What Can You Do With an MBA Degree

If you’re looking for a way to take your career to the next level, you might be thinking about going back to school. Earning a master’s degree can be a great way to enhance your skill set, deepen your knowledge base, expand your professional network, and establish yourself as a credible authority figure in your field. In particular, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree can help you prepare to pursue high-level positions.

What can you do with an MBA degree? A better question might be, “Why get an MBA?” The MBA program is widely considered to be the gold standard for professionals who aspire to step into managerial or executive roles, and it will instill highly transferrable skills that are immediately applicable in the field.

In This Article:

• How Long Is an MBA Program?
• MBA Career Path and Degree Concentrations
• What Jobs Can I Get With an MBA Degree?
• What Can You Do With an MBA Degree in Marketing?
• What Salary Can I Expect To Earn With an MBA?
• Pursue Your MBA Degree Online or On Campus at Grand Canyon University

How Long Is an MBA Program?

The length of an MBA degree depends on a number of factors, including the school you choose, the specific program you enroll in, and your schedule of courses, as well as whether you have any transferrable credits.

Some schools may offer accelerated MBA programs, which might be completed in as few as 16 to 18 months. Note, however, that this timeline may only be available to learners who completed a business-related undergraduate degree and who waive certain core classes. The time it takes to complete your MBA program will also depend on if you previously earned some graduate-level credits that can count toward your MBA degree (subject to university transfer policies).

MBA Career Path and Degree Concentrations

When you decide to pursue an MBA degree, you have an important choice to make: What MBA career path do you want to take? You could opt for a general Master of Business Administration degree without a concentration, which will instill foundational competencies across a broad range of business-related skills, from leadership to finance.

Another option is to choose an MBA with a concentration, such as marketing, leadership or sports business. If you do choose a concentration, you should select one that best reflects your career goals.

If you’re having trouble making a decision, try reframing questions you may have, such as Do I picture myself still being happy in my current field for the next 15-plus years? and To what field am I interested in transitioning?

An MBA degree can help you transition to a new field or industry, or climb to a higher-level position in your current field. The best MBA career path is the one you follow that leads you closer to your own personal goals and interests. It’s all a matter of your own personal goals and interests. Here’s a look at some common MBA concentrations you might consider:

• Accounting
• Business analytics
• Cybersecurity
• Finance
• Health systems management
• Marketing
• Project management
• Sports business
• Strategic human resource management

As you can see, some concentrations are highly relevant to a specific industry, such as sports business. Others are applicable to a range of industries, such as accounting and marketing. No matter which concentration you choose, however, you’ll be able to acquire transferrable, in-demand skills that can help set you apart from other job applicants.

What Jobs Can I Get With an MBA Degree?

If you’re wondering “What jobs can I get with an MBA?”, earning this degree instills highly transferrable competencies that are applicable to a range of industries. With an MBA degree, you might work for a high-tech startup, for example, or you may pursue opportunities in healthcare, manufacturing or retail. If you’re passionate about fueling company growth through effective and ethical business practices, you might consider the following types of jobs:

Financial Analyst

Financial analysts are responsible for evaluating the performance of investment vehicles, including stocks and bonds. Based on their assessments, financial analysts can then help businesses and individuals make informed investment decisions. Financial analysts may sometimes need to acquire licensure and one or more certifications such as Series 6, 7, or 63.

Human Resources Manager

Human resources (HR) managers lead the HR team. They are responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing the administrative functions of their companies. These functions include hiring, promotions, benefits administration, dispute resolution, and compliance.

The BLS estimates job growth for human resources managers to be 9% from 2020 to 2030, as fast as average. This indicates that employers may hire about 14,800 new HR managers each year through 2030.¹

Accountant

Accountants are responsible for preparing financial records, assessing financial risks, and evaluating financial operations, among other duties. Although aspiring accountants can enter this profession with a bachelor’s degree and licensure, many employers prefer to hire accountants with a master’s, such as an MBA.

What Can You Do With an MBA Degree in Marketing?

If you're wondering specifically "What can I do with an MBA degree in marketing?", here are a few career options to consider:

Marketing Manager

Marketing managers are in charge of developing marketing campaigns and strategies to promote a company’s products or services. They lead the marketing team, coordinating projects with other departmental heads. Some of the specific duties of a marketing manager can include the following:

• Conducting market research
• Understanding current trends and preferences of their target customer(s)
• Creating the marketing strategy and budget for campaigns and product launches
• Overseeing the development of marketing materials and content and ensuring it's all on brand

Increasingly, data analytics is an important component of the marketing profession. Marketing managers may coordinate projects with data analytics professionals.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates job growth for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers to increase by 10% from 2020 to 2030 — faster than average. This indicates that employers may hire about 31,100 new professionals each year through 2030.²

Public Relations Managers

Public relations (PR) managers are responsible for developing, implementing and overseeing PR programs that are intended to enhance the public image of their clients — which may be brands or individuals. They may plan and hold corporate events, monitor trends, and develop PR campaigns. These professionals may also work with clients to help them learn how to communicate more effectively with the public.

The BLS estimates job growth for public relations and fundraising managers to increase by 13% from 2020 to 2030 — faster than average. This indicates that employers may hire about 11,300 new professionals each year through 2030.³

Market Research Director

If you have an analytical mind and keen attention to detail, you might consider pursuing a position as a market research director after you earn your MBA degree. The primary responsibility of these professionals is to develop a better understanding of the company’s customer base.

Market research directors gather, analyze, and interpret large data sets about consumers and their buying patterns. The purpose is to better inform the work that marketing managers do. By learning more about the company’s customer base, marketing managers can adjust their campaigns to appeal to the people who are most likely to become customers.

Director of Sales

Whereas the marketing department works to convince the customer base of the brand’s value, the sales department manages all the activities related to the purchasing of the company’s products or services. One major responsibility of the director of sales or sales manager, who oversees the department, is to implement and supervise improvements to the company’s customer service. She or he may also be responsible for developing training programs for sales representatives.

What Salary Can I Expect to Earn With an MBA?

There are no guarantees that you’ll earn a specific salary range when you earn an MBA degree, or that you can earn a specific salary range with a particular job title. However, if you’re asking why get an MBA?, you may be interested in some statistics from the BLS that reflect current salary trends across jobs commonly held or pursued by MBA graduates. Here’s a look at a sampling of median annual salaries:

• Marketing manager – In May 2021, advertising, promotions, and marketing managers had a median annual wage of $133,380, according to the BLS.⁴
• Public relations manager – In May 2021, public relations and fundraising managers had a median annual wage of $119,860, according to the BLS.⁵
• Sales manager – In May 2021, sales managers had a median annual wage of $127,490, according to the BLS.⁶
• Human resources manager – In May 2021, human resources managers had a median annual wage of $126,230, according to the BLS.⁷

Pursue Your MBA Degree Online or On Campus at Grand Canyon University

The renowned Colangelo College of Business at Grand Canyon University offers a wide range of MBA programs to elevate your career and enable you to pursue your dream job. In addition to the general Master of Business Administration degree program, our students can choose from a broad selection of MBA concentrations, including marketing, leadership, project management, and strategic human resource management, just to name a few.

¹ COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 may be atypical compared to prior years. The pandemic may impact the predicted future workforce outcomes indicated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as well. Accordingly, data shown is based on 2020, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Human Resources Managers.

² COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 may be atypical compared to prior years. The pandemic may impact the predicted future workforce outcomes indicated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as well. Accordingly, data shown is based on September 2021, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers, retrieved on 02/01/2022.

³ COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 may be atypical compared to prior years. The pandemic may impact the predicted future workforce outcomes indicated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as well. Accordingly, data shown is based on 2020, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Public Relations and Fundraising Managers. 

⁴ The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Advertising, Promotions and Marketing Managers as of May 2021, retrieved on Month. Day, 2022. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 and 2021 may be atypical compared to prior years. The pandemic may also impact the predicted future workforce outcomes indicated by the BLS. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers from across the country with varying levels of education and experience and does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as Advertising, Promotions and Marketing Managers. It does not reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country. It also does not reflect a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. You may also wish to compare median salaries if you are considering more than one career path. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, and accept employment from, determines salary not only based on education, but also individual characteristics and skills and fit to that organization (among other categories) against a pool of candidates. 

⁵ The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Public Relations and Fundraising Managers as of May 2021, retrieved on Sept. 14, 2022. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 and 2021 may be atypical compared to prior years. The pandemic may also impact the predicted future workforce outcomes indicated by the BLS. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers from across the country with varying levels of education and experience and does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as Public Relations and Fundraising Managers. It does not reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country. It also does not reflect a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. You may also wish to compare median salaries if you are considering more than one career path. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, and accept employment from, determines salary not only based on education, but also individual characteristics and skills and fit to that organization (among other categories) against a pool of candidates. 

⁶ The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Sales Managers as of May 2021.Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 may be atypical compared to prior years. The pandemic may also impact the predicted future workforce outcomes indicated by the BLS. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers from across the country with varying levels of education and experience and does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as sales managers. It does not reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country. It also does not reflect a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. You may also wish to compare median salaries if you are considering more than one career path. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, and accept employment from, determines salary not only based on education, but also individual characteristics and skills and fit to that organization (among other categories) against a pool of candidates.

⁷ The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics(“BLS”), Human Resources Managers as of May 2021, retrieved on Oct. 25, 2022. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 and 2021 may be atypical compared to prior years. The pandemic may also impact the predicted future workforce outcomes indicated by the BLS. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers from across the country with varying levels of education and experience and does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as Human Resources Managers. It does not reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country. It also does not reflect a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. You may also wish to compare median salaries if you are considering more than one career path. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, and accept employment from, determines salary not only based on education, but also individual characteristics and skills and fit to that organization (among other categories) against a pool of candidates. 

Approved with changes by full-time faculty for the Colangelo College of Business on Feb. 3, 2023.