Taking Your Business Career to the Next Level with an MBA

If you are a working professional with an undergraduate business degree and two to five years’ worth of experience, chances are you have established yourself but still want to enhance your skill set by pursuing an MBA degree. Even if you have been considering an MBA degree since your junior year of college, you may still ask yourself questions like, “Is earning my MBA really worth the investment?” and “How can I earn an MBA and advance my career without giving up my day job?” Here are a few excellent reasons why professionals with two to five years of business experience should earn an MBA and take their careers to the next level. 

One significant benefit of returning to college for an MBA degree is that it provides students with the strong foundation they need to become savvy business leaders. Since MBA programs “throw students from different backgrounds together and force them to work with one another” both inside and outside the classroom, these individuals are able to develop valuable skills in emotional intelligence, communication and collaboration¹. Acknowledging the importance of developing today’s working professionals into skilled leaders, Ramapo College’s MBA program places key emphasis on leadership. With a variety of leadership-focused courses, including Becoming a 21st Century Leader and Leading Business in Contemporary Times, professionals with two to five years’ experience will gain the knowledge base necessary to succeed in future leadership roles within their organizations.

While an MBA truly helps business professionals bolster their knowledge of leadership principles and practices, it also enables them to apply concepts learned in the classroom through a variety of hands-on learning experiences¹. For example, Ramapo MBA students may elect to participate in our signature Capstone Consulting Project. Over the course of their final semester in the MBA program, Capstone Project participants gain valuable experience working collaboratively in both small and large groups, fostering teamwork all while helping the College’s corporate partners in New Jersey and New York solve real-world business problems.

Another advantage of earning an MBA is that it often allows business professionals with two to five years of experience to enhance their skills in a particular discipline through academic tracks, or concentrations². By selecting a concentration in your chosen field of interest, such as accounting, management, marketing or finance, you can customize your MBA in such a way that it aligns with the specific career goals you have in mind. For instance, if your goal is to become a marketing manager or brand director, consider pursuing an MBA with a career track in marketing. Meanwhile, if you aspire to become a risk manager or personal financial advisor, you should opt for a concentration in finance. Regardless of your business background and professional aspirations, completing an MBA will help you take your career to the next level.

Ramapo College’s comprehensive, 42-credit MBA program is designed with today’s working professionals in mind. Our focus on leadership and critical thinking, along with hands-on learning experiences like the optional China Immersion Trip and Capstone Consulting Project, is an outstanding combination for hardworking business professionals striving to advance their careers. Also, since our new Advanced Standing option eliminates 12 credits of foundational coursework, you can get ahead of the curve and complete your degree with only 30 credits. After all, the less time you spend in the classroom, the more time you have to apply the skills and concepts you’ve learned in order to accelerate your current career or pursue a new one.

While Ramapo’s MBA program indeed provides business professionals with two to five years’ experience the opportunity to develop a strong foundation for future career success, it is also designed to fit right into their busy schedules. For example, our Flex program features a hybrid course format blending in-class and online learning components, allowing Ramapo MBA students to earn their degree without sacrificing their day jobs. Students can also maximize their employer reimbursement by opting to spread out their coursework over three to five years, while simultaneously gaining valuable work experience in their current position. What’s more, Ramapo offers its MBA students the chance to select three electives within a defined track tailored to their relevant experience. For instance, students with a background in taxation can pursue the accounting elective track, while those with advertising or branding experience can opt for the marketing track.

Prospective students interested in learning more about Ramapo College’s MBA program are strongly encouraged to visit https://www.ramapo.edu/mba/ for more information.

¹Source: BusinessBecause – “5 Ways An MBA Will Make You A Better Leader” by Marco De Novelis. Retrieved from https://www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-degree/6019/5-ways-mba-will-make-you-better-leader

²Source: MetroMBA – “The Importance of MBA Concentrations” by Kelly Vo. Retrieved from https://www.metromba.com/2016/07/mba-concentrations/.

Categories: MBA