4 short courses to help you prepare for an MBA

Are you thinking of acquiring an MBA, but feel concerned about not having the right professional experience, or lack an understanding of core concepts in areas such as accounting, economics, finance and math? You’ll want to to get up to speed prior to enrolling in an MBA programme or risk falling behind. There are plenty of short courses, however, that can help you prepare for your MBA journey.

In general, courses offered through MBA programmes teach the basic facets of domestic and international corporate practices and helps learners build business skills in a variety of specialisations.

The skills developed through an MBA programme is widely applicable in various sectors including finance, marketing, technology, and the global economy.

In general, an MBA programme provides knowledge in economics, stock market patterns, and consumer behaviour as well as accounting, financial risk assessment, and cost control.

An MBA programme also focuses on developing leadership abilities, management techniques, employee relations, and workplace psychology, as well as teaches business strategy and decision-making to develop effective leaders and managers.

The MBA also provides the skills that enable professionals to become global business leaders through courses on international business operations, including opening and expanding overseas businesses and business-to-business sales.

Marketing, advertising, and information technology are some of the other topics that are taught in an MBA programme.

According to Laurie Pickard, author of Don’t Pay For Your MBA: The Faster, Cheaper, Better Way to Get the Business Education You Need, there are three types of courses that will be beneficial for prospective MBA students.

All these online courses and classes are available through MOOCs that can help you upskill yourself in preparation for an MBA.

Courses in project management

Project management is a widely sought-after skill that is in demand across industries. In an MBA you will generally learn about how you can implement organisational change, and how project management skills will come in handy in terms of managing time, cost, and quality trade-offs.

An MBA will provide a prospective MBA candidate with the tools and techniques that help to identify the processes involved and provides guidance on how to achieve these goals.

A great way to prepare for this would be by taking an online course in project management that will give you the skills to not only supervise progress but also to lead a new initiative or team.

Courses that develop business skills in marketing and finance

An online course in marketing will prepare a prospective MBA candidate with customer decision-making, product positioning, and market segmentation skills. Knowledge in how companies communicate strategically and position their brands in a market niche will give you an edge and help you ace your MBA studies.

Enrolling in a finance preparatory course is also highly beneficial to prospective MBA candidates. MBAs get both their worldview and skills from understanding and deploying financial logic which is one of the most important business skills for a leader.

Choose an online course or class that will help you read a balance sheet, interpret a cash flow statement, and use terms like ROI, NPV, and IRR with confidence before enrolling in an MBA programme.

Courses that develop business skills in negotiation and strategy

MBA prospects need negotiation skills that will help you represent your organisation in high-level discussions. Enrol in courses that teach you the strategies that professional negotiators use that will help you master this skill even before you complete the MBA programme.

Strategy is also another highly sought-after skill that you will learn in any MBA programme. A great way to prepare yourself for this is by enrolling in courses that teach the applications of strategy in various fields including finance, entrepreneurship, and marketing.

A sound MBA programme will prepare you with the skills to analyse your company’s competitive position within a market that will help you understand your competitors and identify opportunities to help your organisation grow. Preparatory courses that equip a prospective MBA candidate with these business skills are extremely beneficial in the skills-development journey.