MBA Degree Program

The Master of Business Administration, or the MBA, is an advanced professional degree in business administration, with both highly regarded designation and world-wide recognition. Several different types of MBA's exist in traditional universities and colleges, as well as non-traditional, distance learning programs. Prospective MBA students may chose from the Two-Year MBA, the Accelerated One-Year MBA, a Part-Time program, or the Executive MBA. The Executive MBA allows students to work full-time, while applying business and management theories to real life situations at work. Typically, the Executive MBA student has broader career experiences compared to the traditional Two-Year MBA student.

Before beginning the MBA program, a student should chose a degree specialization that coincides with their current business career or with future business endeavors and opportunities. Such MBA degree specializations include:

Accounting
Business Management
Corporate Strategy
E-Commerce
Economics
Entrepreneurship
Finance
Global Management
Human Resources Management
Information Systems
Marketing
Operations Management
Project Management
Risk Management
Supply Chain Management
Technology Management

Although the upper level courses may vary slightly between each specialization, the basic curriculum within each program is the same.

After choosing the type of MBA degree and specialization, a prospective student should identify possible schools, taking into account the school's accreditation. The accreditation of educational institutions is a process of quality assurance, where an external entity determines if appropriate standards of service and operations are met. The main accrediting agency of MBA schools and programs is the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). In addition, various criteria of MBA programs and universities are ranked by reliable sources, such as Business Week and Forbes magazines, and by biased sources, such as MBA students themselves on websites like the "About Guide to Business Majors".

Once the prospective student selects the most suitable school, it is time to apply for the MBA program. The application process for advanced business degrees is ordinarily stringent and strenuous. For example, the Harvard Business School, one of the top-ranked MBA programs, requires several components to their application package:

Transcripts
Current Resume
Scores from the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Records Exam (GRE)
Essays to Specific Questions
Recommendations
Interviews
Application Fee

The process of choosing and applying to a suitable MBA program may seem arduous, but the payoff for completing a Master of Business Administration program is worth every bit of hard work.