The Major Motivations for Studying an MBA

There are a wide variety of benefits to studying an MBA – but the motivations that drive a student to consider, enrol in and ultimately complete their Masters of Business Administration can be vastly different. Today we’re going to look at a few of the most common motivations we’ve seen here at AIB – can you relate?

Career Progression

For many MBA students, the major motivation for completing a post-graduate level qualification is to position themselves strongly in a competitive job market. The knowledge and respect gained from completing specialist business qualifications is generally considered to be beneficial for a range of roles across all industries – especially for those roles that require management and leadership skills. Applying for new roles after the completion of your MBA may allow you to sneak ahead of your competition, as many employers look favourably on Masters Qualifications.

MBAs are also valuable when aiming to negotiate promotions or salary changes in an ongoing role. Many employers see undertaking an MBA as an investment into your future, both individually and within the organisation. If your drive and determination can help you to complete an MBA, it may offer the same benefits to a new position within your current organisation.

Alternative Opportunities

For those looking for a new opportunity, a Master of Business Administration can offer several paths. As mentioned, when applying for an advertised role or seeking out new opportunities, the recognition of your MBA and the knowledge an MBA graduate has may help you to edge out other applicants for your desired role.

The MBA can also have significant benefits for students looking to start their own businesses. The wide base of knowledge taught by an MBA programme, in addition to the problem solving skills and confidence gained, can be hugely beneficial to those people motivated to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

Diversifying Knowledge

For those students who have a solid background in once specific discipline area, the MBA can allow them to diversify their skills and build confidence in every element of a business. Most MBA programmes include courses around Leadership, Management, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Human Resources and Operations – allowing students to build a consistently useful body of knowledge which they can draw from in a variety of situations. For those students interested in learning, building knowledge can be a crucial motivating factor.

Personal Growth

Personal reasons and motivations are, for some people, a far stronger incentive than the potential career opportunities. For those students from a practical background, the ability to formalise years of experience and knowledge by achieving an MBA can be very appealing. The confidence and skills gained by completing an MBA are also a very attractive prospect to many. For those with previous qualifications, the opportunity to reaffirm their skills and build their reputation is also a valuable one.

What are your motivations for study and why? Are you interested in learning more about how an MBA can help you to achieve your goals? Visit our website to find out more about our MBA programme.

This article was written by Simone Ball on behalf of the Australian Institute of Business. All opinions are that of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of AIB.