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An MBA for Working Professionals

If you are a working professional, the value proposition of an accelerated online MBA is considerable, no matter what motivates you. You can earn the postgraduate business degree recognized by Fortune 500 companies and other organizations across the United States, and you can do it in half the time of a traditional MBA program. Even better, you can often do it at a fraction of the cost.

The University of West Florida (UWF) offers an online MBA program with four tailored options:

Master of Business Administration, 14 months, $15,065 tuition.

MBA with an emphasis in Accounting, 16 months, $16,434 tuition.

MBA with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship, 16 months, $16,434 tuition.

MBA with an emphasis in Supply Chain Logistics Management, 16 months, $16,434 tuition.

UWF’s business school is AACSB-accredited, the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide.

Demand is rising among working professionals for accelerated MBA programs that minimize the expenses and time associated with traditional programs. In addition, the time has come for specialized MBAs, enabling employers to hire and promote management-ready professionals with industry-specific expertise.

Career Motivations

GMAC recently completed a white paper aiming to influence the way business schools identify, target and market to prospective students titled “Beyond Demographics: Connecting With the Core Motivations of Business School Candidates.” The paper reveals the motivations of 5,900 business school candidates from around the world, many of whom are working professionals.

The paper identifies seven distinct motivations of business school candidates. The top four, and their corresponding motivations, help to demonstrate why demand has grown for MBA programs like UWF’s.

  1. Respect Seekers are driven by the respect and recognition that comes with a preferred degree from a recognized and respected university. Not all institutions that offer programs online carry the same level of recognition or prestige.
  2. Global Strivers are motivated to improve their management skills, gain international exposure and access employment opportunities in other countries. A well-established university like UWF offers worldwide recognition as well as an international faculty and student body.
  3. Career Revitalizers aim to invest in their futures for work-related issues and potential promotions and raises. Ninety-six percent are employed full time, and they want to continue to work as they attend business school.
  4. Skill Upgraders want to improve skill sets in order to be considered experts in their respective fields.

If you identify strongly with one or more of these motivations, an accelerated online MBA program may be ideally suited to your needs.

Program Flexibility

Business schools are innovating MBA program delivery by offering online options that make an MBA more feasible for a wider range of students. UWF’s programs combine an accelerated format with online delivery to provide the flexibility working professionals need to fit the program in with their other obligations. This format is ideally suited for working professionals who want the opportunity for career advancement within their companies and industries without putting their careers on hold. It is equally attractive to companies that want to fast-track employees they recognize as future leaders.

Facts and Finances

MBA.com, the official website of the GMAT exam reports a median starting salary of $100,000 for MBA grads, compared with $55,000 for bachelor’s grads. According to Fortune, this means that for many MBA candidates, the total costs of an on-campus MBA program, which can exceed $350,000, are prohibitive. Here are a few examples of potential savings with an accelerated MBA program.

  • Lost income from another year out of work.
  • Room and board.
  • Higher tuition and fees.
  • Interest charges on student debt.
  • Driving and parking expenses.
  • Dining-out expenses.

For working professionals who are contemplating earning an MBA today, an accelerated format often makes the most sense.

Learn more about the University of West Florida’s online MBA program.


Sources:

GMAC: Connecting with the Core Motivations of Business School Candidates [Download]

GMAT: What Will You Make After Your Degree? Estimate Your Post-MBA Salary

Fortune/CNN: The Rise of the One-Year MBA

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