This should be the first question that any MBA aspirant should ask before deciding to choose an MBA program. With MBA, students are introduced to new management concepts, and Business fundamentals that cannot be traditionally learned on the job. These courses also introduces systematic, and process oriented thinking, which eventually will play an important role in learning complex business concepts, and human behavior.
Current Students and Alumni have shared some of the unique courses, and learning experiences in an MBA.
1) Business Fundamentals
Almost all top Business Schools have mandatory core courses that build the foundation for a career in management. Students will have a broader understanding of Strategy, Finance, Sales, Marketing, Operations and HR, and how each element inter-operate. A core skill that an MBA develops during the course of the program is Quantitative analysis skills, which is essential for executive decision-making.
Although most MBAs have the option to choose a concentration by selecting electives after the core courses, learning about Business Fundamentals gives a new perspective that can be utilized in the future while leading a team with various cross-functional skills.
Eric Schwalm, Bain & Company, Vice President & Director, MBA '87 discusses the importance of quant in Business fundamentals.
Oliver Fetzer, Cerulean Pharma, Inc., President and CEO, MBA '93 discusses analytics as part of the essential fundamentals of an MBA program.
2) Learning Skills
Although experiential learning is slowly taking over the tried and tested Case Study Method, the later is still relevant as analysis of the case gives new insights into actual scenarios that a Business face. By discussing with the class about each case, MBAs develop scenario-based thinking that can be useful in future roles, as executives. During case discussion, students will introduce new issues about the scenario that might have not been considered by the learning team during the pre-case discussion. This allows students to develop skills to create solutions dynamically and address issues as they come – a skill that is essential for being an effective manager or a CEO.
Watch Inside the Case Study Method - Harvard MBA
Now Read>>Case Study Method: 5 MBA programs that are good at it
In University of California – Berkeley’s Hass School of Business, half of the MBA electives involve real-life projects. Students must choose a course from eight experiential learning courses with topics ranging from Social Sector Solutions to International Business Development. Experiential learning takes a different approach to learning. Students need to develop different modes of thinking to solve complex problems, and this approach is solidified by exposing students to real-world problems and out-of-classroom activities.
Now Read>>5 Experiential Learning MBA programs that you should Know
3) Negotiation
Negotiation is a skill that cannot be learned in a single class. But that doesn’t mean that you cannot develop the framework for negotiation. This is exactly what Moty Cristal is teaching at Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO MBA Program with Negotiation Thinking. We asked him whether negotiation can be taught. This is what he had to say
“You can teach negotiation. However, unlike many of my colleagues who believe that there is one way to negotiate, therefore they adopt a "manual" approach to negotiation teaching, we've developed a unique methodology, based on a blend of academic research and years of practical experience, which trains MBA students, (and some of the executives we work with at SKOLKOVO), in "Negotiation Thinking"
Beyond Negotiations: Mastering the Unexpected
Here is a brief video with advices on how to reshape your understanding of the nature of negotiations.
In the real world, mistakes in negotiation can be costly but in MBA Classroom negotiations, and simulations, testing out various strategies during negotiation can not only help MBAs learn, it will also give insights into how human’s behave under stress.
4) Leadership
Leadership skills depends a lot on our upbringing and influences but top MBA programs boast of developing frameworks, courses, and activities that inculcates skills in planning, motivating and talent spotting – three key ingredients for being an effective leader. Harvard’s Leadership and Organizational Behavior (LEAD) is a prime example of a course that is developed with this objective in mind. The initiative to develop leaders is not limited to courses as is visible in Harvard MBA. Right from case study method to Field Based learning to Immersion Programs, the activities are planned to develop leadership skills.Other top schools like Haas,Tuck and Stanford Graduate School of Business Schools have similar objectives.
Watch the below video where HEC Paris MBA Class of 2012 describe their transformative leadership learning experiences
