Education Answers

Take the job, work 3-4 years, then think about the MBA. The MBA degree was originally created because people were promoted to managerial positions, and often they did not know how to manage, although they were good engineers, or scientists, or factory workers. Companies needed managers who could understand what the workers were saying, and managers without the factory floor experience often did not understand the people they supervised. Business schools responded by creating the MBA degree. It is a general degree designed to train student to enter any area of management up to CEO. MBA programs accept students with any undergraduate degree. The MBA is in contrast to the MS degree which trains students to reach higher levels of knowledge in their specialty so that they can serve as better staff and researchers, with no intention of becoming high level managers.

MBA programs accept students in any undergraduate field. They prefer students who do not have a business background because they give you the business training but they cannot provide the broad background that managers should have. I have taught MBA students with degrees in Music, Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Psychology, Political Science, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, and many other fields. Most MBA programs prefer students with 2-3 years work experience after the first degree. Some accept students right out of college if they have good grades and a high GMAT score. Some MBA programs are designed specifically for new college graduates without work experience. But in those programs you don’t get the benefit of learning from other students who have work experience. A lot of valuable learning takes place through class interaction.

Before you decide on an MBA program explore the Internet for information on available programs. There is a lot of information available in free public service sites. Some sites are limited to specific countries, such as Germany, UK, or Australia. Some list a small number of select schools, while others may include more than 2,000 MBA programs listed worldwide. You can find the program that best fits you. You can search for programs by location (US, Europe, Far East, etc.), by concentration (finance, marketing, aviation management, health management, accounting, etc.), by type of program (full-time, distance learning, part-time, executive, and accelerated), and by type of degree (MBA, MS, Ph.D). In some cases you can select your own criteria and preferences to get a list of universities that satisfy your needs.

Investigate any MBA program carefully before applying. Many new ones have been started and some are worthless. What to look for: Schools’ accreditation status (AACSB accreditation or at least AACSB membership is preferred for the MBA) , tuition cost, class sizes, program length. Is the faculty mostly Ph.D.s qualified in business fields? Is the faculty permanent or part-time adjunct teachers who are not as qualified? Is the faculty well published? What are the average entrance exam scores of the students? For instance, if students take the GMAT, is their average below 550 or above 580? What are the starting salaries of graduates? Does the school have a good career placement service? How many graduates have job offers within 3 months of graduation? Do most students have 2-4 years work experience before starting the program?

You can find data on entrance requirements, program costs, program characteristics, joint degrees such as MBA/JD, and much more. Some sites have links to the schools’ web sites, or provide email addresses to contact schools of your choice, and send them pre-applications. You can find lists of top schools ranked by various periodicals or ranked by starting salaries of graduates, GMAT scores, and other criteria. Generally you should stay away from any sites that require you to pay to get information or that promise to find scholarships for you or ensure acceptance into a program. Before you provide any personal information to a site, be sure to read their privacy policy and make sure they are not harvesting email addresses for sale.