MBA Week: A qualification that stands out from the crowd

IN the first of our week of features in association with Leeds Business School, TheBusinessDesk.com introduces the MBA.

The myriad of industry specific and more general qualifications now available can sometimes make it difficult for businesses to judge their value and consider what they say about the people who have achieved them.

The Master of Business Administration Degree stands out from the crowd.

Starting as a qualification in the United States to reflect a belief that there was a science behind management, the MBA has been a feature of European business for the last 50 years and is now offered by universities around the world.

Individuals who hold the qualification are considered high achievers with the potential to take leading roles with an organisation.

Rachel Banfield, associate dean of the Leeds Business School, says: “The MBA is an internationally recognised brand. It is a masters level qualification aimed at individuals looking for ways of developing their leadership skills and it is for experienced business individuals who want to develop their potential.”

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In fact, two versions of the degree are now offered to cater for those two different markets – the MBA for those with limited management experience and the EMBA for more experienced managers looking to enhance their skills.

While MBAs are academic qualifications, they are intensely practical in nature, focusing on the real challenges facing businesses and the way individuals on the course can contribute to overcoming them.

Indeed, a central feature of the course at Leeds Business School is a consultancy project that sees the student focusing on a particular area of the business they work in or one they are interested in and devising strategies to address the issue.

The MBA is a general business qualification but that is seen as its strength rather than its weakness. By providing an overview of the key facets found in all businesses, the MBA gives newcomers to business an introduction to corporate life and equips more experienced managers to take on senior positions that demand understanding beyond their own area of expertise.

“A good example is accounts,” says Nick Beech, head of the centre for director education at Leeds Business School. “We have just seen over recent years how many people in business do not understand accounts which effectively means a good finance director can run rings around the board. 

“The MBA won’t teach people how to understand everything on that side of the business but it will teach them how to recognise issues and ask the right questions of the people that work for them.

“It is a benchmark for employers that when they are looking for people to do a job they know there is a quality mark there, they understand the essentials about all parts of the organisation.”

Leeds Business School offers MBAs and Executive MBAs on a part and full-time basis.

Find the Leeds Business School prospectus at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/study/postgraduate.htm