is superior to a Harvard MBA.

(This thread prompted me to look up the management consulting offer I received upon my graduation from MBA school (I keep a copy of all job offers I get, even if I do not take the job)... Oh the heady days of the internet boom: $99k starting salary, $25K signing bonus, guaranteed 15% salary increase after 12 months. Now I wonder what happened to my classmates who did take the offer, when the dot-com bubble imploded.)

 

[TAMallick]

According to your goal, Alliant is a good choice for a Ph.D. in I/O Psychology.

 

[aagman01]

Do a bit more homework. You are better off with an MA in I/O Psych or an MBA from a reputable school than you are with a doctorate from Alliant.