MBA Dissertation
MBA stands for so much more than Master of Business Administration. An MBA stands for unparalleled skill, brilliant promise and a guaranteed future. The MBA was originally designed in America, at a time when industrialisation was in full swing. The demand for an MBA style qualification came from companies increasingly looking for more science-based approaches to management.
An MBA is one of the most sought after business qualifications; the strict accreditation bodies ensure that consistency and quality are always maintained at a superior level.
It is possible to study for an MBA qualification full time, part time, and at long distance. The course is available worldwide, and it is also possible to specialise in certain areas.
Many high-profile business publications debate the controversies and influences of certain MBA courses, but every course is nevertheless highly respected.
History of the MBA Qualification
Professional business qualifications originated in America, and the first incarnations came from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Wharton is generally considered as the first American business school and was founded in 1881. The business qualification was then adapted to a masters level by the Tuck School of Business, a part of Dartmouth College, a graduate school. It is generally accepted that Wharton introduced the study of business management, while TuckSchool of Business then took this to an advanced degree level.
As the original MBA was being developed in America, European schools began to set up graduate schools capable of teaching advanced business management, such as CranfieldSchool of Management and WebsterGraduateSchool. After forty years of development, The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business began to offer an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA). This was a program offered to able professionals that were working in a business environment. The EMBA is now the most widely offered business qualification.
Other business schools soon began to catch up with the USA and began to award MBAs in 1950, the first was awarded by the University of Western Ontario and this was quickly followed by the University of Pretoria (in South Africa) in 1951. In 1955 the WhartonSchool of the University of Pennsylvania established the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi, Pakistan. The first European business school to award the MBA qualification was INSEAD in 1957.
Today the MBA program is offered by universities and business schools all over the world.
The Basic Types of MBA programs
The basic MBA program is usually studied for two years inline with two academic years. The academic year usually runs from Autumn through to the beginning of summer and is punctuated by a three or four month break for summer. The prerequisite for acceptance onto the program is that they have a substantial amount of business experience.
A student can choose to ‘fast track’ through the basic course. This is commonly known as an accelerated MBA program. The obvious positive effect of ‘fast tracking’ through the MBA course is the fact that the student can gain their MBA qualification much sooner than a student on the traditional program type. The negative effect is that workload is massively increased and vacation time is drastically reduced.
It’s possible for a professional wanting to complete an MBA program to do so part-time. This usually involves studying for three years or more, mainly consisting of evening and weekend study. This allows working professionals to maintain a balance between their vocational life, and their educational life.
An Executive Master of Business Administration program is often constructed to cater for highly experienced (often ten years plus) managers and executives. The program is designed to allow full-time vocational work, while still maintaining a two-year time scale for completion of the EMBA qualification.
It is also possible for the MBA program to be studied as a distance-learning course. The course is often completed through a variety of formats, these include course materials being delivered by post or electronically, lectures being given by broadcast video, videoconferencing and a variety of other online and offline methods. These innovative methods ensure that many people who are limited by time or geographical barriers can study for and complete an MBA program.
Prerequisites for Admission
The following are seen as the most popular methods of assessment for candidates applying to study on an MBA or EMBA course:
- The Graduate Management Admission Test
- Level and quality of work experience
- Personal interviews
- Academic history
- Business or academic specific essays
- Professional references and recommendation
As well as those formal methods of assessment, it has been more commonly accepted for schools to assess candidates on the following soft-skill areas:
- Extracurricular activities, both personal and professional
- Community service activities
- How the candidate would improve the diversity and contribute to the student community.
When reviewing potential students the primary concern for business schools is whether the candidate can handle the quantity and high quality of work they will be given. The aforementioned prerequisites are seen as key indicators of academic performance, and potential for success on an MBA or EMBA course.
Course Content
The content of most MBA courses is very similar, and the most prestigious business schools offer a core selection of required modules.
Breadth: An MBA program often covers a huge variety of subjects which can include:
- Strategy and management and monitoring of organisational behaviour
- The Communications mix
- Economic factors, finance and accounting
- Advancing technology management
- Supplier management
- International business factors
- Government policy
- Ethical issues in business
Specialization: Some of the most highly respected programs give students the opportunity to specialise in particular areas, these can include:
- Advertising and marketing
- Project and operations management
- Entrepreneurship
- Economics
- Strategy
- Human Resources
- Management science
- Accounting and Finance
Evaluation of MBA Programs
The Master of Business Administration qualification has quickly become one of the most popular masters-level qualifications. As with any education qualification, the prestige of the school studied at can often reflect the quality of the award, but it is generally understood that due to the high standards kept by accreditation bodies that an MBA is an exceptional qualification, regardless of the school studied at.
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