The purpose for earning your MBA is to help you land the job you want, in the area of business that interests you. To that end, there are many different MBA specializations to help you.
Students pursuing a General Management MBA gain a greater understanding of various functions and departments within an organization. Its focus is on economics, general management skills such as conflict resolution, and an in-depth understanding of leadership. With this broad approach, graduates are in a stronger position to:
- Take on leadership roles
- Understand how departments work together to achieve long-term and short-term goals
- Learn how to formulate and implement strategic solutions
- Build confidence in others to spearhead teams and projects
The University of Saint Mary (USM) offers different MBA specializations that help direct your eventual MBA outcome. It also offers a General Management MBA, which allows students to create their personal MBA and pick and choose classes they decide will most benefit them. You have 36 graduate-level credit hours, which include nine core courses and three elective courses.
Here are three compelling reasons to customize your MBA:
1. Progress To Positions With Greater Managerial Responsibility
The need for management skills is still high in our world economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for management occupations was $98,560 in 2015, the highest wage of all the major occupational groups.
MBA graduates have to be ready to manage company initiatives designed to work within an increasingly complex global business environment. A general management focus prepares you for a broad range of industries and roles, everything from CEO to supply chain or sustainability management.
If you’re choosing projects more wisely, based on your experience and the capabilities of your company – you are using your MBA. If you learn to quickly develop a comprehensive strategy that only needs slight changes – you are using your MBA. An MBA prepares you to rise rapidly to higher level positions based on proven achievements.
The ability to design your own MBA provides a diverse knowledge base that covers management information systems, leadership and project management, with opportunities to study one or more areas in greater depth.
2. Design Your Own MBA Focusing On Key Areas of Interest
Some students like choices for their studies. That’s possible with the specializations USM offers. These include: Leadership and Organizational Health, Finance, Health Care Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing and Advertising Management, and General Management.
You might be undecided exactly where you want to end up in your career. Still you feel particularly suited and interested in one of those areas. If that describes you then a General Management degree allows you pick more classes in, for example, Health Care Management.
You should take the time to investigate these specializations to determine which areas you want to work in. It requires some self-reflection. Think about what aspects you enjoyed or disliked most in your previous jobs or internships, the kind of work environment you thrive in and be honest about how important salary is in your decision-making process.
Once you’ve settled on a few areas of interest, align your specialization with those post-MBA goals. We also have a free guide that digs deep into the careers and knowledge each of the six MBA specializations work toward.
3. Time Is Money
Instead of spending two or more years in graduate school, an MBA design that has flexibility in mind will cost less, can be completed more quickly, and will align better with your next career step. Students already focused on their chosen career path hone specific, valuable and marketable skills.
A General Management MBA provides the business foundation you need to compete in the job market and add value to any organization. Results of the GMAC 2015 Year-End Poll of Employers revealed that 96% of responding employers felt that hiring business school graduates creates value for their companies.
Two of every three employers said recruiting MBA graduates is a priority in their company’s hiring plans. It’s a promising time to graduate. If you have questions about the different MBA specializations offered here at USM, request more information.