Choosing between a master's degree for consulting and applying directly after undergraduate study or work experience can affect your recruiting path, timeline, costs, and career options. A master's degree is not required to enter consulting, but it can be useful when you want stronger campus recruiting access, new technical or business skills, or a clearer career transition. For some candidates, consulting after a master's degree creates additional opportunities, while others may benefit more from gaining professional experience and applying directly. In this article, we will explore how both routes compare across recruiting access, skill development, cost, timing, and long-term career goals.
TL;DR – What You Need to Know
A master's degree for consulting can improve recruiting access or skills, but direct entry may be better when your current profile is already competitive.
- Consulting recruiting includes undergraduate, master's, advanced degree, and experienced hire pathways, so a master's degree is not universally required.
- Consulting after a master's degree may provide another campus recruiting cycle, internship access, or university specific recruiting opportunities.
- A master's degree and work experience develop different consulting skills, with graduate study emphasizing academic depth and work experience emphasizing practical business exposure.
- Graduate study adds the most value when it improves recruiting access, strengthens specific skills, supports specialization, or enables a deliberate career transition.
- Cost, timing, foregone earnings, and career goals should determine whether graduate study offers more value than direct entry.
Do You Need a Master's Degree for Consulting?
No, you generally do not need a master's degree for consulting. Major consulting firms recruit candidates from undergraduate programs, non MBA master's programs, advanced degree programs, and professional backgrounds. The appropriate entry route depends on your education, graduation timing, prior experience, location, and the specific role you are targeting.
A master's degree for consulting should therefore be viewed as one possible route into the profession, not a universal requirement. For example, McKinsey's 2026 US recruiting information places undergraduate students and many non MBA master's students in the same Business Analyst recruiting pathway.
BCG similarly offers consulting internships to students pursuing undergraduate, advanced, and MBA degrees, showing that consulting recruiting spans several academic stages rather than requiring candidates to complete graduate study first.
Your main entry routes typically depend on where you are in your education or career:
- Undergraduate recruiting: You can apply for internships and full time graduate roles while completing a bachelor's degree when you meet the firm's eligibility and graduation requirements.
- Master's recruiting: Consulting after a master's degree can provide another university recruiting opportunity. However, the exact role and recruiting category can depend on the type of degree, your previous education, and your work experience.
- Advanced degree recruiting: Some firms maintain separate recruiting pathways for candidates completing qualifications such as PhDs, JDs, MDs, and certain other advanced degrees. McKinsey, for example, has a distinct advanced professional degree recruiting pathway.
- Experienced hire recruiting: If you have already built substantial professional experience, you may apply through experienced hire recruiting rather than returning to university solely to become eligible for consulting.
The distinction between master's degree consulting and undergraduate recruiting can also be less clear than candidates expect. McKinsey's current US guidance explicitly states that its Business Analyst role is intended for both undergraduate and non MBA master's students graduating within specified windows.
This means a postgraduate degree does not automatically move you into a more senior consulting position. Your degree type, years of experience, recruiting market, and firm specific eligibility rules all influence which consulting career path is available.
There are also exceptions within graduate recruiting. McKinsey currently classifies certain non MBA master's students as advanced professional degree candidates when they meet additional criteria, including a substantial gap between their undergraduate and graduate degrees.
For that reason, you should check the current eligibility rules for the office and position you want before deciding whether graduate school improves your consulting prospects. Recruiting structures and application timelines can vary by firm, country, degree type, and graduation year.
The more useful question is therefore not simply whether you need a master's degree for management consulting. It is whether graduate study would give you meaningful recruiting access, skills, credentials, or career options that you do not already have through direct entry.
How Does Consulting Recruiting Differ After a Master's Degree?
Consulting after a master's degree can give you access to a new university recruiting cycle, campus events, internships, and full time applications tied to your graduate program. However, a master's degree does not automatically place you in a more senior consulting role. Your recruiting pathway depends on the degree, graduation date, prior experience, target office, and firm eligibility rules.
One of the biggest differences is your recruiting status. If you enter a master's program, you may again be treated as a student candidate and gain access to opportunities linked to your university and expected graduation date.
For example, McKinsey's 2026 US recruiting guidance places undergraduate and non MBA master's students together for its Business Analyst pathway. Its full time Business Analyst opportunity covers eligible undergraduate and non MBA master's students graduating between December 2026 and August 2027.
BCG also separates recruiting information by academic stage and location. Its campus recruiting pages direct undergraduate and non MBA master's students toward Associate opportunities, while advanced degree candidates have a separate recruiting pathway.
The practical differences can include:
- Campus recruiting access: A master's program may give you access to employer presentations, networking events, career services, and recruiting activities available at that university. The extent of this access varies by school, firm, and office.
- Application timing: Your expected master's graduation date can determine which internship or full time recruiting cycle applies to you. You therefore need to plan around the recruiting calendar rather than waiting until graduation to begin exploring opportunities.
- Internship eligibility: Some master's students may qualify for consulting internships during their degree. BCG states that its core consulting internships are available to students pursuing undergraduate, advanced, and MBA degrees, although specific eligibility varies by opportunity and location.
- Entry level roles: Completing a master's degree does not necessarily mean entering above candidates with bachelor's degrees. In some recruiting systems, undergraduate and non MBA master's candidates compete for the same early career position.
- University specific recruiting: Your graduate institution may have its own recruiting relationships, events, and application instructions. BCG, for example, maintains school specific campus recruiting information for numerous universities.
- Eligibility categories: Not every master's degree is treated identically. Firms may distinguish between non MBA master's students, MBA candidates, advanced degree candidates, recent graduates, and experienced professionals.
This makes the timing of consulting after a master's degree especially important. A one year or two year program may create different internship opportunities simply because the candidate reaches recruiting milestones at different points in the degree.
Your previous experience matters as well. If you worked before graduate school, you should not assume that the master's degree alone determines your entry level. Firms can consider your combination of education, professional experience, role requirements, and local recruiting policies when determining the appropriate opportunity.
Geography adds another layer. BCG's current Korea Associate guidance, for example, accepts undergraduate or master's students from all fields who fall within its specified graduation window, while its Australia and New Zealand graduate recruiting has its own regional process.
For this reason, campus recruiting should be evaluated at the school, office, and role level. A master's program with strong recruiting access may expand your opportunities, while another program may offer little additional access compared with applying directly.
Before choosing graduate study primarily for consulting recruiting, check four things:
- Which consulting roles recruit from the master's program?
- When do internship and full time applications open?
- Does your degree qualify for university recruiting or another candidate pathway?
- Would you gain recruiting opportunities that you do not already have?
The important distinction is access rather than automatic advancement. A master's degree can provide another recruiting window and potentially a different university network, but whether those advantages matter depends on your starting position and the specific consulting opportunities available to you.
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How Do a Master's Degree and Work Experience Build Consulting Skills?
A master's degree and work experience can both build consulting skills, but they develop them in different environments. Graduate study can strengthen analytical, quantitative, research, and subject knowledge, while professional experience can develop practical problem solving, communication, teamwork, leadership, and stakeholder management. Neither route automatically provides better preparation for consulting.
Consulting firms assess capabilities rather than assuming that a particular educational route guarantees them. Current McKinsey career materials emphasize problem solving, analytical ability, teamwork, and client service, while BCG consulting roles involve analysis, research, stakeholder engagement, and core consulting skill development.
A master's degree can be particularly useful when the curriculum gives you repeated opportunities to solve complex problems and communicate your reasoning. Depending on the program, you may develop skills through coursework, research projects, group assignments, presentations, internships, or applied projects.
Graduate study may help you strengthen:
- Analytical skills: Quantitative or research intensive programs can give you additional practice interpreting information, testing assumptions, and drawing evidence based conclusions.
- Structured problem solving: Academic projects often require you to define a question, break it into components, evaluate evidence, and develop a defensible answer.
- Specialized knowledge: A master's degree can deepen expertise in areas such as economics, engineering, technology, data, healthcare, sustainability, or another discipline relevant to particular consulting work.
- Communication: Presentations, written assignments, and group projects can strengthen your ability to explain complex ideas clearly.
- Teamwork: Collaborative assignments can provide experience working with people who have different academic, professional, and cultural backgrounds.
However, these benefits depend heavily on the program and how you use it. Simply completing graduate study does not demonstrate that you can apply those skills effectively in a client setting.
Work experience develops many of the same capabilities through a different type of exposure. Instead of solving primarily academic problems, you may work with real organizational constraints, deadlines, colleagues, customers, budgets, and stakeholders.
Professional experience can help you develop:
- Practical problem solving: You learn to make decisions with incomplete information and balance analytical recommendations against operational constraints.
- Stakeholder management: Working with managers, colleagues, clients, or customers can teach you how to understand different priorities and build alignment.
- Business judgment: Exposure to actual organizations can help you understand how decisions affect revenue, costs, operations, customers, and employees.
- Leadership: Owning projects, coordinating teams, or influencing decisions can provide evidence of initiative and responsibility.
- Communication under pressure: Professional environments often require you to explain recommendations concisely to people with different levels of expertise.
These capabilities align closely with current consulting role requirements. For example, BCG describes consulting work as involving analysis, research, client problem solving, and stakeholder engagement. Bain's current career materials also highlight problem solving, communication, and teamwork as important consulting capabilities.
The strongest route therefore depends on the skills you already have and the gaps you need to address.
If your undergraduate background already demonstrates strong academics and analytical ability but gives you limited professional exposure, relevant work experience may add a different dimension to your profile. You could gain evidence of leadership, commercial awareness, stakeholder management, and delivering results in an organization.
If you have professional experience but want deeper quantitative, technical, or subject expertise, a relevant master's program may help you build those capabilities. Graduate study may also allow you to demonstrate stronger recent academic performance or develop knowledge needed for more specialized consulting roles.
Consider two hypothetical candidates.
A recent economics graduate with strong grades, internships, leadership experience, and access to undergraduate consulting recruitment may already possess many of the signals needed to apply directly. Completing a master's solely to accumulate another credential may offer less incremental value than gaining relevant professional experience.
By contrast, a professional seeking to move from a highly specialized field into broader business roles might use a master's program to develop new analytical or commercial knowledge. Whether that is worthwhile still depends on the program, recruiting opportunities, cost, and alternative ways of developing the same skills.
The key is to evaluate skills rather than credentials in isolation. Ask what capabilities your current profile demonstrates, what consulting roles require, and whether a master's degree or work experience would close the most important gaps.
Neither path removes the need to prepare specifically for consulting recruitment. Academic study and work experience can build transferable capabilities, but candidates still need to demonstrate structured thinking, clear communication, quantitative reasoning, and effective problem solving during the selection process.
When Does a Master's Degree for Consulting Add Value?
A master's degree for consulting can add value when it meaningfully improves your recruiting access, academic profile, specialized knowledge, or ability to change career direction. Its value depends on what the program adds to your existing profile. If you can already compete effectively through direct entry, graduate study may provide less incremental benefit.
The key concept is incremental value. A master's degree should solve a specific gap or create an opportunity that would otherwise be difficult to access.
There are several situations where graduate study may offer meaningful benefits.
When You Want Access to Another Recruiting Cycle
A master's program can sometimes place you back into university recruiting and create another opportunity to apply for internships or full time consulting roles.
This can matter if you did not pursue consulting during undergraduate study, discovered the career relatively late, or had limited access to consulting recruiting at your previous university.
The benefit is not automatic. Recruiting eligibility depends on factors including your degree type, graduation date, location, prior experience, and the individual firm's recruiting rules.
For example, McKinsey currently includes many non MBA master's students within its student recruiting pathways. In specific circumstances, it also classifies non MBA master's candidates with at least four years between completion of undergraduate and graduate study within its Advanced Professional Degree recruiting category.
BCG likewise maintains recruiting pathways for advanced degree candidates and currently directs candidates with certain 2026 and 2027 start dates toward available consulting roles.
This means the value of graduate recruitment depends on the specific program and recruiting market rather than simply holding the credential.
When You Need to Strengthen Your Academic Profile
Graduate study can provide additional academic evidence if your current profile does not fully demonstrate the capabilities relevant to the consulting roles you are pursuing.
For example, a demanding master's program may allow you to demonstrate:
- Strong recent academic performance
- Quantitative or analytical capability
- Research and problem solving skills
- Performance in subjects relevant to your target role
- Ability to succeed in a rigorous academic environment
However, a stronger graduate record does not erase your undergraduate record. Consulting applications may still request information about previous education, so graduate study should not be treated as a guaranteed way to reset an academic profile.
The more useful question is whether the master's program will add evidence that strengthens your overall application.
When You Want to Change Academic or Career Direction
A master's degree for management consulting may be valuable when you want to move into a field that differs substantially from your previous education or professional experience.
For example, someone with a technical undergraduate background might choose graduate study that adds economics, analytics, management, or another complementary discipline. Someone coming from a different professional field might use graduate school to develop knowledge that supports a broader career transition.
This does not mean consulting firms require a business degree. McKinsey states that professionals with PhDs, MDs, JDs, and other advanced degrees can enter consulting from academic, research, clinical, and other specialized backgrounds.
The advantage comes from what the new education enables you to demonstrate, not from replacing one academic discipline with a supposedly preferred consulting degree.
When Specialized Knowledge Supports Your Career Goals
Some candidates want to pursue consulting work connected to a particular sector, function, or technical area. In those cases, specialized graduate education can add relevant subject knowledge.
Depending on your career goals, this might include expertise in areas such as:
- Data and analytics
- Engineering
- Economics
- Healthcare
- Technology
- Sustainability
- Public policy
- Finance
Advanced knowledge can be particularly relevant when pursuing positions where subject expertise matters alongside general problem solving ability.
Current McKinsey recruiting materials explicitly recognize candidates with advanced academic and professional expertise, while BCG offers consulting opportunities for advanced degree candidates across academic backgrounds.
However, specialized knowledge should not be confused with a requirement for generalist consulting. Candidates from many academic disciplines enter consulting, and firms can provide business and consulting training after candidates join.
When the Program Provides Valuable Recruiting Access
Two master's programs with similar academic content can offer very different career opportunities.
Before enrolling, examine whether the program provides:
- Consulting firm recruiting activity
- Relevant career services
- Internship opportunities
- Alumni working in consulting
- Employer events
- Networking opportunities
- Recruiting timelines compatible with your graduation date
BCG, for example, currently offers core consulting internships to students pursuing undergraduate, advanced, and MBA degrees. This illustrates why your student status and timing can influence which opportunities become available during graduate study.
The presence of recruiting opportunities still does not guarantee an interview or offer. It simply changes the set of opportunities you may be able to pursue.
When Does a Master's Add Less Incremental Value?
Graduate study may be less compelling if you already have strong access to consulting recruiting and a competitive profile.
For example, the incremental benefit may be smaller if you already have:
- Strong academic performance
- Relevant internships or professional experience
- Evidence of analytical and leadership skills
- Access to suitable consulting applications
- A clear path into undergraduate or experienced hire recruiting
- A strong alternative employment opportunity
In that situation, entering the workforce can provide professional experience, earnings, and career progression while allowing you to pursue consulting through direct entry or a later experienced hire application.
A master's degree should therefore be evaluated as an investment in a specific outcome rather than as a standard step toward consulting. Before enrolling, identify exactly what would change after completing the degree.
If the answer is stronger recruiting access, useful specialization, clearer evidence of your capabilities, or support for a deliberate career transition, the degree may add meaningful value. If your application opportunities and profile would remain largely unchanged, direct entry may be the more efficient route.
What Are the Cost and Timing Tradeoffs of a Master's Degree?
The cost and timing tradeoffs of a master's degree include tuition, living expenses, foregone earnings, delayed professional experience, and the timing of consulting recruiting. The right comparison is not simply the price of graduate school. You should compare the total investment with the recruiting access, skills, and career opportunities the degree could realistically add.
Tuition is only one part of the financial decision. Depending on the program and your circumstances, the total cost may also include housing, transportation, study materials, relocation, and other living expenses.
There is also an opportunity cost. If you pursue graduate study instead of entering the workforce, you may give up salary and professional experience during the period you are studying.
For this reason, compare the two paths across several dimensions:
- Tuition and fees: Consider the full academic cost of the program rather than only the headline tuition figure.
- Living expenses: Include accommodation and other costs that you would incur while studying, particularly if the program requires relocation.
- Foregone earnings: Estimate the income you could have earned by accepting a full time role instead.
- Professional experience: Consider the experience, responsibilities, and potential career progression you might gain during the same period.
- Recruiting opportunities: Determine whether the program gives you access to consulting applications, internships, campus events, or networks that are meaningfully different from the opportunities you already have.
- Alternative career options: Consider whether the degree would create value beyond consulting if your career goals change.
Timing matters because consulting recruiting often begins well before graduation. Waiting until the end of a master's program to investigate application dates can mean missing opportunities that were intended for students earlier in their degree.
Current McKinsey guidance illustrates this point. Its campus deadlines vary according to school location and preferred office, and its 2026 US Business Analyst recruiting includes eligible undergraduate and non MBA master's students graduating within specified windows.
BCG also separates university recruiting by candidate category. Its current campus guidance directs undergraduate and non MBA master's students toward Associate recruiting, while advanced degree candidates follow a separate pathway.
This means the length of your master's program can affect the opportunities you can pursue.
A one year program may give you a relatively short period between enrollment and important application deadlines. You may need to begin networking, preparing application materials, and practicing for interviews soon after the program starts.
A longer program may provide more time to complete internships, participate in university activities, strengthen your academic record, and prepare for recruiting. However, it also generally means spending more time outside full time employment.
Internship timing is another consideration. BCG currently offers core consulting internships to students pursuing undergraduate, advanced, and MBA degrees, although eligibility and availability depend on the specific role and location.
You should therefore map the recruiting calendar before committing to graduate study for consulting purposes.
A simple timing comparison can help:
- Identify when the master's program begins and ends.
- Check when consulting applications open for your target offices.
- Determine whether you would qualify for internships or full time roles during the program.
- Compare those opportunities with the roles you could pursue without graduate study.
- Consider what professional experience and earnings you would give up during the same period.
Suppose you already have access to suitable undergraduate consulting recruitment and a strong full time job opportunity. In that situation, pursuing graduate school primarily to enter consulting may carry a substantial opportunity cost because direct entry already gives you a viable route.
The calculation can look different if your current recruiting access is limited and a particular master's program provides a realistic new route into graduate recruitment. In that case, the additional time and expense may support a specific career objective rather than simply delaying employment.
You should also avoid evaluating the degree only on whether it leads immediately to consulting. A master's program can have broader value if it develops expertise or creates career opportunities that remain useful even if you later choose another profession.
The most useful comparison is therefore the incremental return on the degree. Ask what additional opportunities you are gaining in exchange for the money, time, and professional experience you are investing.
If graduate study materially improves your recruiting position or supports broader career goals, those benefits may justify the tradeoffs. If it mainly postpones an application route that is already available to you, direct entry may be the more efficient option.
Should You Choose a Master's Degree or Direct Entry into Consulting?
You should choose a master's degree for management consulting only when graduate study creates meaningful advantages that direct entry cannot currently provide. If you already have suitable recruiting access, strong qualifications, and relevant opportunities, applying directly may be more efficient. Your decision should reflect recruiting access, career goals, skill gaps, finances, and alternative career options.
There is no single route that is best for every consulting candidate. The relevant question is what changes between your current position and your expected position after completing graduate study.
Start by assessing whether you can realistically pursue consulting now.
Current recruiting structures show why this matters. In the US, McKinsey's 2026 Business Analyst recruiting includes both undergraduate and non MBA master's students graduating within the relevant eligibility window. BCG also directs undergraduate and non MBA master's students toward its Associate recruiting pathway.
A master's degree is therefore not automatically necessary to gain access to entry level consulting roles.
When Direct Entry May Make More Sense
Applying directly can be a logical choice when your current profile already provides a credible route into consulting.
Direct entry may be worth prioritizing if you have:
- Access to consulting recruitment through your current university or professional position
- Academic results that demonstrate strong analytical ability
- Internships or professional experience that show responsibility and impact
- Evidence of problem solving, leadership, teamwork, and communication
- A clear reason for pursuing consulting
- Time to prepare effectively for applications and interviews
- An attractive professional opportunity if consulting applications are unsuccessful
Entering the workforce also allows you to begin developing professional experience and earning income rather than postponing employment.
This does not mean you must enter consulting immediately after undergraduate study. Relevant professional experience can also strengthen your capabilities and potentially create an experienced hire route later.
BCG currently advertises Associate experienced hire opportunities in the US for candidates who typically have zero to four years of experience, illustrating that university recruiting is not the only possible route into consulting.
When a Master's Degree May Be the Better Option
Graduate study becomes more compelling when you can identify a specific advantage that justifies the additional time and cost.
A master's degree may make sense if it would help you:
- Access a stronger or more relevant recruiting ecosystem
- Enter another university recruiting cycle
- Develop important quantitative, technical, or analytical skills
- Build expertise connected to your longer term career goals
- Make a deliberate academic or professional transition
- Demonstrate stronger recent academic performance
- Gain access to internships or other experiences unavailable through your current route
- Create attractive career options beyond consulting
The distinction between getting another credential and creating new opportunities is important.
For example, McKinsey currently treats many non MBA master's students as Business Analyst candidates alongside undergraduates. Candidates with a non MBA Master's degree and at least four years between completing their undergraduate and graduate degrees may instead qualify for its Advanced Professional Degree pathway.
This demonstrates why you should understand how a particular degree changes your actual recruiting category before enrolling.
Compare the Two Paths Using the Same Criteria
A structured comparison can prevent you from giving too much weight to the degree itself.
Ask yourself these six questions:
- Can I apply to suitable consulting positions now?
If the answer is yes, determine what additional recruiting opportunities a master's program would genuinely create.
- What specific weakness would graduate study address?
Identify a concrete gap, such as limited quantitative preparation, lack of specialized knowledge, or restricted recruiting access. Avoid treating another degree as a general solution without defining the problem it solves.
- Could work experience address the same gap?
Professional experience may develop leadership, communication, commercial judgment, and stakeholder management while also allowing you to earn income.
- How strong is the master's program for my broader goals?
Consider academic quality, relevant coursework, career services, internship opportunities, alumni networks, location, and employment options beyond consulting.
- What is the full opportunity cost?
Compare tuition and living expenses alongside foregone earnings and professional experience. Then assess whether the expected incremental benefits justify those costs.
- Would I still value the degree without a consulting offer?
This is an important test because admission to a graduate program does not guarantee admission to a consulting firm. A degree with broader academic and career value can provide more flexibility if your plans change.
Avoid Making the Decision Based on Entry Level Alone
It can be tempting to assume that spending additional time in education will result in a higher consulting position.
That assumption is not consistently supported by current recruiting structures.
McKinsey's current US Business Analyst pathway includes undergraduate and many non MBA master's students within the same recruiting category. BCG likewise welcomes undergraduate and non MBA master's students from different fields to apply to its US Associate opportunities.
Your prior professional experience may influence the opportunities available to you, but obtaining a master's degree by itself should not be treated as a guaranteed promotion in entry level.
Use Incremental Value as the Final Test
A useful final decision framework is to compare what you have today with what you are likely to have after graduate study.
Choose direct entry when your existing profile already gives you realistic consulting opportunities and graduate study would add limited value relative to its cost.
Consider a master's degree when it creates a meaningful improvement in recruiting access, capabilities, specialization, or wider career opportunities that aligns with your goals.
The decision should ultimately be based on incremental value rather than the assumption that more education is always better. A master's degree for consulting can be useful for the right candidate and circumstances, but consulting remains accessible through undergraduate, graduate, and professional recruiting routes. Current McKinsey and BCG recruiting structures explicitly include both undergraduate and non MBA master's candidates, reinforcing that graduate study is one pathway rather than a universal requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I get a master's degree for consulting?
A: You should consider a master's degree for consulting when it meaningfully improves your recruiting access, skills, specialization, or broader career options. If you already have a competitive profile and a viable direct entry route, graduate study may offer less incremental value.
Q: Can I enter consulting without a master's degree?
A: Yes, you can enter consulting without a master's degree. Undergraduate consulting recruitment and experienced hire recruiting provide alternative entry routes, while firms such as McKinsey and BCG currently recruit eligible undergraduate candidates into entry-level consulting roles.
Q: Does a master's degree improve consulting recruiting opportunities?
A: A master's degree can improve consulting recruiting opportunities when the program provides useful campus recruiting, internships, employer access, or another eligible application cycle. The benefit varies by program, graduation timing, prior experience, target firm, and recruiting market.
Q: Can a master's degree help you join McKinsey, BCG, or Bain?
A: Yes, a master's degree can support applications to McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, but it does not guarantee admission or automatically lead to a higher entry level. Each firm recruits candidates through multiple educational and professional pathways, with eligibility varying by role and location.
Q: Which is better for consulting, a master's degree or work experience?
A: Neither a master's degree nor work experience is universally better for consulting. A master's degree may strengthen academic or specialized skills, while consulting work experience and other professional roles can build practical problem solving, leadership, communication, and stakeholder management.
