The labor market today is a highly competitive environment, the requirements for applicants are high and tough, the fees of specialists vary by tens or even hundreds of times. To get a highly paid leadership position, just desire, burning eyes and a fiery motor instead of a heart are not enough. The market dictates its conditions. How to meet the requirements of the market? This will be discussed in the article.
MBA: step to the top of the career ladder
The competencies of leading managers are contiguous, knowledge in interdisciplinary fields is required. In addition to brilliant theoretical knowledge in economics and finance, high level foreign language skills, requirements are also put forward in the practical direction of applying knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as to personal effectiveness, the ability to work with a team and mobilize it in a highly competitive and unstable environment and markets.
Therefore, ambitious young specialists and people who already have experience in management have a logical question: how to increase their value in the professional market? What trainings, seminars, lectures, or other types of continuing education can help?
One of the ways to fulfill your dream in building a career and getting a well-paid position in a prestigious company is to get an MBA degree. What is an MBA (degree)? This abbreviation stands for Master of business administration. In Russian, it sounds like a “Master of Business Administration”. MBA is a degree that in our mobile world, entangled in Internet technologies, can be obtained even remotely, but, of course, full-time study in business schools is more productive.
From the history of MBA
The first prototype MBA course originated in the 19th century in the United States of America. This was due to the fact that business owners interested in maximizing profits relied on the training and development of their own employees. This allowed to reduce costs, contributed to the growth of commercial organizations and improve the quality of goods and services. Due to the fact that the course has established itself as an effective tool, it soon found distribution and was successfully implemented in Europe.
For the first time, the course that today underlies the MBA was introduced into the curriculum of the University of Pennsylvania. Today, students of the school occupy leading positions in global corporations and major international companies.
Where to get an MBA (degree)?
Who trains such specialists? There are plenty of business schools offering an MBA degree both in Russia and abroad. The MBA diploma is quoted worldwide, regardless of the school in which it was received. The curriculum has a clear focus, specificity and consistency, which all educational institutions that have the right to carry out teaching in this area adhere to.
Now around the world there are about two and a half thousand schools in which you can get an MBA (degree). Thanks to the huge baggage of experience of teachers, experts, graduates, this is a forge of cadres releasing highly qualified specialists. If the applicant plans to pursue a career in Russia, then it is more advisable to look for a suitable school in Russia. Russian business schools comply with educational standards, in addition, business cases adapted to the realities of Russian reality will be useful in further practice.
Requirements for applicants
There are a number of requirements for MBA applicants.Among them are mandatory work experience in managerial positions; knowledge of the English language, confirmed by the TOEFL test; test results for the ability to study in business schools and, of course, a diploma of higher education is not lower than a bachelor's degree in any field.
Competitive selection allows you to form strong groups of students for the course and the equivalent exchange of experience. Groups in training courses, as a rule, are not very large, which allows them to work out practical exercises with high quality.
In many schools, the requirements for applicants are the same. The fact is that the master of business administration should be mobile, multifunctional and almost universal. Indeed, in world-class companies, in the process of internal castling or design work, a specialist can be anywhere in the world without lowering the bar of his professionalism, justifying and exceeding the expectations of the employer's management.
MBA (Degree): Types of Education
Despite the fact that the above mentioned the similarity of courses in all educational institutions, there is a gradation of MBA courses in terms of duration, content of academic disciplines, depth of immersion in the process, and some other factors.
So the classic MBA course is called Full time MBA - this is an analogue of a full-time full-time study. For people who are limited in time and want to improve their managerial qualifications, the following courses exist:
- Part time;
- Mini
- Distance-learning MBA.
There is also a program for managers with significant experience and experience: Executive MBA. This program allows you to systematize existing knowledge and get new without returning to the basics.
Courses can also be adapted to various business sectors.
MBA degree forms
- Full-time.
- Part-time.
- Distance or full distance learning.
Depending on the goals that students set for themselves, you can choose any format for obtaining a master's degree. It should be noted that part-time and remote forms require basic knowledge and skills in the studied disciplines, experience working with real management decisions and the ability to self-organize.
Core disciplines
What are the main disciplines taught in MBA courses? A master's degree means gaining knowledge in subjects that are part of the standard of study. Disciplines such as management, marketing and human resource management, accounting and self-organization are an integral part of any of the selected MBA programs. The number of hours in the program and in-person sessions, seminars and lectures can vary.
The benefits of studying at a business school
The abundance of practical tasks and exercises allows in practice to refine the theoretical material obtained, bringing skills to perfection. Famous masters of their craft, who have achieved success and are able to transfer and algorithmize their knowledge, are often invited to conduct master classes and theoretical blocks. Communicating with successful people not only allows you to get real tools for managerial decisions, but also motivates students to achieve new heights.
As a rule, the material and technical base of schools and universities, on the basis of which you can get an MBA, is fully equipped with modern equipment. This makes learning enjoyable and comfortable.
Classes in small groups allow you to work on the bugs, train your skills efficiently. Each student receives full and comprehensive feedback from teachers and answers to questions from experts.
What gives an MBA degree?
The MBA degree opens up new career opportunities and horizons for applicants. When choosing a school for an MBA and a master's degree, attention should be paid to the fact that some schools guarantee their graduates employment in the event of successful training and passing the exam.This can be a good start, both at the beginning of a career, and a key success factor in continuing the professional path.
The MBA degree allows candidates not only to obtain the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge and skills, experience in competent business management, but also to increase self-esteem, gain confidence in their own abilities and pump the personal qualities necessary for a manager in work and in life. An MBA (degree) is prestigious and profitable.
MBA in Moscow
Where to get an MBA in Moscow? Consider what factors you should pay attention to when choosing a business school, the nuances and bottlenecks.
The most important factor is the availability of an accredited institution under the MBA program. Accreditation is carried out by Western experts, or rather three associations: AMBA, EFMD and AACSB. If a business school went through the process of obtaining permission to implement the program of one of these associations, we can confidently talk about the quality of knowledge.
You should pay attention to the expert composition. Eminent business trainers and lecturers, famous and successful businessmen, politicians, public figures, are excellent resources for gaining experience and real knowledge.
School is judged by its students. You can analyze the biography of the top managers of the company in which you plan to work or whose activities inspire you to work. Most likely, similar names of business schools in which the chosen idols were trained will quickly be discovered. Then the search circle will be significantly reduced. It is no secret that to achieve success at first, it is enough to duplicate the actions of people whose achievements are impressive.
The cost of schooling varies by tens to hundreds of thousands. Here you should focus on your budget, or take the opportunity to get a loan for training. In large companies, there is the possibility of obtaining an MBA at the expense of the employer. As a rule, it is free for the employee, but is indicated in the employment contract. For example, in some cases it is stipulated that the employee must work at least five years after graduation.
Today in Moscow there are eleven business schools that fit the parameters described above: those with accreditation, a decent teaching staff, a star list of students and providing flexible payment terms.
Flour of choice
What to choose: higher education or MBA degree? This question is often asked not only by very young people choosing the first university, but also by seasoned managers who seek to improve their skills or learn how to competently manage their own business.
In the first case, the question is not correct. An MBA can only be obtained with a higher education diploma and at least three years of work experience. Although in the situation with the experience, you can try to charm the selection committee at the stage of passing the interview and prove that there are all the necessary qualities for learning on the course. If there is a choice between an MBA and getting a second higher education, then it is worth remembering that higher education is aimed at obtaining a theoretical base, which is sometimes poorly applicable to market realities. Unlike the specialty, the MBA provides a comprehensive education, balancing theoretical calculations with a large number of practical exercises, which gives a complete picture of the situation on the market, shows the possibilities to navigate it and make the right decisions. In addition, do not forget that two years of training in an MBA course will allow you to find like-minded people, possible business partners, and expand the circle of friends.
Thus, summing up the answer to the question “MBA (degree) - what is this?”, We can confidently answer that this is an effective way to increase your value in the market of professional services, get excellent knowledge and the ability to completely change your life.