The MBA or Masters of Business Administration is a degree aimed at preparing you to be a senior level manager or leader. There are more than 700 MBA programs in the world. As graduate management degrees, the emphasis is put on the understanding of how to utilize resources, teamwork, finances, and over-all business operations. There are a number of career paths for MBA graduates, including accounting, finance, human resource management, consulting, information systems, manufacturing, marketing, operations management, small business, government, education, health care, and not-for-profit. So you can see the opportunities are endless.

The reason most individuals pursue an MBA degree is because in order to be a good manager, you need to know not only the technical side of your organization, but more importantly you need to be able to organize the work of others, and make decisions that affect the major aspects of a business.

Preparation

Academically, almost any undergraduate major prepares you overall for pursuit of an MBA. Some points that can make you more appealing to an admissions board include knowing your numbers, this means having a solid foundation in math and economics. Also, you will benefit from knowing, on some level, another language. Also, your undergraduate GPA is important, as well as your GMAT score.

Experientially, an average of 4 years of work experience in a business setting, gaining some real experience can make your MBA degree more worthwhile developmentally.

Also, a key note: those wishing to get into an MBA program that do not have such an extensive work history need to have superb academic credentials and an extensive record of extracurricular activities as well as clearly defined career goals.

GMAT

The graduate management admission test, or GMAT is the admissions test associated with gaining admission to an MBA program. It can help gauge your academic success during your first year of graduate school. The GMAT consists of 3 sections, two of which are multiple choice (math and verbal), with the third being an analytical section. Your scores are important, but remember, each school weighs different aspects of the application differently.

More information on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)