Online MBA Degrees
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The Master of Business Administration, or MBA, is a degree that prepares graduates for a number of management and financial positions. While the MBA is not necessarily a prerequisite for beginning a management career, the degree program teaches a number of skills in financial literacy and management science that can give graduates a leg up in the job hunt. MBA graduates may go on to take leadership roles in the private sector, government, or nonprofit firms, although the availability and competition will vary between the types of positions desired.
An MBA degree, when pursued full time, takes about two years to complete. A full-time program requires students to take three to four courses a semester. There are also many part-time options for individuals who wish to work while they obtain their master’s in business administration. Some part-time programs let students take up to six years to earn their degree, enrolling in as few or as many courses as they like each semester. Although the range of MBA specializations is quite varied, the curriculum generally centers around financial planning, leadership, decision making, business strategies, and related topics.
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What are some of the specializations within this degree program?
There are many specializations within the Master of Business degree. Here are just a few examples:
- MBA in Entrenpreneurship
- MBA in Finance
- MBA in Accounting
- MBA in Project Management
- MBA in Heathcare Management
- MBA in International Business
- MBA in Technology Management
What degree levels are available?
The Master of Business Administration is a master's level degree.
What are the educational and certification requirements?
The educational requirements will vary greatly, depending on the particular MBA specialization or program you choose. There are no required certifications for graduates of MBA programs, although there are many voluntary certifications. Voluntary certifications can help an individual demonstrate their skills, and potentially secure better job positions. These certifications are usually specific to the specialization the MBA graduate wishes to pursue, and often require some professional experience.
For example, the Certified Financial Planner credential is available to those pursuing a career in financial planning, and the Certified International Investment Analyst credential can be earned by professionals dealing with international financial instruments. The Human Resources Certification and the Accreditation in Public Relations are just a few of the other voluntary certifications available for different business areas.
What kinds of classes will I be expected to take?
MBAs are geared toward professionals who could benefit from acquiring the skills necessary to successfully run a business. As you can imagine, these skills are quite interdisciplinary, from technical topics like finances and business law, to more holistic subjects like effective leadership and decision making. For example, in a course titled Financial and Accounting Tools, future business leaders learn about creating financial reports and interpreting financial information. A course like Markets, Industry Analysis, and Business Strategy teaches economics, how markets affect businesses, and how to come up with an economic strategy. It takes both these conceptual and practical approaches to finance to develop a well-rounded understanding of business performance.
Business leaders also learn how to appropriately structure a business and orchestrate individual and group interactions in courses like Organizational Behavior and Performance. This course covers aspects of management science that result in positive business results. Strategic Planning, another management science course, looks at ways a business can get an edge on its competitors by writing an effective business plan. Other courses, like Managing Human Resources, tackle issues of efficiency within a company. This class discusses how to recruit the best employees and maintain employee loyalty.
If I pursue this program online, will I be required to complete any on-site training?
It depends on the online degree you choose. Some require students to come to campus a few times a year for day or week-long residency programs. These on-site experiences can give students the benefits of working through business situations with their peers, or the chance to discuss business issues with real companies. Many on-site experiences feature guest speakers who discuss their own time in business. In-person retreats also allow students to network with their instructors and fellow students, to form potentially helpful career contacts.
Other online MBAs have no on-site requirement. These are more commonly executive MBAs, designed for currently working business professionals. MBAs with no on-site requirement have increased flexibility, although students may also miss out on the upsides of the in-person interaction that comes with residency experiences.
What are some other degrees that are related to this program?
A Master of Science in business is perhaps the degree most closely related to the MBA. MS in business degrees also take around two years to earn, and teach students about business fundamentals. MS in business degrees do tend to be less practically oriented than MBAs, and require graduates to do a significant amount of original research in a business area of their choice. A master's degree in management is also quite similar to an MBA, except that it may be shorter in length and may attract program applicants with backgrounds in a variety of fields.
The Master of Science in finance degree is related to the MBA, although it prepares students specifically for a career in financial analysis and has less general business topics. A master's degree in accounting is related to an MBA in that students learn financial principles, accounting skills, and some financial decision-making strategies. For those interested in managing government at the local, state, or federal level, a master's degree in public administration is especially suited to management in the public sector.
