Study Abroad: Choosing between One-Year and Two-Year MBA program?

Traditionally, the time span of an MBA is two years. It would not be unfair to say that this is not true anymore. European b-schools, particularly in the UK, offer one year long MBA courses. Even a few colleges in the US have picked up on the trend and offer their students options between one year and two years. Older students may be drawn to the idea of rushing through their MBA in only one year, especially if they have families to support. And the general perception that one-year programs are less valuable than two-year ones is wrong. Here we write down the benefits of each course.

What does a one-year MBA offer?

• For those with a tighter budget, one year MBAs are a big help. These accelerated programs have been in the mainstreams in Europe for years. They greatly reduce the burden of tuition fees, room and boarding rent by cutting the expenditure in half.
• Those who graduate with one year MBAs land into jobs with the same pay scale as those with two years MBA. One year MBAs may even end up earning more due to a longer work history. Ideally, one year MBA students have more work experience, as those already in the middle of their careers take a shorter sabbatical to go back to college again.
• Since this course is a condensed version, students enter to learn what they need, and get out in time to restart their careers.
• Learning is fast-paced in the one year programmes, and a greater level of efficiency is required from the students. The focus is tighter and precise, with integrated courses and fewer electives.

What does a two-year MBA offer?

• A two year MBA program provides a summer internship which is very important in landing a good job afterwards. An internship gives you practical experience in your field of interest and most employers recruit summer interns as full-time employees.
• Two year courses are more rigorous, and go into more details of the core courses. For those students who want to develop specialist skills in a particular subject, the choice of two year program is better as it gives them ample time to explore the details of that particular subject and industry.
• the first year is dedicated to fundamental management subjects such as marketing, accounting, organizational behavior, economics. Second year is dedicated to specialization, which happens through the choice of electives.

The Verdict

What all the points listed above show is that the one year MBA programme is for students who want to cut financial costs, expand their knowledge base and get better job opportunities. For students who prefer to stick to the traditional two year MBA, their course provides internship opportunities between the two years, as well as more networking opportunities. In the end of the decision making process, it comes down to the personal goal, years of work experience, financial constrains of the student.

Explore more on pursuing MBA Abroad:

• MBA Colleges Abroad
• MBA Colleges: India v/s Abroad
• 5 Best Countries to Study MBA Abroad
• MBA in International Business Abroad
• MBA in General Management Abroad
• Difference between MS Business Analytics and MBA
• The Better Choice for Engineering Students MBA or MS Abroad