What do MBA students want from business schools in 2020?
Artificial Intelligence was a hot topic on business school campuses around the world last year. Although staying up-to-date with new technology remains important to students, personal development goals have emerged as the key concerns for MBA students in 2020.
When it comes to their MBA degree, students want opportunities for network building, career planning, and lifelong learning.
As automation and other technologies alter the business landscape faster than ever before, finding a career direction, developing reliable soft skills, and having access to continuous learning will be crucial for MBAs.
BusinessBecause spoke to five MBA students from top schools around the world who shared what they want most from their MBA degree in 2020.
1. Valuable alumni networks
Carlos Blanco, an MBA student at Oxford Saïd Business School, wants his connection to the school to continue long after graduation.
“This isn’t a new concept,” he notes. “Part of an MBA’s value is the network you make.”
Developing this network was one of the key reasons why Carlos decided to undertake the MBA. He began his career working with a scholarship fund for indigenous students in his native Australia.
When he made a career change and joined a consulting firm, he realized that he needed a different skillset, and the beginnings of a new network. This was part of the reason he selected Saïd.
“My cohort has 65 different nationalities, from a broad range of roles and sectors,” he explains. “It’s exposed me to ways of thinking I hadn’t previously encountered, and will stay with me.”
2. Focused leadership training
For entrepreneurs like Bruna Beccaro, leadership training is an especially important in an MBA.
Bruna is the co-founder of Dindin, a digital bank that makes financial services more accessible to underbanked people in Brazil.
“Being an entrepreneur requires you to play very diverse leadership roles,” she notes. “2020 will be the year I consolidate my leadership development.”
In this climate, business schools have responded by offering increased support for entrepreneurial students, and this looks set to continue in 2020.
At Kellogg School of Management, for instance, students can apply to the Zell Fellowship Program, an entrepreneurial experience for MBA candidates who intend to lead a company when they graduate.
This program is what drew Bruna to study her MBA at Kellogg. “The Zell Fellowship Program will provide me with the support I need to empower me as an effective leader,” she says.
3. Personalized careers support
In our rapidly changing world, new opportunities are being constantly created. While this does make for some exciting opportunities, it might also leave you baffled about where your career is heading. For this reason, career planning is an important part of the MBA experience for students in 2020 says Liz Miller, MBA candidate at HEC Paris.
Liz decided to undertake the MBA with the goal of accelerating her marketing career, and relocating to France. “That’s my number one goal for the MBA,” she says. “Looking more long-term, I chose to do an MBA because I wanted to be prepared to move up within a company.”
One important aspect of career planning is the emphasis of soft skills like teamwork and communication, which Liz feels she is learning in the MBA classroom. “Taking a year off from my career has given me the time to build on these areas,” she reflects.
4. Digital skills
Despite the importance of these ‘softer’ MBA elements, practical knowledge should retain its place at the heart of MBA curricula, Liz believes.
“The trends I have seen are more of an emphasis on digital transformation and sustainability,” she says. “I see future MBA programs incorporating these areas more into the curriculum and into each class.”
Jon Leist, a second year MBA student at Kellogg, agrees that sudents are looking to learn about new tech during their MBA.
“For example, one of my professors, Craig Wortmann, is building out a Sales Institute at Kellogg, which is a niche offering for students who want to learn how to sell products and services in this hyper connected digital world,” he says.
He expects to see these kinds of nice, tech-related experiences become more prominent.
5. An emphasis on social and environmental impact
Jon came to business school hoping to find his way into the world of sustainable business.
Originally a consultant for financial services and media companies, Jon discovered his passion for the environment on a trip to rural Panama.
“This trip made me hyper aware of humanity’s impact on the environment,” he reflects. At Kellogg, he had the chance to visit a few clean tech companies in San Francisco headed up by Kellogg alumni. He hopes this kind of opportunity will become more common for MBAs in 2020.
Caila Moed, an MBA candidate at Oxford Saïd, thinks that social impact and sustainability should play a more prominent role on MBA curricula in 2020.
When she set out on her MBA, Caila was working at at Combined Jewish Philanthropies, New England’s largest nonprofit.
Through business school, she is hoping to diversify her skillset, and move away from the fundraising roles that she has worked in her career so far. “I chose Saïd because it has a focus on social impact,” she notes.
As well as being integrated into traditional classroom learning, Caila wishes MBA programs to offer an increasingly practical approach to the topics of sustainability and social impact.
“I think we’ll all be trying to understand what it means for education when information is so readily available online,” she says. “I think learning has to become more experiential.”
Keeping up in a changing world
As the business landscape changes, so too must the MBA. It’s this ability to adapt that has allowed the MBA to retain its popularity over the years, and why research by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) shows that two thirds of all applications to business school are to MBA programs.
In 2020, students want the MBA degree to become more personalize and experiential, helping students to work effectively in the digital age long after graduation, and considering more than just the bottom line.
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Sarah
Verified
18/03/2022
On Campus
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Student
Verified
29/10/2021
On Campus
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Veronique
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Ghadi
Verified
11/06/2022
On Campus
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
Student
Verified
27/03/2022
On Campus
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
Lb
Verified
26/03/2022
On Campus
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
Rajarshi
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Student
Verified
19/10/2021
On Campus
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
Student
Verified
7/07/2022
On Campus
Cultural experience
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Sarah
Verified
18/03/2022
On Campus
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Student
Verified
29/10/2021
On Campus
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Veronique
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Ghadi
Verified
11/06/2022
On Campus
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
Student
Verified
27/03/2022
On Campus
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
Lb
Verified
26/03/2022
On Campus
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
Rajarshi
Verified
28/10/2021
Blended
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Student
Verified
19/10/2021
On Campus
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
