Why get an MBA?

* Having a master's degree in business administration is necessary for those who want to gain an advantage in this ultra-tough industry. It is one of several business degrees that provide a huge impact on a professional's salary and career advancement options.

* A Masters of Business Administration (MBA) can help you move up the career ladder at a large corporation significantly.

Besides the education you get in accounting, finance, management, operations, etc., you will build you business network. Plus, graduating from a prestigious MBA program gives a very good first impression.

* "Master of Business Administration"

An MBA is one of the most coveted postgraduate degrees today not just for business professionals, but for college graduates in general. Having a master's degree in business administration is necessary for those who want to gain an advantage in this ultra-tough industry. It is one of several business degrees that provide a huge impact on a professional's salary and career advancement options. Being an official Master of Business Administration is also an attractive endeavor for professionals outside the industry because the program touches different fields and sectors. Overall, MBA training is a valuable asset regardless of the career path chosen by college graduates.

* An MBA is a Master's in Business Administration. A full-time student can earn an MBA in 6 years.

I do not recommend getting an MBA unless you want to be like everybody else. Major in something unique and employers will notice you. A master's degree in History or English will make you shine more than an MBA.

An MBA is a Masters in Business Administration. It is incredibly helpful ,and often required, of executive officers of large and even some small companies.

The higher the degree the more marketable you will become. Whether it's worth it depends on your career goals and objectives. If you wish to pursue areas of management (especially in the corporate sector) then yes, it would be worth it. Still, the Masters degree will also open new areas of opportunity for you. If you plan on being in the work force for some time, its worth pursuing higher levels of education.

* Why an MBA

The MBA is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. It is a degree designed to give you the ability to develop your career to its fullest potential, at an accelerated pace. What will you get out of an MBA? Aside from a powerful life experience, the MBA degree should supply three main value propositions: Skills, Networks, and Brand.

* Skills

These include the "hard skills" of economics, finance, marketing, operations, management, and accounting, as well as the "soft skills " of leadership, teamwork, ethics, and communication that are so critical for effective management. MBA students acquire these skills inside and outside the classroom. Since MBA programs attract people from very diverse industries and cultures, a program should be able to leverage these differences and translate them into learning opportunities.

* Networks

An MBA degree program offers access to a network of MBA students, alumni, faculty, and business and community leaders. This network can be very useful when beginning a job search, developing a career path, building business relationships in your current career, or pursuing expertise outside your current field. For example, entrepreneurs need access to capital, business partners, vendors, and clients. Arts-related businesses need access to funding and strategic management in order to position themselves to be relevant in the marketplace. Global businesses need access to local business cultures as they expand their enterprises to new territories.

* Brand

The MBA degree is a recognized brand that signifies management and leadership training. The particular school and type of MBA program you attend also have brand associations that can help open doors based on the school's reputation. The strength of a school's brand is based on the program's history, its ability to provide students with technical skills and opportunities for personal growth, and the reach of its alumni and industry network. A powerful brand can give you the flexibility to make changes throughout your career.

Source: http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/admissions/decision/why.cfm

* An MBA program strives to equip its students

I have applied for the MBA program in U21, as it is the next indispensable step in my career.

For many purposes, an M.B.A. is the fastest road between where we are now and where we want to go in this competitive environment.

* Career Advancement or Career Change

You may want to gain a position of greater responsibility in your current field. Or you may want to switch from one area of business to another-from marketing or sales to strategic planning or finance, for example.

You could be looking to change your career path altogether. Using an M.B.A. to switch career focus is a typical strategy. Many people seek a management position after acquiring expertise in a different field altogether-such as nursing, teaching, performing arts, or engineering-because they want to shift to a management position in their area. An M.B.A. can help you make a major break or leap in your career path-with a concomitant leap in income.

You may aspire to an area that "requires" an M.B.A. as an entry. An M.B.A. signals a prospective employer that you've got the knowledge and skills a demanding job requires, as well as persistence, energy, and even time-management skills to handle it.

* Specific Management Training

Obtaining specific management training and expertise is another common reason for pursuing an M.B.A. Although the M.B.A. is a general management degree, most programs provide opportunities to study one or more areas in greater depth. Investment bankers typically concentrate on finance in their M.B.A.s, for instance. But if you have a very singular focus on a particular field, you may want to consider some alternatives such as a specialized master's program, course work as a non degree student, or non university-based courses, seminars, and workshops.

If you need to learn something about a few specific topics, consider an executive education program. Typically conducted as workshops or seminars lasting from a few hours to several days, an executive education program may provide the training you need.

EMPLOYABLE SKILLS GAINED BY MBAs

The transferable skills derived from study for an MBA include the following:

* Academic achievement: demonstrates application and high standards of performance;
* Communication skills: listening, speaking carefully and clearly, the ability to put across your arguments fluently in writing;
* Analysis: distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information, identifying issues and problems;
* Commitment: seriousness of purpose, demonstrated both by taking time out from your career on a reduced salary (or no salary) in order to improve your qualifications and by combining work and part-time study;
* Practicality: realism, ability to set attainable goals;
* Maturity: tenacity, independence, organization;
* Decisiveness: fact-finding skills, clarity, judgment, courage;
* Intellectual creativity: the ability to develop new concepts and ideas;
* Capacity for hard work: embodying self-motivation, self-discipline and time management;
* Group skills: teamwork, leadership, ability to motivate others;
* The mastery of IT skills: knowledge of statistical packages, spreadsheets, databases and programming languages;
* Cross-cultural awareness: working with fellow-students from many different nationalities and backgrounds.

In addition to the skills outlined above you are likely to have developed the following skills to a high level through an MBA and through previous employment:

* The ability to overcome difficulties and to solve problems;
* To be independent and to have developed the skill of managing your own time and work;
* To be capable of original and creative thought;
* To argue your case with logic and not to be easily dissuaded by the views of others.

Having an MBA not only gives you more leverage in dictating new job titles and salary, but also gives you leverage in achieving a better balance between work (read: fewer hours working) and life outside work.

Answer

* To become a manager or a better existing manager.

* Earn a better salary.

* To develop better critical thinking skills.

* To sharpen strategy and tactical skills.

* To develop appropriate leadership skills.

* To broaden ones scope.

* To learn and develop strategic thinking.

* To analyse organizational methods and procedures.

* To enrich ones life.

* To take on more responsibilities

* To expand ones network

* To step to a higher level within a career

* To learn approaches to solve real life problems.

* To increase motivation.

* To increase performance.

* To learn to use power appropriately

* To learn the art of influencing people

* To become more marketable

* To learn negotiation dynamics

* To learn the methods for building energized teams.

* Develop managerial competence.

* To develop a global mindset.

* For personal development.

* To enhance interpersonal skills.

* To learn the importance of cultural sensitivity.

* To learn the risk management skills.

* To lead change.

* To learn the importance of social responsibility.

* To develop strategic planning skills.


Well, I suppose the list can go on, however you can understand from the above the importance of higher education and it's impact on you and society in general.

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out scientific approaches to management. The core courses in the MBA program are designed to introduce students to the various areas of business such as accounting, marketing, human resources, operations management, etc. Students in some MBA programs have the option to select an area of concentration and focus approximately one-third of their studies in this area.

Accreditation bodies exist specifically for MBA programs to ensure consistency and quality of graduate business education, and business schools in many countries offer MBA programs tailored to full-time, part-time, executive, and distance learning students, with specialized concentrations.
[edit] Background

The Tuck School of Business, part of Dartmouth College, was the first graduate school of business in the United States. Founded in 1900, it was the first institution conferring advanced degrees (masters) in the commercial sciences, specifically, a Master of Science in Commerce degree, the forebear of the modern MBA degree.

In 1908, the Graduate School of Business Administration (GSBA) at Harvard University was established; it offered the world's first MBA program, with a faculty of 15 plus 33 regular students and 47 special students.

The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business first offered working professionals the Executive MBA (EMBA) program in 1940, and this type of program is offered by most business schools today.

In 1950, the first MBA degrees were awarded outside the United States by The University of Western Ontario in Canada,[1] followed in 1951 with the degree awarded by the University of Pretoria in South Africa.[2] The Institute of Business Administration, Karachi in Pakistan was established in 1955 as the first Asian business school by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1957, INSEAD became the first European business school to offer an MBA program.[citation needed]

The MBA degree has been adopted by universities worldwide, and has been adopted and adapted by both developed and developing countries.