MBA 2: Introducing the

The MBA (Masters of Business Administration) is one of the most widely-recognised postgraduate qualifications in the world. Individuals wishing to participate in such a programme will typically need to have a few years of workplace experience under their belts, but it is a qualification that will greatly boost their desirability to employers. MBA courses tend to expose their students to a wide range of subjects, including finance, economics, marketing and management information systems – amongst numerous others.

The most common types of MBA are the (part-time) Executive MBA and the full-time MBA. UCC (University College Cork), for instance, offers an Executive MBA course, which is pursued in a part-time capacity over two years. The course’s academic director, Dr Jim Walsh, says that the word “Executive” in the title of the UCC programme is ‘really code for experienced’.

He further explains the differences between Executive and full-time MBA options, saying: ‘The bank of experience that people have built up and can draw on is a significant element of what’s called an Executive MBA programme. Full-time MBA programmes take a younger cohort of people – they’d be in their 20s. We take no, if you like, “young” people.’

But what do experienced professionals have to gain from the acquisition of an MBA? Dr Clare Rigg, who is in charge of the part-time, two-year MBA programme at the Institute of Technology Tralee, says there are, broadly speaking, three distinct types of participant with three different motivations for taking the course.

She explains: ‘One (type) would be the people who are in large organisations and are trying to build their future within that company or organisation, through developing themselves. Another would be people that are running their own organisation. The third would be people that are currently employed and are exploring other options that might bring them to another organisation.’

In terms of course content, MBAs typically cover a whole range of subjects that would be of great benefit to anyone looking to advance their career in the business sphere. However, those who run some of the top Irish MBA courses tend to emphasise the broader impact their programmes have on the outlook of those who take them. Rather than solely teaching participants specific skills and disciplines, contemporary MBAs strive to provide attendees with a new way of thinking. For instance, John Cusack – head of the Business School at the Athlone Institute of Technology, which offers an Executive MBA programme on a part-time basis over two years – says there is more to the MBA learning process than the mere acquisition of knowledge.

He says, of his own programme: ‘Apart from the knowledge acquired and the expertise developed across the various modules, participants enhance their critical understanding of concepts.  The Institute aims to ensure that successful completion of our MBA prepares participants to assess situations in an innovative and creative way.’

Dr Clare Rigg, meanwhile, is keen to emphasise the importance of putting the techniques encountered during an MBA course to practical use – and then reflecting upon their effectiveness – as part of the learning process.

She says: ‘The core focus of (the course) is about improving management leadership practice, and not about just knowing the theories of business and management. So, a lot of the course assessments are built around live assignments. It’s not just an analysis and a handing-over of a report – (participants) have to be engaging in implementation issues.’

Similarly, Dr Jim Walsh is keen to emphasise the UCC course’s focus on personal development. He explains: ‘The key word is development. We have made what we call a “developmental turn” over the last two years. We wanted to make (the course) more individually-focussed, more career development-based and we now have a constructive programme to reflect that. Instead of turning towards a sector, or towards a function, we’ve turned towards development.’

This more adaptable approach MBA courses often take can, at least partially, be put down to the wide variety of fields participants are seeking to develop their careers in. For instance, Dr Walsh says that the UCC MBA’s participants include ‘somebody in animal genetics, somebody who’s the owner of a small computer firm, people from Bord Gais, from EMC and from Cork County Council’.

Those who wish to pursue an MBA qualification can also do so in a full-time capacity. Full-time study and full-time employment rarely go hand-in-hand, so the pursuit of such a qualification would not suit someone who wishes to remain in the workplace. However, for those who wish to take a one-year hiatus from full-time employment before heading back to work on a more permanent basis, the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School offers a highly-regarded full-time programme, which is completed over the course of one year.

Of course, MBA programmes are not just good for participants – they are also beneficial for employers. As Executive MBA qualifications can be pursued concurrently with full-time work, participants have the opportunity to put the skills they are gleaning from the programme into practice straight away. As such, a company that chooses to partially finance an employee’s MBA can receive an immediate return on its investment.

And not only is the extra training likely to boost the employee’s performance, the course also provides participants with a large pool of knowledge and experience to tap into – via their interaction with fellow students and course lecturers. As a result, they can bring fresh, welcome new perspectives and solutions to persistent workplace problems back to their employers.

Dr Rigg explains: ‘(An MBA) clearly is for the individual participant, but it’s also for their organisations. If participants are taking individual organisation issues that were problematic and bringing ideas from outside – that’s often beneficial.’