General Curriculum - MBA Programs

Now of course, underlying all of these different teaching techniques, is the curriculum itself. The first year courses of most MBA programs make up what is known as the core curriculum. While each school tries to present the material in what they believe is a unique or progressive manner, there remains minimal variation in these courses from school to school because every MBA student must ultimately have a fairly extensive level of knowledge in the following areas: 

Business Strategy Analysis

Financial and Managerial Accounting

Management Statistics and Data Analysis

Managerial Economics

Marketing Management

Managerial Finance

Managing Organizations

Operations Management

For a detailed description of any or all of these courses, please browse through the course calendar or website of the particular business schools you are considering.

Once this core curriculum has been completed, most business schools allow their students to spend the remainder of their course time on electives. Many schools are recognized for particular programs that they offer and this recognition tends to revolve around these second year elective courses. Often business schools will have faculty who are eminent leaders in their field lecturing for these courses, providing the class with cutting edge research and the latest advancements in the area. Some of the areas that a second-year MBA student can specialize in include:

Accounting

Arts Management

Educational Administration

Entrepreneurial Ventures Finance

Government

Health Care Administration

Human Resource

Management

Management Consultants

Management Information

Technology

Manufacturing Management

Marketing

Not-for-Profit Organizations

Operations Management

Small Business Management

So as you can see, it's no longer possible to pigeonhole business schools as gathering places for society's elite, who put in a couple of years before taking over the family empire. A degree from a reputable business school can now place you on the fast track for a leadership position in any one of an incredibly diverse number of career paths. The MBA has become just as important in public service domains such as education, government, and healthcare administration as it is in the more traditional corporate sectors.