But what if your strengths and interests lie beyond the traditionally offered specialisations like Finance, Marketing, Human Resources and Information Systems? Well...don’t worry. We are here to help you. Read on....
Choosing The Right MBA Specialisation
Nowadays a number of brick-and-mortar and online B-schools are offering a wide variety of MBA specialisations that will not only match your interests, but will also help you to prosper in future. When you pursue an MBA degree from an online school for business, you will be able to choose from a variety of management programmes that will enable you to hone your unique skills and start an outstanding career in your desired field. However traditional business schools still need to reinvent themselves and reassess the programmes they are offering in order to stay relevant.
New Offerings And Opportunities
But the trend is gradually shifting as a handful of B-schools from around the world are introducing new programmes and specialisations. Recently Josephine Gee graduated in Healthcare Administration MBA from the Queen’s School of Business. The institute introduced the programme in order to cope with the growing demand for expertise in the healthcare sector. Ms. Gee said “I realised I had a passion for helping people, especially when it comes to health and wellness. I also realized I needed additional formalised education to move into more strategic leadership roles.”
Moreover she believes that this specialisation will not only help her to pursue her interests but also empower her to attain future goals. “I know healthcare is a rapidly growing and dynamic field and I feel that with this, I can make an impact. Typically when people go back for their MBA they’re doing marketing and finance. This area has to do with the people side of things because it touches upon everybody’s lives.”
Meeting The Growing Demands
According to Shai Dubey, Director of Queen’s MBA program, currently more and more business schools, both traditional and online, are providing increasing options for specialisation to meet the market demand. These institutes are now focussing on adopting an enhanced integrated approach, instead of offering just add-on courses, to bring the best specialised MBA programmes. As the healthcare sector is in need of skilled business professionals with a sound knowledge of the sector, the school introduced the programme to offer further options to both the industry and the students.
Dubey said “We saw how healthcare fits into business. It’s a growing field with all kinds of opportunities from finance and consulting to strategy and supply chain. We know that what’s going on is huge and that the system isn’t working as efficiently as it should.” He further added “How will the system manage all of the challenges with the infrastructure we have and hospitals running at deficits? It will need administrators than can find ways to fix things.”
Knowing How It Works
But healthcare is simply one of the numerous sectors that are looking for specialised and highly skilled MBA graduates, according to Robert Kozinets, who is the Co-ordinator of the Global Retail Management program at Schulich School of Business. He commented “People don’t necessarily want to hire someone with a higher education and then spend again to train them in an industry from ground zero. They want people who understand their sector and how it works.”
He believes that there is strong pressure as MBA programmes are struggling to meet the changing needs. Kozinets added “Schools are now bridging the gap by tailoring a more buffet approach to education... There’s a high demand for skilled people with analytics and strategic skills on a global level.”
But the truth is there are only a handful of business schools that are offering or gearing to offer this “buffet” of specialisations. Most traditional B-schools are still following their rigid processes and are failing to prepare to meet the demands of the changing market. But should that stop you from attaining your dreams and goals? I don’t think so.
Opting For The Best
The best way to gain expertise in your desired field is to pursue an MBA degree from a renowned online school for business. Online B-schools take an experiential learning approach and customise the programme to meet your specific needs. This skill-based, hands-on curriculum offered by Online MBA programmes help you to acquire the precise skills and knowledge needed to gain expertise in your desired field.
Moreover as online programmes are highly flexible, you will be able to gain relevant work experience by actually working in the field of your choice, while you study for the same. With online MBA you will be able to study from a gamut of specialisations that have been developed to prepare you for the competitive as well as growing market. This will enable you to build your career in sectors that are expanding and are in need to skilled and knowledgeable professionals.
What do you think? Are you determined to make you career in your desired field or would you rather stick to the traditional MBA specialisations? Do you think online MBA is a better choice? Let us know what you feel by commenting below. We would love to hear from you.