What an MBA is
The Master of Business Administration is a graduate degree in general management. Most programs open with a set of core courses that every student takes, then let you choose electives. The core usually covers accounting, finance, marketing, operations, statistics or data analysis, economics, strategy and leadership. Electives let you go deeper in one area, and many schools group them into concentrations, such as finance or entrepreneurship.
What sets the MBA apart from many other master's degrees is its mix of students. Most programs expect applicants to have some years of work experience, so classmates come from many industries and bring real problems into class discussions. Group projects, case discussions and team assignments are a large part of the work.
The four formats at a glance
The degree can be the same while the way you earn it differs a great deal. The biggest questions are when classes meet, whether you keep working, and how long the program runs. Each seal below opens a full guide to that format.
Full-time MBA
- Schedule
- Weekday classes, mostly in the daytime
- Keep your job?
- Most students leave their jobs
- Length
- About two years in the US, with a summer internship between the years. One-year programs also exist.
- Often suits
- Career changers who want an internship and a full-time campus experience
Part-time MBA
- Schedule
- Evenings, weekends, or a mix of both
- Keep your job?
- Yes, most students keep a full-time job
- Length
- Often about three years, and many programs let you speed up or slow down
- Often suits
- People who want to grow in their field without giving up a salary
Executive MBA
- Schedule
- Alternating weekends or week-long sessions on campus
- Keep your job?
- Yes, and most students need time off approved by their employer
- Length
- Often about two years or less, taken with one fixed group of classmates
- Often suits
- Experienced managers with many years of work behind them
Online MBA
- Schedule
- Recorded lessons, some live sessions, sometimes short campus visits
- Keep your job?
- Yes, most students keep working
- Length
- Varies widely by school and by how many courses you take at once
- Often suits
- People who cannot relocate or who travel for work
These are typical patterns. Schedules and lengths vary from school to school, and some programs blend formats, for example a part-time program with some online courses. Always read the current program page and ask the admissions office how its schedule works.
Guides on this site
Before you apply
Questions to answer about your goals, your timing and the trade-offs before you start an application.
Parts of an application
Transcripts, résumé, test scores, essays, recommendations and the interview, explained one by one.
Choosing a program
Accreditation, format, curriculum, career support, location and total cost of attendance.
Financing questions
The questions to ask a financial aid office and where to find federal student aid information.
How we write these guides
We explain how MBA programs generally work and which questions to ask. We do not name or rank schools, and we do not publish salary figures, admission rates or tuition amounts. Those numbers change every year and differ so much between programs that a single figure would mislead more than it helps. The school's own published information and the official federal student aid site are the places to check current details.
Common questions
Do I need a business degree to apply for an MBA?
No. MBA classes include people who studied engineering, the humanities, the sciences, education and many other subjects. Some programs suggest a refresher in math or accounting before you start, and some offer short preparation courses for admitted students.
Is an executive or online MBA a different degree?
At many schools the degree awarded is the same MBA, and the format only changes how and when you study. That is not true everywhere, so ask each school what the diploma and transcript will say.
How much work experience do I need?
It depends on the format. Full-time and part-time programs often admit people a few years into their careers, while executive programs usually look for much longer experience, often including managing people. Each school explains what it looks for on its admissions pages.