What Does an MBA Teach You? Advance Your Skills in Business

There’s no question about it: An MBA credit can look great on your resume. When you earn a Master of Business Administration, however, you accomplish much more than adding a shiny accolade to your credentials. By instilling the valuable skills that employers and recruiters seek out, a high-quality MBA education expands your hiring and advancement opportunities.¹ The expertise you gain in a matter of months can put you in demand throughout your career.

So what do you learn in an MBA program and why is it valuable? Read on to explore the importance of an MBA in today’s business landscape and the MBA skills that a strong program imparts.

From salary increases to career progression to long-term impact on one’s professional path, there are many factors by which to measure the value of an MBA. While the tuition for a respected MBA program can be significant, the financial rewards of holding the degree often surpass those initial numbers. MBA graduates typically earn salaries that are markedly higher than those of their peers who hold another master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree alone.²

Further, a top-level MBA program provides important networking opportunities and access to a global network of alumni. These can lead to remunerative career breaks that aren’t available to MBA students in lesser programs.³

Relative to other types of master’s degrees, the MBA is notable for its versatility and widespread applicability. Specialized graduate programs, such as those in linguistics or biomedical engineering, develop multi-layered expertise in a distinct field. An MBA program, however, offers education in a comprehensive skill set that graduates can apply to diverse endeavors, from finance to technology and beyond, in new business ventures and in support of existing organizations.³ This versatility is a strong asset in a dynamic, competitive job market.

Earning an MBA can help you in many ways. In addition to the financial rewards, broad-scale versatility, and expanded professional network and opportunities addressed above, you may be looking for:

• Personal growth and development
• Heightened entrepreneurial and leadership skills
• Mastery of business trends
• Understanding of global business
• Stronger facility in teamwork and collaboration
• Preparation for management responsibility
• Improved job security

Whichever of these—or whichever combination of them—sparks your interest, there’s a place for you, with many benefits to it, in graduate business education.

For more than a century, the MBA has been a desirable choice for those looking to enrich their skills in management, leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation, among other facets of business.⁴ Many MBA programs teach these highly applicable skills:¹

• Leadership: influencing and guiding people within an organization or business 
• Management: controlling daily processes and keeping employees on track in pursuit of organizational goals
• Entrepreneurship: defined by Professor Howard Stevenson of the Harvard Business School as, “the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled”⁵
• Communication: effectively giving, receiving, and sharing information through the written and spoken word
• Teamwork/collaboration: successfully working with other people to realize common goals
• Market evaluation: an analysis process used to determine factors that can affect an organization’s growth; these include opportunity, value, risks, market rivalry, and consumer behavior

In today's competitive employment landscape, the importance of mastering both hard and soft skills in an MBA program cannot be overstated. Hard skills, such as financial analysis and strategic planning, are the technical cornerstone of business acumen, equipping MBA graduates with the tools necessary to navigate complex business environments. However, without the complement of soft skills—including leadership, communication, and teamwork—these technical abilities can fall short. An MBA program that integrates both skill sets produces well-rounded business professionals who can not only conceive innovative solutions to business problems but also effectively implement them, fostering a collaborative work culture while driving organizational success. This synergy empowers MBA graduates to excel as dynamic leaders in an ever-evolving business world.

These focused proficiencies involve technical knowledge, and we gain them through experience, education, and training.⁶ They require detailed practical knowledge, such as for a particular industry or line of work. In choosing your MBA program, look for one that builds and fine-tunes your abilities in:

1. Financial forecasting and analysis
2. Data analysis
3. Brand storytelling
4. Social media for growth
5. Market research
6. Budgeting
7. Project management
8. Logistics

The term ‘soft skills’ is a bit of a misnomer, as ‘soft’ skills are harder to acquire, and they’re considered harder to teach, than task-based ‘hard’ skills are. We generally develop soft skills over a long stretch of time. As a result, the strength of a person’s soft skills can be dependent on lifelong experiences, personal traits, and emotional intelligence (EQ), not just IQ alone. According to a recent Forbes article, soft skills are the competencies most sought out by employers around the world.⁷ They include: ^7,8

1. Problem-solving
2. Project leadership
3. Critical thinking  
4. Teamwork
5. Research
6. Integrity

To become proficient in the varied skills that employers value, earn your MBA from an accredited, competitive program. There are many program formats available: full-time or part-time on-campus structures; hybrid (part on-campus and part online) delivery; and multiple versions of fully online studies.

Today’s professional recruiters aren’t concerned with the format of your MBA program. Instead, they prioritize your command of the skills you gained in business school, and they’re looking to see how you’ll apply them while fitting into a new employer’s company culture.⁹

Online MBA programs offer several important advantages over other program structures, particularly for students who want to stay employed while completing the degree. They include:

• Flexibility: MBA students learn from any location and complete studies on their timing
• Cost savings: Online programs typically have lower tuition costs, and they don’t require relocating for school, commuting to campus, or paying for campus parking permits
• Efficient time management: With 24/7 access to class content and without a time-consuming commute to and from campus, online MBA students have more time for their studies and can balance school with work, family, and their private lives
• Self-paced learning: MBA students have the freedom to study and complete projects at their own speed, which helps them to become self-directed learners

High-quality programs, such as Chico State’s Online MBA, teach foundational competencies through holistic learning experiences. Their flexible learning format helps students:

• Develop and hone critical skills in courses led by expert faculty
• Immediately apply new skills in a current professional role
• Continue to build real-world skills while earning an advanced degree

Through the robust curriculum in Chico State’s Online MBA program—the broad-based MBA path or the specialization in Health Services Administration or Project Management—you’ll gain skill, connections, and experience by collaborating with your cohort and building new relationships with alumni leaders and our faculty of experts. You’ll also enjoy the benefits of online learning: the freedom to study from anywhere, on your schedule, without breaking your stride at work or at home.

Choose the track that aligns with your goals and make today the day you start redefining your career growth. Take the first step by scheduling a call with an admissions outreach advisor.