Is an MBA Still Relevant? Definitely, According to These B-School Deans
Are you contemplating an MBA for career advancement, personal development, or a career switch? You may have mixed feelings as a result of news stories covering the recent dip in applications. You might ask yourself, is an MBA still relevant? We know b-school hopefuls love to hear advice from the experts. Bloomberg Businessweek recently spoke to several deans for their take on whether an MBA is still a sought-after degree.
“The skills you learn in an MBA are probably more valuable than they have ever been,” Antonio Bernardo, dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management, tells Bloomberg Businessweek. “And yet a lot of people are talking about it as if it’s a degree that is losing relevance.”
Bernardo cites the fact that, especially in the tech sector, businesses today interact much more with stakeholders—including regulators. MBA courses, says Bernardo, teach students how to deal with an array of ethical and legal issues corporations might face.
Meanwhile, Dean Matthew Slaughter of Darmouth’s Tuck School of Business tells Bloomberg Businessweek he foresees a steady pool of applicants for MBA programs because the degree provides the hard skills and leadership training that businesses will continue to require. Slaughter adds that Tuck continues to adapt its curriculum to keep up with student and employer demands.
Over at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, its new(ish) dean Francesca Cornelli says the MBA is still relevant because of the importance teamwork and collaboration will continue to play in tomorrow’s business landscape.
“We are not just preparing you for the next job or the next five years,” she tells Bloomberg Businessweek. “We are preparing you to thrive in the world of change.”
These key career benefits make the MBA still relevant
Business school grads typically enjoy a solid ROI through substantial salary increases. But they also benefit by deepening the knowledge, skills, and abilities they will need for future professional success.
The MBA degree strengthens many skills. We’re talking leadership, intellectual creativity, analysis and critical thinking, cross-cultural awareness, communication, even greater IT mastery. All of these will serve you well as you find your way toward your ultimate career goal.
To see what the deans of Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western University and Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young are saying about the MBA degree, follow the link above to the original article.
