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GCE Editorial Team
Earning an MBA at GCU can enhance your career potential, offering general or specialized tracks to help you grow professionally and pursue advancement in your field.
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Approved and verified accurate by the director of academic operations of the Colangelo College of Business on Feb. 26, 2025.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
Thinking of heading back to school with the intent of enhancing your career qualifications and positioning yourself to potentially pursue advancement? You’re not alone. Plenty of professionals decide to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
A general MBA degree can be a good choice for those in any field, but you may also have the option of earning a concentration in your particular area of interest. For example, you could earn an MBA with emphasis in accounting, project management or health systems management. Regardless of your specific emphasis, you may be interested in exploring the many potential benefits of an MBA before furthering your education.
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With an MBA on your resume, you may be able to position yourself to potentially become a more competitive candidate in your industry. Alternatively, you might decide to use an MBA with a concentration to work toward transitioning to a career in another industry or a different field altogether.1
Furthermore, an MBA can offer you opportunities to develop your skill set and expertise, such as in areas like leadership.2 Daniel Clarke, a graduate of Grand Canyon University’s MBA program, found that he was able to learn the importance of conscious capitalism and the operations within a business.
“The MBA program really shows the importance of conscious capitalism and why it needs to be a part of modern-day business by emphasizing its role in both startup businesses and established companies. GCU helped me find my purpose by exposing me to servant leadership and I think anybody who is interested in finding their purpose, the GCU MBA program is a good way to go,” said Clarke.
The competencies you’ll be taught in your MBA program may be applicable to a wide range of workplace challenges across various fields and industries. What can you do with an MBA, exactly? It depends on where you want to focus your career.
Some options to consider pursuing may include:
An MBA graduate may pursue career opportunities in nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies or private corporations in industries as diverse as healthcare, technology and consumer goods.1 There is no shortage of options to consider.
As you review your choices for an MBA, it’s worth taking some time to review the curriculum for each program you’re considering. You’re likely to notice that MBA degrees, regardless of specialization, often teach similar competencies.
These can include:
If you choose an MBA with a concentration, you can expect to take courses relevant to that concentration, as well as general business management classes. For instance, if you choose an MBA with an Emphasis in Cybersecurity, you may examine competencies like the design of enterprise security infrastructure and countermeasures for cyberattacks.
In addition to the competencies taught, MBA programs focus on teaching new skills. All the skills taught in MBA courses are related to the business world. For example, if you are considering starting your own business, an MBA program can allow you to dive into skills like creating a business plan. If you have a new strategy you want to implement in your current career, an MBA may help you develop your ideas.
In addition, MBA programs generally teach the following types of transferable skills:1,2
It takes hard work, dedication and time to earn an MBA. However, the many potential benefits of an MBA make completing the degree a worthwhile endeavor for many professionals.
With an MBA, you may discover that you have the self-confidence to pursue higher-level positions in various organizations. During your MBA program, you receive not only technical education in skills such as project management, but also leadership education that can help you position yourself to potentially pursue a leadership role in your company.
It’s sometimes said that it takes a community to build a successful career. Specifically, it can take a strong professional network to find the career opportunities you are looking for.
An MBA degree program can introduce you to networking opportunities.1 In fact, some students might enroll in an MBA program primarily for the purpose of building a professional network.
During your time in graduate school, be proactive about reaching out to your peers and instructors. Build meaningful, working relationships with them that you can tap into long after you graduate.
The ability to communicate clearly in a professional setting involves much more than just choosing the right words. Effective communication means understanding your audience and adjusting the tone of your message accordingly. It involves recognizing and using non-verbal conversational cues and applying active listening skills in addition to speaking persuasively.
While you are earning your MBA, you will have ample opportunities to polish your written and spoken communication abilities. You may find that better communication skills can help you connect to those with whom you interact in the workplace.1 In addition, leadership skills can be a valuable asset in any workplace.
Earning an MBA requires many hours of hard work, especially for active professionals balancing their education with a job, family or other responsibilities. Even if you choose to reduce your work hours, you will need to manage your schedule carefully to accommodate classes and assignments.
The effort it takes to earn an MBA provides opportunities for developing your self-discipline and time management skills.1 These skills are particularly important when earning your MBA online, even though online degrees may offer greater accessibility and convenience to working professionals.
Meeting new people enables you to benefit from their ideas and perspectives. The typical MBA degree program is filled with students from diverse backgrounds who come together to exchange ideas.3 Keep an open mind during your classes and pay attention to the approaches and ideas of others, and you will have opportunities to learn from the insights of your peers and instructors.
As an MBA student, you can examine skills like critical thinking.1 Asking questions can allow you to better understand material that is presented and to form logical conclusions when given multiple ideas.
An MBA program also typically encourages the application of knowledge and skills in the workplace rather than focusing on theoretical concepts alone. Because of this, you may be able to apply what you’ve been taught in class to the workplace to solve various problems.
Equipped with an MBA, you may feel more confident to pursue career advancement opportunities. Employers understand that earning an MBA takes effort, which may signal commitment to growth. As management analysts gain experience, they often take on more responsibility, with senior analysts supervising teams, attracting new business, or transitioning to management roles in non-consulting organizations.1
Not only can an MBA strengthen your resume but it may also help you position yourself to potentially pursue a variety of higher-level jobs. If you notice that the jobs that appeal to you are all held by individuals with master’s degrees, this may indicate that now is a good time to advance your education.
One of the most meaningful perks of an MBA program is the opportunity to grow. Through MBA classes and projects, students can grow as professionals. Habits taught during the program, such as time management, collaboration and a strong work ethic, not only refine professionalism but also encourage personal growth.
An MBA program is a chance to allow yourself to grow, both personally and professionally. For those who are willing to learn from the experience of earning a degree, the skills and knowledge they are taught may apply outside the workplace as well. For example, you may have opportunities to refine your communication skills, which may benefit your relationships.
Some MBA students may intend eventually to go on to earn a doctoral degree. An MBA can prepare you to tackle the academic requirements of a doctoral program. In fact, some degree programs may require doctoral applicants to have a master’s degree. If you think you may be interested in seeking a DBA degree, earning an MBA may be a good place to start.
If you are unsure what MBA emphasis is best for you, considering what kind of doctoral program you might want to apply to may help you decide. For example, if a DBA with a specialization in marketing interests you, an MBA with a concentration in marketing could take you a step closer to that goal.
Earning an MBA may represent access to a desired career pathway and the opportunity to expand your professional network.3 It can be an ideal choice if you’re interested in nurturing professional relationships and committing yourself to professional development.
Grand Canyon University’s Colangelo College of Business offers many online degree programs, such as the Master of Business Administration. You can also apply to MBA degrees with an emphasis such as a concentration in leadership, marketing or finance.
