Why do Prominent Business Schools Ask for Prior Work Experience?
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Why do Prominent Business Schools Ask for Prior Work Experience?

#MBA
Moksh DheriUpdated on 24 Dec 2024, 05:50 PM IST

Many prominent business schools require candidates to have some work experience. Generally, students should have work experience of two to five years in relevant disciplines. Now, the question arises, as to why leading business schools require prior work experience.

This Story also Contains

  1. Why do Top B-schools accept students with prior experience?
  2. Benefits of having prior work experience
  3. Conclusion
Why do Prominent Business Schools Ask for Prior Work Experience?
Why do Prominent Business Schools Ask for Prior Work Experience?

MBA and PGDM are among the popular postgraduate management degrees offered by business schools. Graduates learn the fundamentals of business management, good communication skills, leadership and managerial skills, and job-specific skills such as problem-solving and decision-making.

“Is having prior work experience essential to apply for an MBA” is a debate that has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the recession. Those in favour of the argument agree that having work experience is important before applying for an MBA as it gives them a competitive edge. However, others may argue that an MBA provides a good platform for experiential learning by including internships and project work in the course curriculum.

How much work experience is required?

There is no fixed criterion as to how much experience is required for enrollment in an MBA. Many business schools do not even require prior experience. Some of the top B-schools offer admission to their postgraduate programmes based on entrance exam scores and work experience, such as IIM Ahmedabad requires 4 years of work experience for their PGPX programme. Similarly, IIM Udaipur requires 3 years of work experience for an MBA in Global Supply Chain Management and IIM Calcutta accept students with 5 years of experience for the MBA Ex course.

Why do Top B-schools accept students with prior experience?

Apart from the candidates, many business schools also benefit from candidates having prior work experience. While graduates having work experience gain a competitive edge over other applicants, business schools also benefit by enrolling qualified candidates.

  • An MBA graduate having prior work experience is more likely to get a chance to directly apply for senior-level positions after graduation which contributes to the placement statistics of the institute.
  • Working in a corporate environment, allows the candidates to learn many crucial skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, managerial skills, and time management.
  • Business schools may also benefit from having qualified students with work experience due to their knowledge.
  • Working in a corporation is one of the best ways to network. It will allow the candidates to make the best use of these connections to land their dream job.
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Benefits of having prior work experience

Candidates also benefit from having prior work experience. Students gain various practical skills that are highly desired by employers due to their real-life work experience. Listed below are some of the benefits of having prior work experience before an MBA:

  • Experienced candidates can directly apply for senior-level job roles and earn handsome salary packages.
  • Students having relevant experience and practical knowledge will be able to apply theoretical concepts learned in lectures.
  • Students can save the money to pay for the tuition fees.
  • Having some work experience also helps the candidates in deciding the area of study and job profile to apply for.
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Read further: For further information on MBA, students can read the articles mentioned below:

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Conclusion

Many candidates may have this question in their minds, “is prior work experience a necessary criterion for an MBA?”, the answer is no. When discussing an MBA, work experience does play a crucial role, however, many B-schools do not require work experience. That does not mean that it is an ideal approach. One cannot deny the fact that prior work experience plays a significant role in management education.

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Questions related to MBA

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to MBA ?

Hello

You have scored 234 (QA: 78, VA: 84, LR: 72), you have a higher chance of getting a call from the NMIMS Mumbai MBA Core call, as it is the nearest score to the 235 cutoff. You have a good score in the verbal subject and have a decent score in QA/LR, which makes a call quite possible. It also depends on the final year's cutoffs and the specific section requirements. Around 230-250 marks are considered a good score. I hope this information helps you.

Thank you.

Hello

Yes, it is possible to pursue an MBA again, even if you have already completed your first MBA from a state university. Many students can do an MBA course twice for skills enhancement, a stronger network and significant career growth. It helps to grow the work experience to show a real need for the second degree. If you need any information regarding the MBA course, please read the article List of B-School Exams in India which was published on our official website, careers360.

Thank you.

MBA colleges Admissions are usually based on entrance exams like CAT, XAT, GMAT, or CMAT.
Some MBA colleges in India offer direct admission without entrance exams. These colleges usually admit students based on graduation marks, basic eligibility criteria, and document verification.
It is important to check UGC approval, accreditation, faculty quality, and placement support before choosing any college offering direct MBA admission.

Some Top Colleges in North:
IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, XLRI Jamshedpur, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research Delhi NCR, IMT Ghaziabad

Some Top Colleges in South:

IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad, Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai, PSG Institute of Management Coimbatore, LIBA (Loyola Institute of Business Administration) Chennai, XIME Bangalore, SDMIMD Mysore

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree offers a wide range of specialized fields, allowing professionals to focus their expertise on specific industries or business functions. Choosing the best specialization depends heavily on your prior work experience, career goals, and the industry you wish to target. You can explore a detailed list of all MBA types and specializations here: Choosing the best specialization depends heavily on your prior work experience, career goals, and the industry you wish to target. You can explore a detailed list of all MBA types and specializations here: Types of MBA Courses and Specializations .

Hello,

Here are Types of MBA Scholarships in India:

  • Merit based scholarships
  • Need based scholarships
  • Corporate sponsored scholarships
  • Institute specific scholarships

Now, here Popular MBA Scholarships:

  • Aditya Birla Scholarship

  • OP Jindal Management Scholarship

  • IIM Scholarships

  • Government Scholarships

For more details access below mentioned link:

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/scholarship-for-mba-students-in-india

Hope it helps.