Get career-ready with an MBA from a Premier American business school

05 Jun 2019

MBA programmes are growing in popularity. According to the recent MBA Application and Enrolment Report from the Association of MBAs (AMBA), in 2017, there has been a growth in both applications and enrolments compared with 2016 among the 84 Schools which have participated in the study since 2011.

The results are hardly surprising. MBAs can serve as a sound investment that could help prospective students advance their career, earn a higher salary, learn the theoretical and practical framework to start their own business, become a leader in an emerging field, expand their professional network and enjoy greater job security.

This is especially important in this job-insecure market where automation, robotics and artificial intelligence are shaking things up in the workplace, requiring the current workforce or university students to continuously upskill themselves to remain relevant and employable.

So, if you’re a senior undergraduate student or a working professional who is thinking of pursuing an MBA, why not consider studying at a business school in the US? The country is home to quality business institutions and has a thriving business community that values its contributions. Many of the world’s biggest and renowned businesses are based in the US, such as blue-chip companies including Apple, Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson, which are household names.

If your interest is piqued, here are four American universities to consider pursuing your MBA:

SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY

Located in Pennsylvania, United States (US), Shippensburg University’s John L. Grove College of Business is among the premier business schools in the Mid-Atlantic Region (Northeast).

The college offers a beautiful campus and high-quality instruction at an affordable cost. Caring faculty and staff prepare graduates for the rapidly changing global economy. Shippensburg University’s MBA is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), maintaining the highest standards for business schools. The MBA program is listed as one of the top 267 AACSB International accredited programs in the nation by the Princeton Review.

The MBA is designed to meet the needs of full-time students, as well as working professionals who attend the school part-time. Students can study the MBA face-to-face, online, or combined. Choose from six concentrations; Business Analytics, Finance, Health Care Management, Management Information Systems (MIS), and Supply Chain Management (SCM), and Accounting.

Shippensburg University also offers a three credit MBA elective course, including online coursework and travel that will explore business opportunities and challenges in the European Union (EU). To facilitate the online coursework, students will visit EU institutions in Brussels and meet with business and academic professionals in France, Germany and Poland, an experience and education that enhances students’ CVs and employability. On top of this, three short courses offer students tours to Wall Street; Silicon Valley and Small and Large business in the Northeastern United States.

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

Founded in 1881, UConn ranks among the Top 25 public universities in the US, according to the 2018 US News & World Report America’s Best Colleges.

Their School of Business has established a strong reputation for high-quality research, teaching, collaboration and outreach, and has been continuously accredited by AACSB International since 1958. Their MBA programmes are flexible – they offer full-time, part-time, executive MBA (EMBA) as well as a non-degree MBA programme for students to choose from.

Experienced managers and professionals who are seeking leadership positions may find the Executive MBA programme useful as it provides students with a platform to build their business acumen and enhance their leadership skills. This can help empower them to increase their impact on their organisations now and in the future.

Meanwhile, part-time MBA students can move through the programme at a pace that is comfortable for them, with some students completing the program in under three years while others take five or more years to complete it.

To boot, their website notes that a “UConn MBA return on investment is among the best in the country with affordable public university tuition rates and competitive base salaries at graduation averaging [US]$100,000+” by the US News & World Report in 2017.

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON

Students at UTA’s business school study amongst the nation’s best – UTA is Unranked in Best Business Schools and No. 127 (tie) in Part-time MBA by the US News & World Report’s 2020 rankings.

Their College of Business offers an AACSB-accredited MBA programs which can be pursued through one of the multiple programme formats, both part-time and full time. Students of UTA’s MBA Flexible Programme can choose from nine concentrations of study: Accounting, Business Analytics, Economics, Finance, Information Systems, Management, Marketing, Operations Management and Real Estate.

Meanwhile, their MBA Cohort program is a team-based, accelerated approach to the professional MBA program. This programme is an excellent way for students to obtain an MBA while working. Conversely, UTA’s MBA Online programme is an asynchronous degree program that delivers courses in seven-week increments which allows students the opportunity to earn their MBA in as little as 12 months.

Lastly, their Executive MBA program provides quality, graduate management education to mid-level and upper-level managers and executives. It covers all functional areas of business management and will have an international focus in its course offerings.

Prior work experience is not required for UTA’s MBA programmes, but two years of professional work experience is preferred. Previous academic business coursework is also not a requirement.

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

This private institution was established in 1821 and is located in Washington DC. What’s unique about GW is that it was chartered by an act of Congress, making it one of the few universities in the country with a congressional charter.

GW’s School of Business offers a range of full-time and part-time MBA programs for students. These include a Global MBA (full-time), Professional MBA (part-time), Accelerated MBA (full-time and part-time options), Online MBA (part-time), Online Healthcare MBA (part-time) as well as joint and dual MBA degree programs.

Their Healthcare MBA is explicitly designed for students who are interested in the business and leadership aspect of healthcare organizations. Here, students will learn from expert faculty and network with other like-minded professionals from across the healthcare industry.

Meanwhile, their joint degree programmes require students to complete the requirements of both degrees before receiving either degree. Some of their options include an MBA/MS in Finance and MBA/Master of Science in Sport Management.

Studying at GW means studying among the world’s top institutions – the university is ranked 181^st in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 and 63^rd in the 2019 edition of Best Colleges in National Universities by the US News & World Report.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International