MBA vs Master’s Degree: Which One Should You Choose for Career Growth?

MBA vs Master’s Degree: Which One Should You Choose for Career Growth?

SundararajanUpdated on 21 Feb 2025, 11:51 AM IST

MBA or Masters degree is the uncertainty faced by every graduate who wishes to pursue a masters degree. To answer this question, there are several things you need to know. In today's competitive market, higher education is one of the most important determinants of a successful career. Having an MBA or master's degree not only increases your professional value but also qualifies you for senior-level job roles. Check out this MBA vs Master’s degree article to know which one is better for you, how to choose, difference, fees, etc. This article will help the graduates to clear their doubts about an MBA vs Master’s degree which is better.

LiveCAT 2025 Result (OUT) LIVE: IIM CAT results declared on iimcat.ac.in; 12 candidates score 100 percentileDec 24, 2025 | 6:12 PM IST

TAPMI usually expects a CAT score of around 85 percentile, though some candidates may get calls at about 80 percentile. To be safe, aiming for the 85+ percentile is recommended.

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This Story also Contains

  1. MBA vs Masters Degree
  2. What is an MBA degree?
  3. What is a Master’s degree?
MBA vs Master’s Degree: Which One Should You Choose for Career Growth?
MBA vs Masters Degree

MBA vs Masters Degree

Ready to pursue an advanced business degree but not sure which option is right for you? Here, we will help students understand the differences between MBA vs specialised master's degrees.

  • MBA vs Business Analytics
  • MBA vs Masters in Finance
  • MBA vs Masters in Marketing
  • MBA vs Masters in Entrepreneurship

Before diving into the topic, let's have a look at what MBA and Master's degrees are and know MBA vs Masters degree which is better.

Know more about career opportunities after MBA

What is an MBA degree?

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a general, multidisciplinary, postgraduate level degree. It is versatile as it covers various areas of business, including finance, marketing, accounting, human resources, management, information technology, sales, and more.

As a result, MBA focuses on providing students with the technical, managerial, and leadership skills needed to successfully run an organisation. Generally, there are three different types of MBA programmes: full-time, part-time, and executive MBA programmes.

What is a Master’s degree?

A master's degree is a master's degree that focuses on imparting mastery over a specific field/ subject. This is the primary difference between a Master’s and MBA programme. While an MBA curriculum aims to train candidates as professionals with overall proficiency in various domains of business administration, a master's degree allows students to acquire skills related to a specific subject.

Check out the 20 Best Courses After MBA in India

MBA vs Masters Degree: What's the Difference?

MBA programmes focus on a broad range of business concepts, giving students an advanced but comprehensive look at business processes. On the other hand, specialized business master's programmes usually provide an in-depth look at a specific area of study. The table below explains the MBA vs Masters degree cost and MBA vs Masters degree salary.

MBA Programme

Master’s Degree

Prepares students for business leadership roles

Can be specific or general, but usually covers only one subject area in business

Usually continued after three years or more of employment

Usually followed after less than three years of employment

Can be pursued full-time, part-time, or online

Can be pursued full-time, part-time, or online

Duration: 2 years

Duration:1 to 3 years

Total fee for MBA: 20K to 40L

Total fee for Masters: 5L to 46L

Average salary for MBA: 7-12 LPA

Average salary for Master’s: 3-15 LPA

The total fees for MBA and Master's degrees may vary based on the universities/institutions and the average salary may also vary depending on the organization.

Check out the salary ater MBA

MBA vs Master’s Degree: Which One to Choose?

While both MBA and master's degrees are great choices for career development, each takes a unique approach to career advancement. Master's degree programmes are designed for people who wish to obtain an advanced degree before entering the job market. Hence, candidates don't need any work experience to enroll in a postgraduate course.

Since a master's degree covers a wide range of individual specializations, it allows aspirants to expand on the knowledge and skills acquired at the UG level and become trained professionals in a specific field. The course syllabus aims to facilitate the development of technical and analytical skills.

While an MBA is a postgraduate degree, as the name suggests, it focuses only on business administration and, therefore, takes a more holistic approach to it. An MBA degree is ideal for candidates who want to advance their careers towards managerial or leadership-focused roles in industry.

Unlike master's degrees, MBA degrees value professional experience more. So, if you have one to two years of work experience, your MBA experience will be much richer. Since an MBA curriculum covers many business disciplines, it provides a broad and comprehensive view of business administration and management.

This is why the MBA programme is best suited for those aiming to enter entrepreneurship, executive leadership, and general management.

5 Things to keep in mind while deciding an MBA or Master’s

Before opting for MBA and Masters courses, students should keep a few things in mind.

  • Background
  • Method of teaching: Lectures or experiential learning?
  • Diversity of profiles and backgrounds: Where do you fit?
  • Career outcomes: Where do I see myself in the medium term?
  • Costs and financing
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Does MBA pay more than Masters?
A:

Master of Business Administration (MBA) typically commands higher salaries than Masters.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,

The results for the CAT 2025 entrance, which is conducted on November 30, 2025, were declared on December 22, 2025. Candidates can download and see their results on the official IIM CAT website. On the website, click on the "CAT 2025 Result/Scorecard" link to download the result by entering the required details.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,

The link to the website where you can check the published result is attached herewith.  The result will be out soon. You can also check the cutoffs on the website of Careers360.

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-result

Thank you.

CAT does not restrict eligibility based on stream. Candidates from commerce, arts, science, engineering or any other background can appear for CAT and apply to MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top B-schools.

The basic eligibility criteria for CAT are:
You must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university with at least 50 percent marks (45 percent for SC, ST and PwD categories). Final-year graduation students are also eligible to apply.

Being a commerce graduate can actually be an advantage in areas such as accounting, finance, economics and business studies, especially during MBA coursework in finance, marketing and operations.

After qualifying CAT, admission depends on multiple factors including CAT percentile, academic background, work experience (if any), performance in GD, WAT and personal interview rounds. Many IIMs and B-schools follow a diverse academic background policy, which means non-engineering candidates, including commerce graduates, often receive additional weightage.

Apart from IIMs, several reputed institutes such as FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad, and many state and private universities also accept CAT scores for MBA admissions.

So, as a commerce graduate, you are fully eligible to appear for CAT and pursue an MBA, provided you meet the minimum academic requirements and perform well in the selection process.

If you want, I can also help you with realistic CAT percentile targets based on your academic profile or suggest suitable MBA colleges.


Hello aspirant,

With a CAT 2025 raw score of 84 and strong sectionals, your expected percentile may fail in the high 98 range , depending on scaling. Your excellent academics and 2 years of work experience strengthen your profile .IIM Lucknow calls are possible but competitive for EWS engineers , while FMS Delhi looks mainly at CAT score and VARC , so you have a reasonable chance there . Final calls depend on cutoffs and composite score.

FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff

Hope the details will help you.

THANK YOU

Hello aspirant ,

For MANAGE Hyderabad MBA , the OBC cutoff in CAT 2024 was generally around 85-90 percentile for shortlist consideration , tough exact figures vary by section and profile . For CAT 2025, if fewer candidates appeared , the cutoff might slightly adjust , but percentile based cutoffs dont change drastically year to year. A minor decrease is possible , but you should still aim for 90+ percentile to be competitive. Factors like VARC, QA-LRDI and overall profile influence the final shortlist.

FOR REFERENCE : https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutof f

Hope the details will help you.

THANK YOU