ROI of an MBA

In light of recent discussions about the worth of a high-ticket MBA programs, I could not help it but wonder if if an MBA is worth it altogether.

Notwithstanding some world class courses on emotional intelligence, strategy, and leadership, I wonder if most of the curriculum content at top MBA programs worldwide is continuously adapted with the needs of the times. For instance, is an MBA program without required offerings on the hands-on applications of AI in streamlining operations worth its dime? I think not.

In my discussions with fellow educators and graduate school admissions counselors, it became apparent that MBA programs, have for the most part, become factories of “excel gurus” and self righteous know-it-alls who consider themselves experts of negotiation.

However, as global business students and would be execs, it is becoming increasingly imperative that MBAs or would soon be MBAs pose the question. Did their MBA equip them with skills that are solely applicable within developed countries where business operations can be modeled and tracked with a spreadsheet with somewhat of a certainty or with those skills that are truly cross jurisdictional, skills that enable them to connect non-existent or loosely connected dots in emerging markets where the returns could be logarithmic.

I think it is high time that we ask if we should solely study case studies of the past almost to an extent of fanaticism or if we should equally spend a decent portion of our MBA studies out in the real world, advising real businesses over an extended period of time and receiving live feedback. What if effective business strategies are shifting with the times? I for one would love to see an MBA class on effective TikTok and other social media strategies for different businesses/ industries, not just high-level fluff but rather proven and implementable strategies for resource strapped entrepreneurs in the trenches.