By Danielle, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor
Two decades ago, early professionals in popular careers, such as investment banking, flocked to business schools to gain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and take on well-known concentrations such as finance, marketing, and management. Within the last ten years, MBA programs at top business schools began to see a shift. For the first time, enterprise concentrations, such as entrepreneurship, replaced more traditional specializations in popularity.
In my interactions with students, I discovered that many still thought of business school as solely for those interested in careers in venture capital, consulting firms, or product management. However, an MBA with a concentration and demonstrated expertise in a more niche area can provide highly sought-after career skills in today’s changing landscape. I will discuss five lesser-known MBA concentrations, potential careers, and programs that offer them.
You may not find this concentration in many MBA programs, but if you are interested in the study of agricultural principles with business management techniques, then the presence of this concentration could be a great deciding factor for you. Agribusiness students apply business principles to the agricultural sector and learn about global issues, such as food demand, sustainability, and agricultural technology.
Potential careers you can pursue with an agribusiness concentration include agribusiness consultant, supply chain management, food/agricultural marketing, and roles in government agencies or financial institutions.
If agribusiness interests you, check out these programs:
A concentration in business analytics teaches students to utilize data to solve business problems. Students will study optimization, machine learning, data acquisition and preparation, agent-based modeling, and other forms of simulation and visualization.
A specialization in business analytics can lead to positions like data analysts, business intelligence analysts, data scientists, and predictive modelers across a wide range of industries such as education, technology, healthcare, and finance.
Business analytics is offered as a specialization in these MBA programs:
Typically offered as a dual-degree (MPP/MBA) program, this specialization explores the relationship between public and private sectors. Topics include deregulation and privatization, technology, public and urban finance, and international industrial policy. An MPP/MBA can open various career paths in both the private and public sectors, including policy analyst, government relations manager, economic consultant, international trade specialist, or a nonprofit manager.
Graduate programs offering business and public policy include:
Within the last five years there has been an explosion of corporate resources dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace. Coursework in DEI will evaluate how social, psychological, and economic factors impact outcomes for organizations and individuals. A DEI concentration can lead to careers such as a diversity officer/manager, consultant, HR diversity specialist, or talent management leader.
Examples of programs offering DEI and similar MBA concentrations include:
Similar to a sustainability concentration, this specialization will educate students on the complex relationships between business and the natural environment, and the role business plays for the good of society. Students will learn how to identify environmental, social, and governance (ESG) gaps and strengths while strategizing how companies can incorporate ESG factors into their governance.
Graduates can work as sustainability managers, corporate social responsibility (CSR) directors, environmental consultants, or sustainable supply chain analysts in industries such as renewable energy, green technology, and sustainable finance.
Is an MBA in ESG for you? You may want to look at these programs:
These specializations will not only help you develop in-demand career skills, but they will also help you stand out from the pack if you have a genuine interest in these areas of study. After reading piles of finance applications, I always found it refreshing to read an application from a student interested in sustainability or agribusiness. Traditional MBA majors will always provide a tried-and-true pathway to mature industries, but these lesser-known specializations set students up for future careers that may not even exist today.
If you’re considering pursuing an MBA, it’s important to identify best-fit programs that align with your needs and goals and build a balanced grad school list. Not sure where to start?
IvyWise MBA admissions counselors have worked in admissions at top programs, including MIT’s Sloan School of Management and UPenn’s Wharton School. We have guided prospective business students through every stage of the graduate admissions process, from compiling a list of best-fit programs to finalizing applications and preparing for interviews. Contact us today to learn more about graduate school admissions counseling.
As your college experience is nearing its end, you may be wondering about the next steps for your career. Should you apply to graduate school immediately following your undergraduate studies, or would it be better to seek full-time employment?
Similar to undergraduate applications, graduate applications usually have a prompt to submit additional information or an optional statement. Applicants often wonder if and how they should use the ‘optional’ prompt and whether it is tacitly required. The short answer is — no.
If you plan on attending graduate school, whether it’s business school, law school, medical school, or some other graduate program, you’ll most likely need to take one of several graduate admission exams as part of your application. Preparing to take graduate admission exams long after your initial undergraduate admissions process can seem daunting, but the sooner you get started the sooner you can be on your way to a rewarding graduate school experience.
After college graduation, business-minded students often consider two options: beginning their professional career versus enrolling in an MBA program. While there is no one-size-fits-all choice, there are certain programs that often prove to be best-fit options for MBA applicants applying directly from college.
