Benefits & Future Value of a Graduate Business Degree

It's all about value: Why does a B-School degree matter to your career?Imagine for a moment a career that is an exciting challenge every day, delivering personal satisfaction and a sense of achievement, not to mention financial security. Graduate business school really is the gateway to this kind of opportunity, ranging from an entrepreneurial start-up to an amazing career with a global organization.

Of course, what you want to do with your life comes first. But that’s just the point—wherever you see your career path taking you, from nonprofit to corporate, art gallery to stock trading, a graduate business degree can help you get there faster. In fact, as a majority of MBA alumni report, having a graduate management degree can actually increase your career options over time, by giving you the preparation, skills, and credentials you need to find the work that fits your goals.

Graduate business school—it’s about making the best investment in you.

Today’s graduate business degrees offer countless kinds of opportunities and directions—in any kind of setting, anywhere in the world.First things first: a graduate business degree is earned by completing a graduate business school program, in which students engage in traditional academic coursework and instruction based on real business challenges. Through this intensive experience that lasts one to two years (or more), the degree program prepares you for a lifetime of management responsibilities in business.

Business is EverywhereThat may sound like an overstatement, but consider the big picture. Today, the world of business is woven into every aspect of our lives—from using technology like Google® or Facebook® to choosing which movie to watch. With every transaction we make with another person at the corner shop or a major corporation, we’re doing business.

So why should you think about getting a graduate business degree? No matter what your career goal is—from advancing or changing your current career to starting your own business or helping those in need—a graduate business degree can help you get there faster.

Four Reasons to Take a Closer LookWhy should you think about getting a graduate business degree? Here are four very good 

1.   Business education gives you control. Business is how we buy and sell, innovate and grow, learn and share. If you think of yourself as a company of one, you need to build your own business skills to reach your professional and personal goals. Business school can help you get there.

2.   Business education unlocks a world of opportunity. A graduate business degree is the key to employment with an amazing range of companies and organizations around the world. Why? Because you’ll be instantly recognized as someone with leadership and management skills. Plus, your network of fellow students, faculty and alumni will help supercharge your career even more.

3.   It’s an investment in you. Looking for a career with real growth and job stability? On average, students who pursue a graduate business degree end up earning as much as twice as much as those with undergraduate degrees.

4.   Business education helps you give back. The abilities and insights gained during business education can enhance your career and help you contribute more to the world around you. Whether in your free time or through a non-traditional career, your degree can be used to improve life in your city, your country or beyond.


If you’re ready to make a bigger difference with a graduate business degree, take the next step. Many of today’s b-schools aren’t looking for the next Top 10 richest businessmen and women they’re looking for applicants who possess an ardent commitment to making the world a better place.

Across the globe, graduate management students are committed to positive social change to address concerns that will have an impact in the future. More than half of the graduates that participated in the 2009 Global Management Education Graduate survey indicated that emphasis on community and inclusion was of great importance. In addition, 87% of 2009 graduates consider achieving something they personally value to be extremely or very important.

An MBA gives you a broad understanding of how business endeavors work. The skills you build in b-school are easy to apply to helping others—you’ll know better how to organize people, how to allocate resources, and how to plan for and measure results…but these results may be more rewarding than a simple “bottom line.”

Curriculum, Activities, & NetworkStories of corporate greed have continued to surface in recent years, particularly in light of the current economic situation. Although ethics has long been a component of b-school curriculum, many b-schools have expanded their course catalogs to include “social enterprise” and “global entrepreneurship” concentrations—their programs are growing to meet the need of students who have no interest in business as usual.

Outside the classroom, b-schools encourage students to give back to the local community and to take on service projects with local and global reach. Schools and programs band together for larger projects, and many participate inTeamMBA, the GMAC initiative to help strengthen the relationship between b-school and society. TeamMBA celebrates and supports the efforts of MBA students to make a positive impact in their communities and beyond.

B-school students committed to corporate and social responsibility take what they learn in the classroom and work together to apply it to projects that address everything from the local soup kitchen to global climate change. Learning in cohorts not only builds a professional network—it also creates a team of motivated individuals who could build a house, raise money for cancer research, or develop a sustainable business plan for small business owners in a developing country.