MBAs boost careers, marketability

BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org | @BeckyRaspeCJN

Going back to school for an MBA degree can help boost a career.

According to Anne Balazs, dean of the College of Business and Innovation at the University of Toledo in Toledo, and Terry Daugherty, assistant dean and director of graduate programs in the College of Business Administration at the University of Akron in Akron, there are various reasons to pursue an MBA.

“People from different backgrounds pursue an MBA and some students who have an undergraduate degree in business continue into their masters,” Balazs said. “(MBAs) have been popular for a while now because it adds a skillset and value to one’s career.”

Daugherty added, “There are a lot of reasons why students would want to pursue an MBA. Everything we do is business, whether you think about it or not. When you think about it from that perspective, often times the motivation for an MBA is career advancement. An MBA gives them that well-rounded business knowledge to understand a variety of units within any company organization.”

Daugherty listed career changes, skill upgrading and financial gain as other reasons.

“Through career advancement and everything else, having this degree helps many students increase their market value,” he noted.

But professionals with a business background aren’t the only ones who can benefit from an MBA.

“If you have a degree in another area, (an MBA) gives you a whole new way of thinking,” Balazs explained. “It’s value added for those who don’t have a business background. Depending on what you might have majored in, it’s an orientation to the world. MBAs give you a strategic skill set to manage the business side in every kind of industry.”

When professionals without a business background peruse an MBA, Daugherty said that gets into the “philosophical reason the MBA was created.”

“You don’t have to have a business undergraduate degree to get an MBA,” he noted. “It’s about adding skills to complement their undergraduate degree. Not only do they have their undergraduate degree, but now they can add that business degree and abilities to that. The MBA is a strong complementary asset to a lot of people.”

Both professionals said an MBA would boost one’s post graduate experience.

“It’s true that many people are attracted to MBAs as an option after they start working,” Balazs said. “They may realize it’s very competitive and they don’t have that advanced business knowledge.

A lot of international opportunities are born from MBA programs as well. It expands your horizons and it sets you up to be able to manage an enterprise from anywhere in the world.”

Daugherty added, “The degree itself often times has professional development and experiential learning built into the program. This is you gaining knowledge and experience in building your resume while you’re a student. Not only do they have their classroom knowledge, but they also have the hands-on experiences that will add to their career.”

The best advice for an MBA hopeful is to know what they want.

“The first thing is to jump right into the information,” Daugherty noted. “Ask questions and start researching those programs. Visit colleges and talk to people you know with business graduate degrees. A lot of times, people who are thinking about it are already there but they need to take the leap.”

Balazs added, “Recognize what you’re capable of handling physically and financially. It is a pretty demanding curriculum.”

At Cleveland State University we have an MBA to fit your schedule, lifestyle and experience level.

Our dedicated graduate advisors will work with you to choose the program that best helps YOU achieve your career aspirations.