The MBA and the Business of Business Education

While critics of the MBA abound, this paper takes up Rubin and Dierdorff’s (2013) challenge to focus on building a better MBA. I argue that the traditional focus of an MBA as an interdisciplinary degree for any college graduate should be maintained, especially for those without an undergraduate degree in business. The MBA in this form also offers benefits to those who need or desire the value–added features of quality MBA programs, including screening, signaling and networking. MBA rankings might then be considered value–added virtues, not vices to be eliminated. Instead of re–designing the MBA, we should create better specialized master’s degrees in business, primarily for those students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in business. It will then be possible to strengthen the “traditional” function of the MBA as a degree for those who want to become business managers.