So you’ve decided to go for an MBA? Good choice! Having an MBA under your belt is highly likely to boost your chances of success in the professional world. It’ll boost your business knowledge and help you to climb up the career ladder. But choosing the right MBA program is a little harder, and there are so many courses options to decipher. An MBA is tough, so it’s important that you think long and hard about the type of course that you choose, and the structure it will give you. Luckily, we’ve put together a guide on how to choose an MBA program, so you can make sure that you’re making the right decision.
Types of MBA Program
There are lots of different MBAs to choose from, and they all offer something different in terms of course content and teaching style. It’s important that you choose an MBA that’s suited to your industry specialism and your level of experience.
For example, an Executive Master of Business Administration (or EMBA) is better suited to experienced professionals with over 10 years of professional experience. You’ll learn in small classes where networking with other professionals is a priority. Whereas you can expect a more general MBA program to focus on providing students with professional experience. These MBA programs tend to act as a launchpad and offer a wide range of global and professional networking opportunities to help students grow their portfolio of contacts.
MBA Structure
MBA programs can be structured in many ways, providing students with a variety of teaching styles and lifestyles. The most common MBA formats are full-time, part-time and online. If you study full-time, you can expect the course to be full-on and a lot of hard work. On the other hand, studying part-time may suit students that want to study while they continue to work. Online or ‘distance learning’ MBAs can be studied completely independently, and offer virtual classroom and networking rather than in-person teaching.
The type of MBA that you choose will depend on your desired lifestyle, and your existing work or family commitments. If you’d like to travel, consider studying a Global MBA Program. This will take you to a wide range of countries, and provide you with a unique insight into international business operations.
Accreditations
Gaining accreditation is a great way to prove the quality of your MBA education. When researching MBA programs, you should consider whether the course or university/ education provider carries an accreditation or has links to a professional body. The most common MBA accreditations are AACSB, AMBA and EFMD. By choosing a particular MBA, you may also gain membership to these professional associations. This will set you up with a network of professionals in your industry for when you’ve completed your course.
Costs
An MBA isn’t cheap. But there is help out there to help you finance your studies. You should consider whether you’d like to keep working alongside your MBA, to help reduce the costs of living and studying at university. Are you going to need to travel to the university to study for your MBA? If so, you must factor in the costs of travel and accommodation. If you’d like to complete an MBA, but can’t afford it, you could consider online or distance learning. For these courses, you’ll still have to pay tuition fees but as you’ll be studying from home, this can reduce a lot of the external the costs.
Enjoyed this article on how to choose an MBA program? Read our article on Why Study an MBA Program – AMBA Collaboration.
