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MBA Programs Worldwide

The Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA) is the most popular business qualification in the world, and is fast becoming a prerequisite for management positions.

The MBA is by its nature a general management qualification. An MBA program usually consists of a core curriculum covering the functional areas of management, including information systems, finance and accounting, and human resources, to name a few. The second stage of the MBA course is usually made up of a choice of electives (optional courses), to allow the student to either continue with general studies or to specialise in a particular subject or area. All this is taught through a variety of means, for example, lectures, study groups and case studies.

This site aims to help you choose the right MBA program for you, whether by full time study or via an online MBA. The articles in the left hand navigation bar offer general advice by geographic region whilst our mba programs article index contains a range articles on more specific MBA courses and advice in general. Best of all we also offer a Free Application & Information Service.

The MBA qualification began in the US about 90 years ago. Today, well over 1000 business schools, universities and other institutions across the world offer MBA programs, and these can differ vastly according to tradition and background. There are also innumerable methods of study, for example, full-time, part-time, modular and distance learning. With this bewildering choice on offer, how can a potential student decide which is the best programme for them?

Cost Considerations

Undertaking an MBA course is a large commitment both in terms of time (full-time programmes run for one or two years) and money (good quality courses cost in the region of £15,000 to £20,000). Therefore, before selecting an MBA program, it is important to ask yourself why you are pursuing the qualification in the first place.

The main reasons quoted by students for choosing to embark upon this route of study are for an increase in salary; to open new career opportunities; to further a career and to extend personal networks. A good quality course will allow for all of these by developing participants' personal skills at the same time as extending their knowledge base in the general management disciplines in the context of global business.

MBA programs are an educational course, and as such should challenge students' assumptions and attitudes. Furthermore, knowledge accrued on the course should be highly transferable to the world of work. The courses which achieve this most effectively bring together top quality faculty with students from a variety of backgrounds who possess a wealth of experience and ambition (at Cranfield, for example, students on the full-time programme have an average of nine years' business experience). This combination produces the best possible educational experience which broadens horizons and equips the individual to embrace challenge and change in the future.

International students in the know seek MSMS programs

Among MBA programs, master in management degrees have become newly popular with international students who have business experience -- and some who don't. The ability to customize a management education is one of the features that draws applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Between June and July 2011, the Graduate Management Admission Council conducted its yearly Application Trends Survey. The GMAC surveyed 649 programs from 331 business schools and faculties worldwide. Nearly 70 percent of master in management programs reported an increase in applications.

Students without business experience rely on master in management programs that are designed to teach them the principles of business to enter the corporate world or MBA programs. Students with professional experience attend master in management programs--developed to position them as experts on particular business fields--to differentiate themselves in the job market. Master in management programs are so popular worldwide that the MIT Sloan School of Management even awards these degrees to international students who complete the second year of their foreign MBA or master in management degrees in-house.

"The Master of Science in Management Studies or MSMS Program is intended for top students at non-U.S. business schools to study at MIT Sloan and obtain a degree," Chanh Phan, program manager, said. "The program complements the overseas MBA or equivalent master's education and allows students to focus on a particular area of management that they're interested in."

A master in management for experienced international MBAs

Master in management programs have a number of benefits. For instance, they allow students with professional experience to customize their management education. At MIT, Phan said, MSMS students can take elective courses in different departments, including MIT Sloan, Media Lab, Entrepreneurship, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, and Engineering. Students can also register for courses at Harvard Business School, the Kennedy School of Government or Harvard Law School.

Master in management programs also allow experienced students to demonstrate their proficiency in specific business disciplines. Students may write theses on topics of interest with the backing of faculty members who are authorities on these fields. MIT's MSMS theses focus on a variety of topics, according to Phan, including behavior based segmentation and price discrimination, China's stock market, the frozen food industry in Morocco, electronic payments, and online advertising.

Master in management programs accept a variety of students as well--from undergraduates without experience to MBAs with professional experience. They could also focus on providing international students management education from a U.S. perspective. Besides welcoming second-year international students, Phan said, MIT's MSMS also accepts international MBAs or master in management graduates who seek additional education on a particular management area to excel professionally. Areas of study could include strategic marketing, entrepreneurship, energy, or a specialized area of finance. Students can also benefit from access to MIT's alumni network, career coaching, and recruiting activities.

MSMS student follows his passion from Paris to Boston

HEC Paris student Léonard Bouygues has opted to study the second-year of his master in management degree at MIT--which has in place a dual degree arrangement with the Parisian business school. Once Bouygues is done with his education, he will obtain master in management degrees from HEC and MIT. Bouygues was primarily drawn to MIT's master in management program for international students like him because he could specialize on fields he is passionate about: technology and entrepreneurship.

"I have classes on how to create an enterprise; I work on projects with high-tech start-ups in the Boston area; I get to create a business plan," Bouygues said. "There is a lot of work, but it is so interesting that it is really pleasant."

Bouygues was also drawn to the MIT master in management program because it would allow him to discuss real-life cases with professors who are experts on the fields and students from multiple nationalities and experiences. Furthermore, he would be able to complete a thesis on the subject of his choice.

"I believe that this is an incredibly valuable asset of the program," he said about the thesis. "Imagine how useful to a career this can be."

Bouygues already possesses a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Imperial College London and professional experience as an energy consultant at Capgemini Consulting and as an industry analyst at Google. After obtaining the master in management degrees from HEC and MIT, he would like to focus professionally on technological innovation, entrepreneurship and strategic management. In the meantime, the French student is already promoting the benefits of studying a master in management at the renowned U.S. institution to his peers in Paris.

A versatile master's degree to boost career opportunities

Whether you are an undergraduate or international graduate with professional experience, the master in management degree could provide an additional edge to your career. General or specialized management knowledge and a substantive thesis should better prepare you to make a positive difference in your professional life.