The Masters of Business Administration (MBA) is a postgraduate degree that provides practical and theoretical training for investment management and/or business management. MBA degrees are mainly designed to help students gain an understanding of various business management functions. Usually, an MBA degree can provide general focus or specific focus on various fields such as marketing, finance, accounting, operations, human resources, and relationship management as well.

What is an MBA?

A Masters of Business Administration degree is a post graduate degree which focuses on providing knowledge and skills in the field of business. MBA students may already have an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, or in a completely unrelated field. Most MBA programs are not geared towards students that come directly from undergraduate study. Rather, most are targeted at professionals who have some work experience in the business sector and want to further their skills or knowledge to help them advance in their career. One can join an MBA on a full time basis or on a part-time basis.

Many colleges and universities offer MBA programs for two years in the full-time. In order to enroll for this degree, almost all schools require a Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) to be written. Also, each college or university often has their own unique additional requirements in addition to a certain minimum GMAT score.

Most MBA programs offer core classes in marketing, finance, accounting, business strategy, human resources, economics, operations, and business law. It is important to mention that management training is basically the heart of the MBA curriculum. It provides a special focus in the area of organizational behavior, business strategy, planning, leadership and dealing with the human side of the business to grow at a small or large scale. These days, many MBA programs have also broadened their scope to include training for international business management.

Specialized MBA Programs:

Many MBA programs are also oriented towards developing student focus in specific areas. Many universities provide specialized MBA programs in the fields of entrepreneurship, sports management, healthcare management, entertainment, human resource management, IT/IS, operations, and many more.

Some management specialty programs can also allow students to focus on criminal justice, education, hospitality and information technology as well. Few MBA programs are also run in joint partnerships with other professional programs like medical or legal. They provide joint degrees and these qualifications can open many ways for high profile jobs in the specific industries. This allows students to pursue legal or medical careers while also better preparing them for management in these fields.

There are a broad range of MBA programs in terms of the speed of curriculum delivery and the type of program; some of the most common options available are:

• Standard MBA programs: The basic two years, full-time course. However, flexible sessions are also available for persons with ongoing professional commitments.
• Accelerated MBA programs: More intensive courses but are preferably completed in one year only.
• Executive MBA programs: Designed for highly professional and experienced applicants such as with senior management work profiles.
• Graduate Entry MBA: Suitable for students that want to join right after undergraduate study.
• Dual MBA programs: These are combined with few other qualifications to prepare candidates to play management roles in specific professional fields.