What is an MBA degree and why should you pursue it?

Young people today pick their studies based on many different factors. One of those is whether their degree of choice will allow them to pursue a fruitful career after graduating. Still, in today’s demanding professional world, there isn’t a “yes” or “no” answer to that question. That’s because to build a longstanding career in most fields and industries, graduates need more than a mere bachelor’s degree or a few years of professional experience.

They need to continue their education and either focus on a specialization or broaden their professional scope. The best way to achieve that is to get a post-graduate degree. The tricky part is to decide what type of post-graduate degree they want to pursue.

Cartier-wise, one of the most popular master’s degrees among graduates of different academic fields today is the MBA degree.

What is an MBA degree?

An MBA degree stands for Master of Business Administration. Its origins are traced to the era when the US was becoming rapidly industrialized. Businesses were getting bigger, and more complicated, so the need for a new type of educated workforce emerged. These highly qualified employers would devise and apply cost and time-efficient ways to manage all financial and logistics operations. In other words, they would provide companies with a new, scientific approach to business management. Hence, the first MBA degree in history. It was offered at Harvard University in Massachusetts back in 1908!

A Master of Business Administration is exactly what the acronym suggests. MBA degree students learn how to run a company of any type or size based on the parallel study of the various areas of business administration like accounting, marketing, human resources, supply-chain management, business law, etc. In that light, an MBA is an interdisciplinary degree. It draws knowledge from different academic fields to prepare graduates for the many challenges of running a business and secure them a better chance of doing it successfully.

So, depending on your bachelor’s degree or professional experience, an MBA degree qualifies you to start a business-oriented career in that field. At the same time, though, it allows you to not only embark on a different career path but also carve it within an entirely different industry!

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What can you do with an MBA degree

An MBA degree is both a terminal and a professional degree, which means that an MBA graduate is considered fully qualified to provide professional services in all business fields without further education (i.e., a doctorate). Since these days it seems impossible to think of a professional field without a business aspect, an MBA degree can lead to many different career paths in exciting areas like:

Business intelligence

What would you say to a career that puts you on the cutting edge of data technologies and gives you the power to help businesses grow with your analytic skills?

Investment banking

With an MBA degree, you can become part of a select group of financial professionals who know how to raise a company’s capital and boost its market value. Sounds exciting?

Strategic marketing

Today, marketing is a complicated strategy-based task. Are you ready to take it to the next level and orchestrate your company’s growth through combined marketing tactics?

Hospitality management

How about using your newly acquired business skills to travel the world as part of the captivating and highly versatile tourism industry?

Customer relationship management

In today’s consumer market, the customer is king. Isn’t it intriguing to create the best possible customer experiences and make people trust your company?

Corporate social responsibility

To make the world a better place, we need every help we can get. Do you want to be the mastermind of your business’s efforts to support the greater good?

Add careers in the booming non-profit sector; the world of disrupting fin-techs and fast-growing start-ups; the rapidly changing energy industry; and many more. In fact, the list is endless. A Master of Business Administration from a top MBA degree program offers you unprecedented power to choose the building blocks of your career and move onwards to an adventurous, completely open-ended professional future.

How to get an MBA degree

The obvious first step before pursuing an MBA is to get a bachelor’s degree. Since the MBA is a general post-graduate degree that covers the business aspects of any given sector or industry, a person can start their academic journey in the field they like most. They can study anything from math or architecture to psychology or fine art and still be able to follow a business-oriented professional track through an MBA degree. They can even start a career in their field and pursue an MBA later on to enhance their academic portfolio and broaden their professional prospects.

Studying for an MBA degree certificate is an option that’s truly available to everyone with a bachelor’s degree and the desire to sink their teeth into the intricate world of business studies. Still, to secure your admission to a high-quality program, it wouldn’t hurt to plan ahead. Find the ideal studies in 1 minute! Get started!

What are the basic MBA degree requirements?

The decision to go for an MBA degree comes with the responsibility to pick the best program for your needs. Therefore, it's important to have such qualifications that allow you to apply anywhere you want. So, before applying for an MBA degree certificate, you have to:

Try for a high GPA

When studying for their degree, few undergraduates have their eyes set on their academic future from the very start. Yet, it's important to perceive any academic pursuit as a stepping stone to the next one, even if you never take that step. Doing the extra work to finish your bachelor’s degree with high grades may provide you with better options when picking a post-graduate degree. Have in mind that there's a good chance your top MBA degree program has a minimum GPA requirement. So, it’s best not to sabotage yourself and narrow your potential before you even need it.

Enhance your resume

When applying for an MBA degree, it’s good to look like the best candidate for a business Master's certificate. Admission boards usually like resumes that combine academic excellence with a broad scope of acquired skills and experiences. In other words, during your bachelor’s degree, do not hesitate to participate in extracurricular activities that interest you, even if they have nothing to do with business. It's something that will look great on your CV!

Gain working experience

Most times, graduates will pursue an MBA degree after having worked in their professional field and decided it’s the business aspect that suits them most career-wise. Some have already gained working experience before finishing their bachelor’s degree either as interns or regular employees. That usually gives them a useful headstart when applying for an MBA degree. Whatever your plan is, remember that many MBA programs favorite candidates who have already gotten their feet wet in their profession in some way or another.

Score well on your GMAT

To get into a business-oriented post-graduate program, you need to take a GMAT exam (i.e., Graduate Management Admission Test). It’s a standardized test designed to assess your knowledge and skills in an array of fields required for business and management studies. Another test that would look good in your application is the GRE (i.e., Graduate Record Examinations), which provides a more general assessment of your acquired knowledge. To score high on these tests, you need to prepare for at least a few months, and you can take both multiple times until you have the best possible results.

So, even before you are sure that you will pursue an MBA degree, it’s important to lay the best possible groundwork for your career move. The reason is to boost your prospects significantly with a top-rated and well-respected MBA diploma.

Why get an MBA from a top MBA degree program

In the professional world, credentials matter a lot. Especially, when you’re at the beginning of your career and your working experience isn’t enough to give you a competitive advantage, an MBA degree from an acclaimed program might be enough to land you the job. Getting high GPA and GMAT scores and presenting a rich, attention-grabbing resume is the first big step.

Next, is searching for the MBA degree program that fits your particular needs and requirements. To start, ask yourself these useful questions:

• Do you want to commit to a full-time MBA degree program?
• Is a part-time program, that lets you work at the same time, the best option for you?
• Would you search for a conventional program or prefer to get an MBA degree online?
• Are you looking for an MBA dual degree where you can further specialize in your field while getting a Master’s in Business Administration?
• Do you have the working experience to opt for an executive MBA degree?

Whatever you ask for, there is a wide selection of MBA programs out there to choose your preferred ones and send in your application material. To give you a hand, our experts have picked three top MBA degree courses that can fully meet any candidate’s needs:

The MBA degree in a nutshell

By now, it’s more than obvious what’s an MBA degree, what you need to know before applying, and why studying for an MBA degree is a decision you cannot take lightly. An MBA post-graduate diploma is the perfect fit for anyone that wants to:

• upgrade their business and management skills,
• exchange theirs for a more versatile career path,
• enhance their professional resume,
• increase their salary and career potential.

In a nutshell, a Master in Business Administration can turn you from a skilled graduate or professional into an adept business executive and open up a sea of career opportunities, both lucrative and fulfilling. Because, as the saying goes, the future belongs to those who best prepare for it. Have questions about studying abroad or an MBA degree? Schedule a session with a certified consultant!

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