Finishing your undergraduate degree is a milestone accomplishment – but it can also bring a sense of uncertainty surrounding what comes next. The question of how to kickstart your future career may be knocking at your door and you may not be sure how to answer it yet. An Early Career Master of Business Administration may be the answer you’re looking for if you’re a recent graduate ready to launch your career in business.
What is an Early Career MBA and Who is it for?
An Early Career MBA is a degree designed for aspiring business professionals with fewer than three years of experience. An MBA allows you to gain insight into the ever-changing world of business and hone in on your leadership and collaboration skills.
The Early Career MBA is different from a traditional MBA because it is specifically designed for students who are fresh out of their undergraduate days with no substantial career experience. It provides students with professional experience, mentorships, and networking opportunities to lay a solid foundation early on in their careers. Those who are ready to jump headfirst in collaboration with other emerging professionals are able to make their goals a reality with an Early Career MBA.
______
Who are you called to be?
Pursue your purpose at PLNU.
______
Benefits of earning your MBA early in your career
You may enjoy a higher salary sooner rather than later if you choose to pursue an Early Career MBA program. Thousands of MBA grads reported seeing a median pay increase of up to $85k in their first job after earning their MBA compared to their jobs beforehand.
While earning an MBA, you’re also able to build your resume with academic opportunities, internships, skills, and in-depth mentorships that can help guide you down your career path. These opportunities offer invaluable connections that can help you open doors to employment opportunities as well as experience in promising industries and organizations. While it’s undeniable that you learn a lot by jumping straight into the workplace, early career MBA programs are built to give you the best of both worlds. Students can gain valuable experience from in-depth knowledge from fellow peers, quality curriculum from professors, and employment opportunities that may come from being a part of an MBA program.
By earning an MBA early in your career, you can reduce the time it takes to qualify for advanced positions because of the skills you will gain from the program. Some students even pointed to an MBA as giving them an advantage for having a leg up on others who haven’t taken MBA courses.
Early Career MBA vs. General MBA programs
While the General MBA builds on real-world experience that working professionals have achieved, the Early Career MBA is designed to support budding business professionals by building foundational skills in leadership, communication, and team building.
This is why early career programs are changing the game for those just starting off. It meets you where you are — whether you’re a recent college graduate or just looking at how you can maximize your success further down your career path.
The Value of Adding an MBA Concentration
Adding an MBA concentration allows students to make their degree their own — in other words, they can choose a specific interest to specialize in while they’re taking MBA courses.
At PLNU, these concentrations include organizational leadership, project management, global leadership, and sport management. MBA concentrations put a focus point on the world of business, allowing MBA grads to have their own unique set of skills in their area of interest.
The great thing about adding an MBA concentration is that it can help aspiring professionals better visualize what exactly they want to do in their careers. For example, having a concentration in organizational leadership better prepares them by honing in on skills such as handling investments, and large projects, and collaborating with employees and clients. After leaving the program, they’re better equipped by having these unique skills.
With MBA concentrations, you’re able to build a solid foundation of skills that best fit the industry you want to go into in addition to the leadership skill set that can be applied to any field.
The Next Steps
The need for experienced professionals is on the rise. If you’re ready to make an early jump into a business career, check out our Early Career MBA program which equips students with the necessary skills to succeed in the world of business. In as few as 12–18 months, you’ll leave the program with the tools and confidence you need to be the effective leader you’re called to be.
