Should An MBA Aspirant Choose A General Program or Specialized One?

While applying for an MBA program, should you choose a school that offers a particular concentration or specialisation or go for a school that offers a variety of courses with no major or the flexibility to take courses in multiple disciplines before committing themselves to a specialization?

Well, it depends on your needs and career goals. While some of you with clear-cut preferences and aptitudes may go in for specialisation, say, in Finance or Consulting, there may be others who would like to develop a holistic view of management by gaining a certain level of expertise in all aspects of general management.

At Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, the One-Year and Two-Year MBA students have the option of a full or half semester at Cornell’s brand-new Tech campus located in New York City.

Thus, admission consultants and other experts suggest that you should make up your mind and develop a certain amount of clarity about career goals while putting in your applications at various schools. If you plan to take up a career in Finance, look out for a school that offers a finance or accounting major or electives in the sector.

Kenton Kivestu, who graduated in 2011 from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business told US News that he had gone in for general management. The broad focus of the program allowed him to take a wide range of courses, including marketing, strategy and accounting.

He said he had chosen general management as he wanted to develop expertise across the functions that he needed in his future role as a CEO. Kenton is the CEO and founder of RocketBlocks, a company that helps aspiring management consultants prepare for consulting firm job interviews.

But if you have set your heart on a career change, lack expertise in a particular field and want to develop in-depth knowledge, then it is better to go in for a concentration or specialisation. This is especially true of sectors requiring data analysis skills such as Financial Technology or Fintech.

At Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, the One-Year and Two-Year MBA students have the option of a full or half semester at Cornell’s brand-new Tech campus located in New York City. To equip students to solve business problems in this age of digital transformation, Johnson offers two intensives at Cornell Tech: the digital marketing intensive and the Fintech intensive.

However, careful research is need on the part of the applicant MBA concentrations or specializations at institutions may not be equivalent even if they carry the same name.