Is MBA the best way to break into product management?

We know Product Management in North America requires years of experience. A common way for people to switch into product management is by completing an MBA program. However, as product management gained more popularity in recent years, there are more ways now to become a product manager. So today I invited Kunal Prakash to help us understand more of what each program has to offer.

Meet Kunal Prakash

As a former product manager at Amazon and Microsoft, Kunal Prakash has completed his MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management and is currently a MS in Product Management (MSPM) student at Carnegie Mellon University. With an engineering background, Kunal first worked as a business analyst and then transitioned into product management after completing his MBA.

Kunal worked on a variety of different products including AppSnack, Azure and Economic Times. He is passionate about learning and writing.

There are three common educational options for aspiring product managers or product managers who want to improve their skills:

1. MBA
2. Master’s programs such as MSPM, Tech MBA, MEMPC
3. Product management certificates

Before we dive into the details, below is a quick summary of what each program is best for (TL;DR):

• MBA is recommended for people who have money, time and prior tech or UX experiences.
• PM-focused masters are recommended for people who have previous PM experiences, or have finished an MBA, and is determined to become a product manager.
• Certificates are for people who are currently working in a tech role and want to transition into PM within the same company.

MBA

Normally MBA in North America are two years. The first year mostly consists of compulsory business courses determined by the school. The second year is when students have more flexibility to focus on their interests. Students interested in product management would usually take some technical courses, however the options are limited because of the business natural of the program.

There are six elements taught in MBA that are applicable to product management: Econ, operations, marketing, strategy, communication and team management.

The advantages of MBA are:

1. Two-year program provides a deeper dive into business. Each topic can be learned at a greater depth and more topics can be covered
2. More time and resources for social activities such as clubs and networking
3. Greater alumni network
4. More career options for people who are not certain about product management

The disadvantages of MBA are:

1. Lack of training for product design and tech
2. Expensive 💸
3. Two years off work can be an expensive tradeoff
4. Too much options for people who are not sure about product management, so may end up on a different career trajectory

In summary, MBA is recommended for people who have money, time and prior tech or UX experiences.

Masters

In United States, there are primarily three types of masters for product managers. The first is the MS in Product Management (MSPM) by Carnegie Mellon University. This program is specifically designed to make product managers. The second is the Tech MBA programs offered by New York University and Cornell Tech, which is a tech-focused MBA program. The last is MEMPC, which are engineering management (MEM) programs offered by a group of universities such as MIT and Duke.

MSPM is a one-year degree tailored for product managers. It belongs to both the Tepper School of Business and the School of Computer Science (which also includes HCI). This means that the program can offer courses that integrate business, tech and design. It is recommended to have few years of work experience before applying to the program.

Some of the advantages of this program are:

1. The classes are redesigned for product managers to focus on both hard skills and soft skills. The school will often invite external speakers to share corporate insights.
2. Have a three-months internship with a number of companies come onsite to hire. The 2020 cohort had a 100% internship employment rate (this is impressive considering the pandemic)
3. The program is short, so the cost is cheaper than MBA.

Something the program is lacking:

1. To find an internship and a full-time job in a year can be tough. The schoolwork is not for the faint of heart.
2. Due to the short duration, it is impossible for the class to cover all topics needed for product management, so some self-study is still required.
3. Since the program only existed for three years, the network is relatively small. However, the backing of CMU alumni network can provide solid support when searching for jobs.

Note: If you would like to know more about MSPM, check out my blogs here.

Tech MBA is another one-year program offered by NYU and Cornell Tech. From the name we can tell that they are MBA with a tech focus. Unlike MSPM, these programs do not have internships, only experiential learnings. So, for people who were never a product manager may encounter difficulty in finding a full-time PM job.

Master of Engineering Management Programs Consortium (MEMPC) is a program that focuses more on engineering management. So the topics covered are more broad, which can include operations, product management and consulting. Since the career goals of the student body are more diverse, people who want to get into product management need to search for jobs themselves.

In summary, PM-focused masters are recommended for people who have previous PM experiences, or have finished an MBA, and is determined to become a product manager.

Certificates

Lastly, let’s look at product management certificates. They are useful if you are trying to transition into product management within the same company, but you are lacking experience. Having a certificate can demonstrate that you have put in time to learn the basic skills required and is ready for an opportunity to gain some practical experience. This is the most cost-effective way to break into product management if you are just a step away.

In summary, certificates are for people who are currently working in a tech role and want to transition into PM within the same company.

In closing, these are only three common ways that people do to get into product management but by no means the only ways. If you have discovered other paths, help the community by letting others know in the comment below.

About the Author

Oliver Xu is currently a MS of Product Management student at Carnegie Mellon University. He was a product manager with domain knowledge in Ad Tech, IoT and Telecommunications. He has work at both startups and established corporates with seven years of experience leading software teams building enterprise solutions.