Master of Business Administration
MBA (also known as Master's in Business Administration) is a graduate degree that focuses on business administration and investment management. A typical MBA program's core courses cover a wide range of topics in business administration, including accounting, applied statistics, human resources, business communication, business ethics, business law, strategic management, business strategy, finance, managerial economics, management, entrepreneurship, marketing, supply-chain management, and operations management, all of which are presented in a way that is relevant to management analysis and strategy development. Its roots may be traced back to the early twentieth century in the United States, when the nation began to industrialise and businesses sought scientific management.
Most programmes also feature optional courses and specialties that allow students to specialise in a specific field of study, such as accounting, finance, marketing, or human resource management. In the United States, MBA programmes typically require the completion of forty to sixty credits (sixty to ninety credits in a quarter system), which is significantly higher than the thirty credits (thirty-six to forty-five credits in a quarter system) typically required for degrees that cover some of the same material, such as the Master of Economics, Master of Finance, Master of Accountancy, Master of Science in Marketing, and Master of Science in Management in Europe.
The MBA is a terminal degree as well as a professional qualification. MBA programmes are accredited by organisations that are dedicated to ensuring uniformity and quality of education. Many business schools throughout the world offer programmes that are customised to full-time, part-time, executive (abridged coursework that often takes place on evenings and weekends) and remote learning students, with many of these programmes offering specialty specialisations as well.
The "Executive MBA," often known as the EMBA, is a degree programme that is comparable to an MBA programme, but it is expressly constructed for and aimed towards corporate executives and senior managers who are already in the workforce, rather than those who are just starting out.