25 Reasons Why You Should Get An MBA

The MBA (Master of Business Administration) has been catapulting careers since Harvard Business School launched the first ever MBA program in 1908. 

 

Today, the MBA is the world’s most sought-after business management degree—both for students and employers.

 

During an MBA program you’ll learn essential business skills in finance, marketing, strategy, operations, and leadership, along with softer skills, such as communication, negotiation, and critical thinking. 

 

Top companies from the worlds of consultancy and tech—the likes of Amazon, Google, and McKinsey—hire thousands of MBA grads to helm their divisions, lead complex projects, evaluate their data, and design their strategies. 

 

Notable MBA alumni lead some of the world’s biggest firms. Former CEO and current chairman of Morgan Stanley, James P. Gorman, earned his MBA at Columbia Business School, while General Motors CEO Mary Barra earned hers at Stanford University. Tim Cook and Sheryl Sandberg both also have MBAs.

 

The MBA is an increasingly popular program with applications increasing by 12% in 2024, according to a new survey by GMAC. Fortune also recently reported that full-time MBAs saw the largest share of growth in the past decade, with some 80% of two-year programs experiencing application increases worldwide. 

 

So, here’s a list of key reasons why you might choose to join the many professionals enrolling in MBA degrees. 

 

 

1. You May Be Considering a Career Change

As a generalist degree, the MBA is the ideal graduate degree for professionals who want to pivot to a different industry. The program will provide you with fundamental management knowledge and a holistic view of areas such as finance, marketing, and accounting. 

 

2.You Will Develop Softer Skills

To complement this knowledge, you’ll learn how to work as part of a team, as well as how to lead. You’ll get a better understanding of time management and cross-cultural competencies, as well as hone your networking skills.  

 

3. You Will Develop Skills in Cutting-edge Areas

An MBA will help you develop skills in a range of areas, including strategic thinking and problem solving as well as in technology and IT. You will learn how to use AI tools, something that is increasingly in demand from employers. GMAC’s Business School Hiring, Recruitment, and Skills research report found that 66% of AI-concerned employers wanted graduate management education (GME) talent to be able to use AI to acquire knowledge and learn new business skills, while 59% wanted the talent to use AI to conduct research. 

 

4. You Will Enhance Your Earning Potential

While an MBA is a significant investment, of both time and money, graduates get an excellent ROI: in 2024, the average MBA starting salary plus bonus in the US was $121.324, according to US News & World Report. Graduates from Stanford University, it reported, command the highest average starting salary and bonus at $221,471. Many MBA grads go on to careers in consulting, where a starting salary with one of the Big Three firms (McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company) is currently around $190,000.

 

5. And Get Access to Top Employers

Microsoft, Bain, and more of the world’s best companies to work for, hire MBAs. Julia Sanchez, head of global alumni relations at Spain’s IE Business School, says an MBA will “open your eyes to infinite possibilities.” 

 

6. An MBA Can Help You Change Industry or Excel in Your Current Industry

Whether you want to switch from tech to finance, engineering to shipping, an MBA is an opportunity to start afresh.

 

Over half of business school applicants turn to graduate management education to change their job function or industry, thanks to the opportunities it provides to learn new skills and make new contacts in a short time.

 

Not all MBA applicants are eyeing an entirely new career path. One-quarter of applicants to two-year MBA programs admit that they need to upskill to be more successful in their current roles. An MBA can significantly boost your business skill set, whether you're currently working in sales, marketing, finance, or another business function. 

 

7. Study Abroad and Work in the World’s Top Cities

With an MBA the world is your oyster, as top business schools offer MBA programs all over the world. If you’ve always dreamed of working in, for example, the USA—consider enrolling in an MBA program to get to know the work culture and make inroads for a post-grad career there. 

 

8. And Experience Different Cultures

Whether you study abroad for your entire degree or just a short trip, an MBA helps you learn to operate professionally in different cultures. Did you know, for example, that excessive eye contact can be considered disrespectful in Japan? 

 

9. You Could Learn Another Language

London Business School students are required to learn and be competent in a chosen second language by the time they graduate. Language skills can open new career opportunities for MBAs.  

 

10. And Make International Contacts and Friends

Many MBA cohorts are home to students from all over the world—for example, at Copenhagen Business School, you get to “meet the world, in one class, in one place”, according to MBA student Marius Vetaas Thomassen. 

 

In 2016 at London Business School, 224 students and faculty staff set a Guinness World Record when they sang Imagine by John Lennon. The record was for the most nationalities—72—taking part in a singalong, and it remained for six years before being broken in 2022. 

 

11. You Can Study in Pleasant Surroundings

Many universities have beautiful campuses, not least the University of Western Australia Business School, which is set among the picturesque surroundings of Perth’s Swan River. 

 

Shraddha Shristava, an MBA student originally from Mumbai, India, meanwhile enjoyed studying at Rotman in Toronto because: “I wanted to be somewhere as lively as my home city. I did not want to study in the countryside.” 

 

Nearly all top MBA programs offer students the chance to travel together to exciting locations both locally and abroad. Australian Graduate School of Management MBA students start their year by climbing up Sydney Harbor Bridge.

 

If you are competitive, you’ll find plenty of entertainment as a break from your studies. France’s HEC Paris, for example, hosts an annual MBA tournament, which brings sports teams from b-schools around the world together to compete.

 

12. With an MBA You Can Start Your Own Business or Meet a Future Business Partner

Nike, Gap, and Victoria’s Secret were all started by MBA grads.

 

13. You Can Get Some B-School Backing

Not only can you meet collaborators and learn entrepreneurial skills at business school, you can also receive tangible support.

 

ESSEC Business School in France cuts out any administrative hassle for its MBA entrepreneurs by providing a rented startup space, and by organizing meetings with venture capital investors.

Tatiana de Vogüé is building a sustainability-driven swimwear brand using a startup incubator at the school. 

 

14. You Can Get Fast Tracked Into Silicon Valley

Do you want to join Apple, Google, or Facebook in the highly attractive tech sector? Stanford, Berkeley Haas, and UCLA Anderson all have strong ties to the world’s number-one tech hub.

 

15. You’ll Stand Out From Other Applicants

“Seeing an MBA on a resume indicates to me that this is a capable person who is used to persevering, committing, utilizing resources, managing their time, putting in the effort,” says Lesley Pender, MBA director covering all programs at the University of Strathclyde. “Someone with an MBA on their resume also signals that they are capable of teamwork and working under pressure.” 

 

16. You Can Make a Social Impact

An MBA could allow you to give something back. Many leading companies offer MBA hires the chance to have a social impact, something that is increasingly popular with Gen Z. According to a survey by EY, roughly half of Gen Z look for information on a company’s values via people they know, social media, or the company’s website before they consider sending in an application.

 

A recent GMAC study found that prospective students are looking for business schools that prioritize sustainability. 

 

17. Learn To Be a Leader—and a Team Player

MBA programs are training grounds for the world’s future business leaders. Management guru and founder of Rainmaker Thinking Bruce Tulgan says that basic leadership techniques can be picked up by almost anyone. The next step? “Practice, practice, practice those techniques until they become skills and then habits.”

 

An MBA is also a crash course in teamwork and will teach you how to work with the highly intelligent and ambitious people you will encounter in your future career. 

 

18. You Will Master Analytics

You’ll learn how to analyze any company from many different perspectives and you’ll develop the ability to understand the strategy, operations, and performance of that company, quickly and effectively,” says former Harvard Business School professor-turned-top-business-blogger Michael Roberto. 

 

19. And Stay a Cyber Step Ahead

Online hackers are a threat to any business, and this will only get worse as AI usage expands. Even if you’re not interested in technology jobs, an MBA can get you up to speed on the latest developments in cybersecurity and give you the skills to manage AI safely. As the ChatGPT-led AI revolution continues to progress, this could seriously enhance your career prospects.  

 

20. An MBA Will Help With Public Speaking

You’ll learn communication skills to help you pitch and present information with ease. 

 

21. You’ll Meet Industry Experts and Mentors

An MBA opens doors—career and networking events can help you make contacts that will be invaluable in your professional life. 

 

You can also find a mentor. Many MBA programs pair their students with faculty or alumni mentors to help them in their careers, while often schools partner students with professional mentors from a variety of industries. This could be especially transformative for women and minority students as 63% of women in the workforce say they’ve never had a formal mentor.

 

22. An MBA Can Help You Find Your Place in the Professional World

Michael Czinkota—an international business blogger and professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business—says an MBA will let you “see how and where you fit in among hard-charging competitors”.

 

23. And Lets You Add Value to the Organisation You Go to Work For

Kelly Wilson, executive director of master’s admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, says: “As a part-time Tepper School student, MBAs can attend our on-campus or online program and immediately apply what they are learning. 

 

“The impact is immediate and noticed by senior members of the organization. Our current students have increased opportunities with their employers because of their personal and professional growth during the MBA program.”

 

24. You Can Combine Academia With Real-Life Business Experience

Wolter Lemstra, associate professor at Nyenrode Business University, says: “An MBA provides a unique combination of academic rigor and business relevance. 

 

“University education is typically highly academic, often referred to as ‘ivory tower’ thinking. But in business, many decisions have to be made without a huge amount of time or resources, often based on the past experience of the executive or manager. 

 

“These decisions are highly relevant to the business but typically lack the benefit of thorough academic research as their underpinning. In MBA programs, academic rigor is combined with business relevance—the best of both worlds.”

 

25. With an MBA, You Could Even Go On To Become US President

George W. Bush earned his MBA at Harvard.