Firstly, what is an MBA? A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a graduate degree that you can study for through colleges and universities. It initially encompasses a very broad range business management studies, then branches off into more specialized areas such as accounting, marketing or finance from the second year onwards.

Having the letters of an MBA degree along side your name gives you a little “something extra” when you start job hunting. But why? what makes these letters after your name any different to any others?

It is universally accepted that if you have completed the MBA program, then you have very thorough business training behind you. The harsh reality of the real business world has show that MBA graduates are better equipped to handle the rigors of everyday business than most other business degrees. An MBA is recognized world wide as being a “cut above” an undergraduate business course.

MBA courses are now provided at virtually all well-known colleges and universities, and graduate numbers have increased by 250% in the past decade. In the UK for instance, there are well in excess of 100 business schools offering MBA courses. This massive growth is driven by demand from the employers who prefer MBA graduates ahead of others.

To even gain admittance to an MBA course in the US, an applicant must first pass the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The GMAT is a set examination directed at determining the aptitude of a candidate for business management studies.

Where as the entrance criteria to most college courses is largely established on academic criteria, MBA courses place a lot greater emphasis on work experience, references, personal interviews, community service and non-business interests as well as academic achievements.

The normal MBA degree course covers everything from economics, marketing, international business, finance, information technology management and accounting, right through to government policy and organizational behavior. As MBA’s have become more fashionable it is now possible to find courses specializing in these same fields.

MBA’s are now widely provided online as a distance learning option. The convenience of studying online has seen this study option develop rapidly in popularity in recent times. An MBA achieved through a properly accredited online organization is just as highly valued in the business world as it’s “on campus” equivalent. One word of caution though, some online providers are regarded more highly than others, so look around before you jump into an online study course. The best ones cost no more than the rest.



Thanks to David Neehly for contributing this article to our MBA blog:

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Joining a Business School is one of the most important decisions that a student or a working professional takes in life. The MBA degree can bring a major change in a person’s career, be it in getting his / her dream job, promoting the person directly to the management cadre of a company or even help in making a complete shift in domain. If you are planning to join a management institute, you will have a tough time deciding which institute to join. Therefore you must take a lot many things into consideration while selecting the institute you will be joining.

This article lists the five most important things that you must consider before taking admission into a management college.

Recognition – This is the most important thing to consider since your career growth post-MBA will depend on this factor. Check if the degree awarded by the Institute is recognized both by the academic sector and the industries. If the institute awards Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) in one of several fields of management, make sure the degree is approved by the AICTE and also has received recognition from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). If the institute awards MBA then the degree must be approved by the University Grant Commission (UGC). In addition the degree conferred by the institute must have industry recognition which will help you in your career progression.

Curriculum – The most updated the curriculum the more updated you are. Therefore you must check if the curriculum followed in the institute is the most updated one. Many institutes have academic tie-ups with the world renowned institutes such as MIT, Harvard and Wharton which is an assurance that you will be taught the latest curriculum.

Infrastructure – A top rated business school offers truly world class infrastructure wherein students receive all-round education. Check if the institute has modern infrastructure and facilities such as latest communication devices to deliver lectures, fully computerized environment, Wi-Fi and a well-stocked library with access to all the reputed books and journals.

Faculty – This is also an important factor that you should consider before joining an institute. It is the well-educated faculties who will bring in the best curriculum into your syllabus and teach you exactly what is being taught at the best management schools in the world. Many institutes are known to have some of the renowned personalities as faculty. These institutes are always the most preferred destinations of MBA aspirants. Two other factors that you must also consider about faculty is the number of full-time professors and lecturers and the teacher-student ratio. An institute with more full-time teachers and one where the teacher-student ratio is high are more preferred by the students.

Placement – An MBA aspirant is most interested in the placements which an institute’s provides. All the factors stated above have direct impact on the placement of an institute. Find out the companies that regularly visits the institute for summer placements and for hiring students as their employees. Also get some information about the average salary offered to the students.

Once you have sufficient and reliable information about these factors, you can easily rank the institutes where you would like to join and also finalize the college you will get the best return from the course.



Thanks to Ranadeep Das for contributing this article to our MBA blog:

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Most common question rises by those who are interested to pursue an MBA degree is when is the right time to pursue the degree. Does it make sense to continue on immediately after college and earn an MBA? Or, they should decide to go back to school after gaining some work experience.

In fact, there is no right or wrong answer to this question, it depends on the person and the circumstances, so first consider the pros and cons of pursuing an MBA immediately after the college versus after gaining some work experience before deciding the path that you would like to follow in earning your MBA degree.

Pursue an MBA Degree Now

There are several arguments that support on directly going for MBA immediately after completing an undergraduate degree:

1. Don’t wait because the MBA degree will open up new career opportunities for you. The earlier you earn the degree the more career opportunities you can grab along your career path.

2. Things may change with time, so don’t risk having your MBA plan derailed. You may plan to pursue an MBA after 2 years of working, but there are too many things that can get in within these 2 years such as family, health problem that causes you to have financial burden, lost of job & etc. that may force you to put aside your MBA plan. You just can’t really count on things that yet to happen in the future. Hence, if you have intention to pursue an MBA degree, take the action now.

Pursue an MBA Degree Later

There is no right or wrong argument, but the counter-points for pursuing an MBA later are worth to be considered as well:

1. MBA itself has many concentrations for students to specialize in. Gaining some working experience first will help you to determine the type of MBA concentration that can help the most in your career. For example, if your employment experience triggers a desire to become a CEO in banking industry, you may want to enroll in MBA program that offers concentration in Banking Finance.

2. You do not know whether you really need an MBA until you have entered the workplace. Your working experience will tell you whether you need an MBA degree to boost your career to the highest level or you can achieve it with your current degree.

Gaining Working Experience & Pursuing an MBA - Do It Concurrently

With the available of online education, many MBA programs have been offered online, you have the 3rd choice of pursue an MBA degree while concurrently gaining your working experience. However, working and studying at the same time can be a heavy burden, but you might find that working and study can complement one another, as you work experiences add dimension to what you are learning, and you could also apply what you have learned at school on your job.

Find Your Path to an MBA

The benefits of an MBA degree can be realized regardless of whether you earn the degree before, after, or concurrent with gaining working experience, it depends on the person and the circumstances. So, choose your own path that best suits your needs.



Thanks to Jullie Harvard for contributing this article to our MBA blog:

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