If you’re currently working, earning an MBA for professionals can help you move up within your company or enable you to find a new career. A professional MBA is one of the most elite and recognized degrees. In addition to learning about all different aspects of business, you’ll become a better communicator while working with other talented individuals to solve real work issues.
Why choose a part-time MBA? It enables working professionals to obtain a degree while continuing to work. Most schools offer some type of part-time, evening MBA program, which is more flexible for working students, in addition to full-time professional MBA programs. The curriculum requirements are usually the same for the evening program as the full-time program. Since you’ll be in classes with other working adults, you’ll have the opportunity to build a network of professionals and learn about real-life business situations from each other. In general, classes run longer but they’re only held 1-2 times per weeknight or on weekend days.
Adjusting to being in school while working can be a challenge and there’s no doubt that it will be time-consuming. Life is a juggling act and going back to school will be one more ball to juggle. Here are some things to consider if you’re thinking about enrolling in an evening MBA program.
- Partner Work with School – Getting a degree while working can be a good combination. To make things run more smoothly, partner with your manager before you start your professional MBA. Your manager should expect that your work won’t be affected. It’s natural for school and work to flex in priority so keep communicating with him or her. As you go through the program, you can apply what you’re learning to your work, which is a win-win.
- Balance Your Personal Life – We all have priorities in our personal life, whether it’s family, friends or hobbies. Going to school may affect these priorities so talk to those around you about how it may affect your relationships. Think about ways to still be involved with those things that you care about, but perhaps step back a bit during this time.
- Schedule Downtime – You will need a break to recharge. Think about what you enjoy most during your free time and set some time aside each week to do these activities, even if it’s for a short amount of time.
- Factor in the Expense – Getting an MBA for professionals will have a financial impact but there are options to help pay for it. Some companies will pay for part of a professional MBA if it will benefit the business. Check with your company to see if they have a tuition reimbursement program. You can also look into scholarships, financial aid or loans.
MBA at the CU Leeds School of Business
At the CU Leeds School of Business, we want to help you succeed in our Evening MBA Program. We have a Professional Mentoring Program, which pairs students with business professionals. Our mentors know what it takes to be in professional MBA program and can help you with your concerns. Our world-class professors and your fellow students are also available.
We can help financially as all of our applicants are automatically entered to receive merit-based fellowship awards. We have other fellowship awards through the MBA admissions application process.
Since you’ll be making a commitment for two years, you’ll want a convenient location so you don’t spend too much time traveling. In addition to our main location in Boulder, Colorado, we also have a Denver MBA Program located in Parker, Colorado. We want to reach as many working professionals as we can.
So why choose a Part-Time MBA? There are countless numbers of reasons – let us help you get started with our evening MBA program, whether it’s our Boulder or Denver MBA Program.
