December can be exciting, with holidays and celebrations filling many hours throughout the month. It’s a time to spend with family and friends, and to give thanks to those most important in our lives. It is also a great time to reflect and ask important questions related to your professional goals and aspirations: Is my career on track? Am I enjoying the work I’m doing? Am I still learning? Where will I be in five years? If these questions have you scratching your head, perhaps earning an MBA can help. Below are five great reasons to consider this versatile degree in 2015:
- Advance Your Career – An MBA can help individual contributors move into leadership and management positions. MBA students typically take courses in project management, organizational development, ethics and negotiations. In addition, most programs allow future leaders to practice these skills through capstone projects, group presentations and other experiential learning opportunities.
- Change Careers – An MBA can be a springboard to new career paths. By focusing on a broad range of business disciplines, MBA graduates can leverage these new skills and experiences to transition into a new industry or functional area.
- Earn More – On average, MBA graduates earn more than their non-MBA counterparts. According to a 2012 analysis by Poets and Quants, graduates of part-time MBA programs reported an average increase of 53% over their pre-MBA salary.
- Expand Your Network – An MBA provides opportunities to meet new customers, employers and business partners. MBA programs tend to attract students from a wide variety of industries, functions and geographies.
- Choose From Many Options – MBA programs are becoming more flexible to meet the needs of both full-time students and working professionals. At Oregon State, full-time students with a business background can earn their degree in as little as nine months, while working professionals can customize their course schedule around their careerand family commitments. We also offer an MBA in Executive Leadership taught via an online/hybrid model, combining online courses, readings and assignments with one or two in-person class sessions each quarter.
Brian Precious is the MBA Program Director at Oregon State University. He can be reached at: OSUMBA@oregonstate.edu.
I was curious if you prefer MBA candidates to have work experience?
Hi Joey – thanks for your question…it’s a good one. Work experience is not required to be admitted to the Oregon State MBA program. Our admissions decision is based on your undergraduate GPA, GMAT score, personal statement and letters of recommendation. Please feel free to set up an appointment with our team to discuss in more detail. The best way to reach us is at osumba@oregonstate.edu.