This degree is built around the business, leadership, and administrative skills needed to help manage an organization. Some management MBA programs offer further specializations — usually in areas such as finance, human resources, and technology — for those interested in particular sectors of business or specific leadership roles.

Core courses

Through prerequisite coursework, you’ll learn how to navigate complex managerial issues and take on greater responsibility.

The core curriculum of most online MBA in management programs covers the following topics:

• Global management 
• Ethics  
• Operations management 
• Decision-making 
• Finance  
• Communication 
• Simulation modeling  
• Organizational behavior  
• Data analysis  
• Human resources 

Advanced skills

Furthering your education with an MBA in management means developing new skills and practical experience in multiple facets of business.

Project management

The ability to stay organized is a key attribute shared by successful managers and executives. Coordinating the efforts of large teams to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget is vital component of high-level management.

An MBA offers current and prospective leaders a firmer grasp of:

• Scheduling 
• Collaboration 
• Information analysis  
• Problem-solving  
• Strategic thinking

Ethics

The best leaders serve as role models for others. If you want to reach the upper echelons of management, you must be able to quickly respond to ethical concerns and foster a culture that promotes moral conduct and personal responsibility.

With this in mind, your MBA coursework will focus on:

• Developing a personal code of ethics 
• Solving ethical dilemmas 
• Exploring diverse viewpoints 
• Avoiding bias in business relationships 
• Taking accountability for your conduct

Finance

Managers and executives provide oversight of an organization’s finances and make important decisions that affect the bottom line.

You should expect to expand your knowledge of:

• Managerial accounting  
• Investing  
• Capital structure  
• Valuation of assets and liabilities  
• Risk-and-return relationships  
• Venture capital 

Simulation modeling

Predictive models help leaders reach decisions that will benefit their organization in the long term. Models can be created to gain a clearer view of sales performance, financial growth, and investments.

This is a highly analytical subject area in which you will learn how to: 

• Read models effectively  
• Analyze various types of data  
• Calculate potential risks 
• Create quantitative models to isolate issues and improve performance 

Social psychology

To manage any team or organization effectively, you need a strong set of interpersonal skills and the emotional intelligence to work with various personalities.

Your MBA coursework will offer insight into:

• Individual leadership  
• Group leadership  
• Personality types  
• Workplace behavior  
• Decision-making  
• Motivation and morale  
• Personal influence  
• Conflict resolution

Data analysis

Businesses run on data, and the ability to interpret large data sets is critical to managing an organization.

You’ll study the following concepts:

• Data management  
• Information software and systems  
• Drawing valid conclusions  
• Data-driven decision-making

There are two types of accreditation — regional and specialized. 

Regional accreditation

Regional accreditation is the most prestigious type of accreditation that an online or traditional college or university can receive. Regional accreditation confirms that the provider has met and maintained adherence to a minimum set of academic standards.

Most regionally accredited schools will only accept credits from other regionally accredited institutions of higher learning.

Specialized accreditation

Schools often apply to gain specialized accreditation for specific areas of study, departments, or degree programs. The leading accreditation for business schools —including those that offer an MBA with a management concentration — is the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, or AACSB.

Other business-specific accrediting bodies include: 

• Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) 
• International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) 

Enrolling in an accredited program makes you more marketable to employers and can affect your career growth over the long term. 

Why accreditation matters

Accreditation is key if you want to:

• Transfer your credits, as most schools will only accept transfer credits from accredited institutions
• Apply for financial aid, as federal aid is only granted to students who are studying at recognized accredited institutions

Check for both national and regional accreditation at your university of interest. You may also find that your degree program or academic department of interest has additional and specialized accreditations. 

Many employers put a lot of stock in the accreditation of an MBA program when interviewing applicants. While there are no guarantees when it comes to finding a job, your choice of institution and its accreditation could end up being the tiebreaker when competing against other qualified candidates.