Skills Every MBA Student Should Have

Published on: August 16, 2023

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) credential is highly regarded and widely sought-after among employers and professionals alike. It conveys strong leadership potential and management skills, plus a firm grasp of essentials such as finance, marketing and business analytics. Those who are accepted (and who eventually graduate) are widely regarded as having superior creativity, problem-solving acumen and communication.  

These MBA skills can be developed prior to entering graduate school—but they take a clear step up once immersed in the highly driven MBA environment. Below, we will highlight the skills most valued while seeking an MBA and following graduation.

What Skills Should MBA Students Have? 

There's more to MBA admissions than GMAT scores and undergraduate GPAs. Yes, these can provide powerful insight into your potential as a graduate student and business leader—but these scores should be accompanied by a variety of skills and qualities that are far more difficult to quantify.  

Critical skills for an MBA need to be developed as soon as possible. Sometimes these skills are referred to as core competencies or soft skills, these are cited by both MBA admissions and top employers as vital to long-term business success. Examples of critical skills for an MBA include:   

Adaptability 

The ideal MBA student should be able to roll with the punches. While the program's curriculum should provide a basic idea of what to expect from specific courses, there is always the potential for adaptations based on what each instructor and student brings to the table. Ultimately, adaptable students are more likely to embrace new concepts and will find it easier to think strategically. 

Furthermore, adaptability enhances resilience, which is crucial not only when navigating the challenges of an MBA program, but also upon entering a competitive business environment.  

Emotional Intelligence 

Emotional quotient (EQ) is an increasingly popular term in the business world. It refers to critical qualities such as self-awareness along with the general ability to perceive and interpret emotions as they play into a variety of situations. Mental health counselor Joanne Frederick tells Forbes that the description applies when somebody can "use, understand and manage one’s own emotions in a positive way and to manage stress, communicate effectively, de-escalate issues, problem solve and empathize with other people."  

Strong EQ can boost every aspect of the student experience, including everything from interactions with fellow students to personal study sessions and even internships or other practical experiences. Emerging research even suggests that emotional intelligence could influence earning power.   

Time Management 

MBA students maintain jam-packed schedules, complete not only with rigorous classes and hours of study but often full-time work as well. These challenges continue long after graduation when leaders embark on a seemingly never-ending list of projects and initiatives.  

Effective time management is clearly valuable from an academic and professional perspective; done right, it allows you to allocate limited time where it's most needed to improve performance. What's more, research published in the peer-reviewed PLoS One reveals that those with strong time management skills see significant improvements in emotional well-being.   

Willingness to Learn 

A strong thirst for knowledge ensures that when challenges arise, you remain motivated to continue learning and making progress. This is important, as your MBA program will expose you to a vast range of concepts and technologies that, at the outset, may seem intimidating. If you're open to these pursuits, however, you may find the simple act of learning to be the most compelling aspect of being an MBA student.  

A willingness to learn will serve you well not only while you seek your MBA, but far into the future as well. The best leaders acknowledge that there is always more to learn—and they continually make the effort to become familiar with new concepts and acquire new skills.   

Strategic Thinking 

Often described as pragmatic, strategic thinking centers around highly intentional analyses that delve into variables that influence a particular situation. The goal is to challenge conventional thinking and seek new and more creative perspectives to drive strong outcomes. In an MBA program, this mindset promotes active participation in case studies and projects, which forces you to engage with new concepts and, ultimately, will help you understand them better.  

What Skills Can an MBA Help You Enhance?  

Ideally, you should possess many of the skills outlined above by the time you apply for and enter an MBA program. Once admitted, you can continue to build on these essentials while also enhancing the following:   

Leadership and Management Skills 

At their core, MBA programs are all about impactful leadership and management. These concepts overlap in many respects, but they should not be considered interchangeable. Forbes points out that leadership draws on an overarching vision to inspire change, while management involves the practical, day-to-day aspects of keeping an organization running while making progress towards clearly defined goals. Both elements are crucial and both call for a thorough understanding of what, exactly, motivates and inspires employees, clients and customers.  

Communication and Presentation Skills 

Effective business communication is a must for any modern leader. It's not enough to have a vision or understand how to solve complex problems: core values and opportunities must be properly conveyed to all stakeholders. Communication skills must be developed in the context of modern branding and company culture, which now goes far beyond the marketing department to include every area of business management. 

During your MBA program, you will be encouraged to develop high-level communication skills through a blend of conversations, written assignments and group projects. Many of these will involve presentations which in addition to helping you master complex concepts, will help you become comfortable with public speaking in all its forms.  

By the time you graduate, the thought of giving a presentation will no longer be intimidating. What's more, ongoing practice in communication will prepare you for effective networking, which is crucial for landing the best job opportunities. 

Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills 

Creativity and communication are important, but MBA students and business professionals must also develop an analytical mindset. This allows them to tackle complex concerns by evaluating extensive data to extract the most important patterns or insights. Through attention to detail and the implementation of systematic processes, analytical leaders can develop rational and, ultimately, impactful solutions.  

Without an analytical mindset, leaders are prone to making decisions purely based on the whims of their emotions rather than taking realistic concerns and opportunities into account. This way of thinking can be difficult to develop, however, as most people are accustomed to leading with emotions in their everyday lives. MBA programs develop analytical skills by introducing students to tried-and-tested models and techniques, which are then practiced extensively through case studies and other forms of practical application.  

Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills 

Today's leaders must examine and evaluate a large volume of data before making complex and often high-stakes decisions. Analytical thinking plays heavily into this process, but it alone is not sufficient. Rather, an analytical mindset must be accompanied by advanced problem-solving skills that draw on creative thinking and an openness to innovation. This means being willing to emerge from a fixed mindset when necessary—but without abandoning insights gained through systematic and highly analytical practices. 

Like analytical thinking, decision-making skills are largely developed through MBA case studies. These expose students to a variety of complex scenarios to which no simple or obvious solution is readily available. Instead, students work through these problems by examining them from many angles.  

Teamwork and Collaboration Skills 

Today's top leaders understand that they form just one piece in a vast puzzle that calls for niche skills, knowledge and experience from passionate professionals. Collaboration-oriented MBA coursework will prepare you to work closely with a variety of professionals in pursuit of a shared vision. Respect for others' skills, inherent worth and ability to grow in your role is essential in a team setting. Keep in mind that it will be your job as the eventual business leader to encourage and facilitate even more growth.  

As an MBA student, you'll discover what you can learn from other professionals—and how you can facilitate powerful collaboration in any environment. You will practice during your MBA program by working closely with other students on a regular basis. Case studies and class projects, for example, will encourage you to collaborate and experiment with newly developed teamwork and leadership skills.   

Why Get an MBA? 

An MBA represents more than a recognizable acronym on your resume. This program provides the ultimate preparation for the unique challenges and opportunities of the business world. Through concentrated coursework and exposure to the field's brightest minds, you'll gain insight into research-backed strategies that promise to transform leadership as we know it.  

MBA’s also highlight opportunities to develop essential skills such as communication and critical thinking. These core competencies empower you to drive amazing gains in productivity as well as for the innovations of tomorrow.  

Employer demands should also factor into this decision. Findings from the 2022 GMAC Corporate Recruiters survey indicate that 92 percent of recruiters intend to hire recently graduated MBAs, with a clear majority also revealing their confidence in the ability of business schools to prep MBA candidates for success.  

These priorities are front and center within Husson's online MBA program, which prepares you for the realities of the modern business environment. Reach out today to learn more.

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