MBA, Is it Worth It?

There were an estimated 3.5 million online graduate students in 2016, according to the Online College Students report from Learning House and Aslanian Market Research, and that number is projected to grow to roughly 5 million by 2020. For millions of students, the answer to whether a graduate degree was worth the investment is "yes."

This is one of the first questions prospective online Master of Business Administration students ask and it is an important one. In order to figure it out, it's helpful to start by assessing why you want an MBA, what the degree can do for you in your desired career and if an online MBA program fits into your daily life and professional responsibilities.

How MBAs have provided value for students

An MBA can be valuable in a number of ways. The Graduate Management Admission Council’s 2017 Alumni Perspectives Survey polled graduates from across the country to learn more about their educational experiences. Overall, the majority of graduates said their MBAs were personally rewarding. Furthermore, most students agreed that their MBAs prepared them for both their chosen careers and leadership positions.

With those results in mind, an online MBA may prove valuable if you:

Want to advance your career
Want to change careers
Want to improve your subject matter expertise

Careers that are attracting MBA graduates

MBA graduates can move into a wide variety of professions and industries. Some possible career paths include project and program management, supply chain management, consulting, finance, marketing and even entrepreneurship. Median management-level salaries in such fields can range from around $71,000 through roughly $127,000.

Questions to help you decide

As a prospective MBA student, you can ask yourself a number of questions to help decide if the degree is right for you. For example, do you aspire to be a leader? Graduate education can make job candidates more attractive for certain leadership roles, including C-suite positions. Do you want to build your professional network? Alumni network connections can help facilitate introductions to hiring managers at various companies.

Are you interested in learning more?

Do these factors inspire you? Explore the opportunity to earn your online Master of Business Administration from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Read our infographic below for more information on why students have chosen an MBA and how it could be worth it for you.