What can I expect from an MBA program?

[xyz]

I earned my Bachelor's in a different field and I don't know what to expect from the MBA classes. I would be interested in the Finance concentration. Is it very difficult to study Business Administration for someone who is rather into languages and social science?

I have taken a Finance and Economics classes before but I don't know if I am interested in them in detail. Could someone who has experience in studying Business Administration tell me about their experiences? Should I expect something dry and incomprehensible or something that it is not impossible to acquire?

[Serge M]

What you can expect from a good program is an excellent education. It is anything but dry and incomprehensible and you learn as much from fellow students as from the teachers. MBA programs prefer students with degrees other than business. Don't worry about a specialty in the MBA program. The MBA degree was originally created because engineers working for companies were promoted to managerial positions, and often they did not know how to manage, although they were good engineers. Companies needed managers who could understand what the engineers were saying, and managers without engineering degrees often did not understand the engineers and their needs. Business schools responded by creating the MBA degree. It is a general degree designed to train student to enter any area of management. Most MBA programs accept students with any undergraduate degree. You take courses in accounting, finance, marketing, economics, management, statistics, policy, and others. The MBA is in contrast to the MS degree which concentrates on courses in a single field and trains students to reach higher levels of knowledge in their specialty so that they can serve as better staff and researchers, with no intention of becoming high level managers.

Although some programs offer a concentration in a specific field in the second year, the emphasis in all MBA programs is on a broad range of courses. The specialization may amount to 2-3 elective courses in a field in the second year of the MBA program. Students who want to concentrate in a specific field and train for a staff position should seek an MS degree rather than an MBA.

Most MBA programs prefer students with 2-3 years work experience after the first degree, but many accept students right out of college if they have good grades and a high GMAT score. Some MBA programs are designed specifically for new college graduates without work experience.

Before you consider which MBA program is for you, consult the Official MBA Guide, a comprehensive free public service with more than 2,000 MBA programs listed worldwide. It allows you to search for programs by location (US, Europe, Far East, etc.), by concentration (finance, marketing, aviation management, health management, accounting, etc.), by type of program (full-time, distance learning, part-time, etc), and by listing your own criteria and preferences to get a list of universities that satisfy your needs. You can use the Guide to contact schools of your choice, examine their data, visit their web site, and send them pre applications. You can see lists of top 40 schools ranked by starting salaries of graduates, GMAT scores, and other criteria. It's the best service available at http://officialmbaguide.org.

[Ed Atun]

Keep going. The study is boring but the eventual career is very exciting..