Is it really necessary to get a MBA?

After lurking around WSO for a while, I realized that there seems to be a preconceived notion that to get most upper management positions, it is recommended to get a MBA. But as a student studying finance at a non target, does getting a MBA (hopefully M7) after 5 years in finance really provide me with anything useful besides clout, networking, and higher pay/promotion? Isn't it better knowledge wise to get a MS or Phd in more specific fields such as econ, quant finance, statistics, etc than to get a more generalist MBA? But why does getting an MS not translate as well in the field compared to a MBA (or is this notion false)? 

Also, side question: if I were to go for the MS route, do I have access to the same network as the MBA students do or do MBA students have their own exclusive network? 

2 Comments
 

>anything useful besides clout, networking, and higher pay/promotion?

I mean, those are pretty useful things. Also used to switch industries.
 

>Isn't it better knowledge wise to get a MS or Phd in more specific fields such as econ, quant finance, statistics, etc
 

Are you wanting to to into academia or quant? If not, I don’t see why you’d do a PhD or masters just for knowledge 

 
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