What Motivates a Prospective MBA – Money?

You would expect Money to be the primary motivation for prospective students to pursue an MBA. Not Really! According to 2012 Prospective Students Survey conducted by GMAC, Job Opportunities is the number one factor that motivates undergraduate to pursue an MBA program.

In the survey, prospective students had to choose from a list of 26 motivating factors that include Improve effectiveness on the job, Personal satisfaction and achievement, Greater freedom in job/career choices, Remain marketable/competitive, more challenging/interesting work, Professional credentials/credibility, Develop managerial skills, Develop leadership skills, Accelerate career path, Develop business KSAs, Increase salary potential and Increased job opportunities

Here are the findings:



What Women think?

Interestingly, Men and Women both think along the same line when it comes to the top four motivations (as shown above). Developing leadership skills seems to be the fifth most important factor for men while being marketable and competitive was women’s fifth.

Does Age influence motivation?

Both candidates younger and older than 30 has the top 3 motivations in common. Older candidates considered being marketable and competitive to be a bigger motivation than developing leadership skills and career progression, which seems to motivate younger (less than 30) candidates.

Does Undergraduate Degree influence motivation?

It seems the undergraduate degree do influence your motivation for an MBA program. Students with Science Degrees were the most motivated to develop their skill base and improve career progression. Business Majors looked upon MBA programs as a mean to improve their competitive edge in the job market. Humanities and Social Science Majors also like Science Majors considered the potential to career progression as a primary motivating factor for an MBA.

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