A 32-year-old with a 2014 MBA and experience as an accountant and marketing executive asked whether a study permit for a second master's would be refused because they already hold a master's. The group's consensus: a second master's is fine — an
unrelated one is the risk.
- You can apply; prior masters is not a disqualifier. Multiple members confirmed people apply and get approved for further study after an MBA.
- Choose a program that logically extends your MBA and work history. The recommended picks: an MBA specialization you haven't done (International Business, Supply Chain) or a program like IBM (International Business Management). The warning against drifting: 'Further study should always be related to your previous studies — media is nowhere connected to accounts.' A jump to media or entrepreneurship invites the classic refusal ground that the program isn't a logical career progression.
- The SOP must answer four things explicitly (per the thread): why you want to study this program now; how the course advances your existing career; your home ties; and an explanation of the study gap alongside your work experience since 2014.
- Age and gap aren't fatal — an unjustified pivot is. The refusals members see aren't for being 32 or having studied before; they're for files where the officer can't connect the new program to the applicant's past and future.
Bottom line: pick the specialization adjacent to accounting/marketing, and write the SOP as a bridge from your last decade of work to a concrete post-study role.