Hi there, I am after some advice from this hugely experienced forum; in advance, apologies for the rough grammer/spelling, and for using this as the start of my research into the area.My background: Undergrad (Biochemistry) at Oxford, PhD (Cell Biology) at UCL. Now 27 and doing analytical work for a private healthcare company. Would love to move into management, with a long-term aspiration of senior management in healthcare (most likely pharmaceuticals). I would see a key factor in this journey being an MBA, and it has been suggested to me that I would be able to enter an MBA without management experience by dint of my PhD. Am I correct in thinking that this is highly ambitious?! Assuming that my source is incorrect, does anyone have some generic advice with regards to forming a career plan? For example, does pre-MBA management experience have to mirror post-MBA management ambitions? Are there MBAs which have a particular focus on the types of candidates recruited and/or the types of training specialisation? Or do the different business schools vary purely in quality/brand?And more specifically, would industrial research be a pre-requisite for management in this sector?All thoughts welcome! Many thanks in advance.

Really good questions. Your pre-MBA experience does not have to mimic your post-MBA career aspirations. Majority of MBA candidates switch careers. One of my classmates was a former government tax assessor who's now an IBer with JPMorgan. Another was a practicing MD, joined McK, and is now a VP at a biotech company in California. However, since your background is academic and research oriented, I would try to demonstrate interest in the non-scientific side. How?A PhD by itself, especially from a top institution, is "technically" enough to get you into a good MBA program. However, the top programs are very competitive with no shortage of PhD and MD applicants. I suggest working for a couple of years at a blue chip pharma (Pfizer, J&J) or a blue chip biotech (Amgen, Genentech) and experience the "business" side of these companies, such as the finance or project management side of research. That should help round you out and demonstrate that you're not just an egghead. I'm not familiar with schools in the UK. In the US, any top 10 Bschool should pretty much enable you to join a top-tier MC firm -- whether in healthcare specifically or general strategy. If you want to join a biotech start-up, live right on the beach in perennially sunny California, and strike it rich in an IPO, Stanford or Berkeley are probably the Bschools to be.

A question or two if I may - you are the first person I come across with good knowledge of the USA.I am a US citizen living in Europe since a small age ( long story for another day). My girlfriend is in the situation of the writer above and as such we were considering a move to California where she can jump on board the bio-tech wagon. Ideally, I would like to combine this move with my move to an MBA. I have trouble placing Berkley - international rankings give it a wide range, but mostly dont keep it in top 10. So, in a commonly inverted minto pyramid, my questions at the end:1) Is Berkley considered a 'tier 2' business school in the USA? 2) Are UK degrees from top-10 UK institutions seen worthy of Ivy league comparison in the US?Thanks for your help, its people like you that make this site worth while logging in to. Best Zack

I know you didn't ask me but for what it's worth, I don't think anywhere in the UK other than LBS could pretend to challenge the top US schools.

sorry, i wasnt clear I meant undergraduate degrees Is a top 10 UK undergrad seen in par with US Ivy league from american employers?

Dear Beng, many thanks for your input, it is gratefully received. A few further thoughts and questions, if you have time?I have made my move away from “the bench” and I hope that my current role, and indeed a new role with a firm doing internet research for blue-chip clients that I am soon to take up, will demonstrate a willingness and capability to work outside academia, but of course I will still be lacking any particular management experience. (And indeed, my time in internet research may stand against me in my pursuit for management in pharma/biotech?) I will, of course, investigate relevant opportunities in blue-chip. As an aside (and open to the floor!), how well positioned would I be without such blue-chip business experience, with Oxford degree/UCL PhD, for level 1 UK BS (correct if I’m wrong, LBS, Oxbridge, Cranfield, Warwick) or level 2 UK BS? And out of interest would the fact that I did my PhD with a Nobel Laureate count for much?California would be fantastic, but unfortunately the states isn’t going to be an option unfortunately…And to anyone with extended UK knowledge, any general advice on business schools this side of the pond? I have my eye on Cambridge, but Imperial has been suggested as the place to go with (bio)science background and/or ambition?Again, thanks for the advicePS apologies if posted twice: having some glitches with this system

Can't really answer Rb's questions specifically as I'm not that familiar with the UK MC market. However, if the US is any indication, a tier 1 undergrad but a tier 2 Bschool is not going to get you into a top strat house. On the other hand, a tier 2 undergrad but a tier 1 Bschool will get you in. I'm a perfect case in point for the latter. As far as schools, I'm quite ignorant in the international rankings, but I can safely say that the 2 Bschools with wide tier 1 brand recognition in the US is LBS and INSEAD. Zack: Berkeley is a top 10 Bschool in US, hence considered Tier 1 here. Both Stanford and Berkeley are good choices if you're interested in hi-tech, biotech, start-ups, etc. Non-US-obtained degrees generally give you a leg up in US applications, as Bschools are looking to put together a well-rounded class.