Dear ksof413,

The MBA degree is a general graduate business degree with the opportunity to specialize, if you wish, in a functional area through the elective offerings. Thus you can choose to take the bulk of your electives in finance, marketing, or any other functional area the schools offers a sufficient number of electives in. Since finance is the focus for a large number of MBA students, you will find that most MBA programs offer a variety of finance courses. The difference between a MSFinance and a MBA lies in the core course requirements. The MS program will focus solely on finance courses whereas a MBA requires you to complete a core curriculum incorporating all the business disciplines prior to the elective coursework. Depending on what your career goals are, one program might make more sense for you than another.

If you believe you can do better on the GMAT, then it might be worth a retake. A higher score will not hurt you and it could increase the options available to you for schools. If you are planning to apply to enter graduate school directly from undergraduate, then you will want to identify schools that are open to applicants with no work experience. MS programs do not generally require nor prefer work experience, but MBA programs usually do prefer at least 2 years of work experience. Generally speaking, you will be in the best competitive position where your GMAT and GPA are near or above the averages for the school.

Good luck,
Lisa