50 Reasons Why You Should Get An MBA

Why get an MBA? Business school professors, MBA students, alumni, admissions staff, bloggers and entrepreneurs reveal all in our top 50 reasons why you should get an MBA

To MBA or not to MBA? There’s no question!

The MBA, which stands for Master of Business Administration, has been catapulting careers to unprecedented heights since Harvard Business School launched the first ever MBA program in 1908.

Today, the MBA is the world’s most sought-after business management degree; the pièce de résistance for many an international b-school.

Top companies like Google, Amazon, and McKinsey hire MBA grads in their thousands and notable MBA alumni lead some of the world's biggest firms.

Michael Bloomberg has one, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has one, Donald Trump sometimes says he has one. Heck, even Shaquille O'Neal has one. Basically, MBAs are cool.

BusinessBecause (also cool) is in the business of supporting you on your MBA application journey, giving you the information and insights you need to support your business school application.

With this in mind, we spoke to MBA students, grads, professors, MBA admissions staff, bloggers and entrepreneurs—and asked them all the same simple question: Why get an MBA?

Here's 50 reasons why you should get an MBA:

Browse by category: Click any of the links below to jump to each category

Fast-Track Your Career

Go Global

Entrepreneurship

Hard Skills, Soft Skills

Networking, Parties and Social Life

Me, Myself and I

Fast-Track Your Career

1. Go From MBA To CEO

Who runs the world? MBAs. MBAs grads hold the reigns of some of the world’s biggest firms: Apple, Google, JPMorgan and Coca-Cola included. Amazon's new CEO Andy Jassy is an MBA alum from Harvard.

2. Double Your Earnings

Get rich quick with a return on your investment in under four years. The average MBA salary in the US is over $100k and MBAs at the best business schools for salaries can earn upwards of $200k.

3. Change Industry

Want to switch from finance to fashion, or engineering to business management? An MBA is the perfect opportunity to start afresh and using your MBA to switch careers is one of the key reasons why you should pursue an MBA.

4. Get Access To Top Employers

Bain, Microsoft, and more of the world's best companies to work for hire MBAs. Julia Sanchez, head of global alumni relations at Spain’s IE Business School, says an MBA will “open your eyes to infinite possibilities”.

Check out our MBA Jobs & Salary Review series to find out which companies hire MBA alums from top schools like Harvard and Stanford.

5. Scholarships

Don't be put off by the cost of an MBA. There are many ways to fund your MBA and schools offer a wide variety of MBA scholarships, some covering 100% of your tuition.

6. Go From MBA To US President

Harvard MBA grad George Dubya did it.

Go Global

7. Study Abroad

Why get an MBA? With an MBA, the world’s your oyster, with top business schools offering MBA programs all over the world. Before choosing where to go, and if you want to start a new career there after your MBA, make sure you know which are the easiest countries to get a work visa.

8. Work In The World’s Top Cities

Where you choose to study can determine your future career. Choose wisely. Check out our list of the best countries for business school candidates.

9. Break A World Record

Students at London Business School (pictured below) set a new world record for the highest number of different nationalities taking part in a popular singalong. They sang John Lennon’s 'Imagine' on the school lawn.

10. Cross Cultures

Learn to operate within different cultures. In China, saving face is everything. Oh, and don’t be surprised if local people take photos of you in Tiananmen Square!

11. Learn A Language

LBS students are required to learn and be competent in a chosen second language by the time they graduate. Parlez-vous MBA?

12. Live It Up On Campus

Why study an MBA in a dark office setting? Picking a pretty campus can give you that little bit of extra motivation when hitting the books. At UWA Business School, students stroll through the picturesque surroundings of Perth’s Swan River.

13. International Classrooms

No need to travel! At Copenhagen Business School, you get to “meet the world, in one class, in one place”, according to MBA student Marius Vetaas Thomassen. Our MBA Class Profile Breakdowns tell you all you need to know about the MBA students at your target school.

Read: The Best Business Schools In The World | Financial Times Ranking

Entrepreneurship

14. Start Your Own Business

What do Nike, Gap and Victoria’s Secret all have in common? They were all started by MBAs. It’s simple: If you want to launch your own business venture, an MBA gives you the tools and the support to do so.

15. Jump Into Silicon Valley

Why do you want to do an MBA? Do you want to join Apple, Google and Facebook in tech heaven? Stanford, Berkeley Haas and UCLA Anderson all have strong ties to the world’s number one tech hub.

16. Meet Your Business Partner

Chris Abkarians and Nikhil Agarwal, co-founders of loans company Juno, met during their MBA at Harvard Business School. Find out what they had to say about getting the best student loan rates to fund your MBA.

17. Get Some B-School Backing

ESSEC Business School in France cuts out any administrative hassle for its MBA entrepreneurs by providing a rented start-up space, and by organizing meetings with venture capital investors.

18. Launch Your Own Luxury Brand

Bored of big brand designer labels? Yici Zhao launched her own fine jewelry company in New York and says an MBA has made her a better entrepreneur.

19. Make A Social Impact

Give something back. Hilary Matson decided to leave her role at Amazon to pursue the HEC Paris MBA and follow her dream of starting a sustainable business.