For some MBA hopefuls, the possibility of pausing all work and committing full-time to a program is low. They might instead choose to pursue an MBA while working, holding onto their full-time job while completing their MBA. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages of doing so, the programs that make it possible, and the factors to consider when deciding if they are right for you.
Why Work During an MBA?
There are several reasons why someone may pursue an MBA while working.
The first relates to the job market. With uncertainty an increasingly prevalent feature of job hunting, even amongst top-school graduates, prospective MBAs may be unwilling to give up the positions they already hold. Keeping their current job reduces job-searching risks by ensuring a back-up, giving recent graduates the luxury of time while searching for the perfect position.
The second is related to the first. Not only does holding onto your current full-time job while completing an MBA lend a safety net, it allows you to immediately use your new knowledge. You will be able to apply the lessons learned on your MBA directly to the challenges faced in your workplace.
This means that the benefits of the MBA are felt instantaneously, leading to increased performance in the workplace and the possibility of career advancement before the degree is even complete. This advantage works in reverse, too: not only can students bring knowledge from their MBA to their work, they can bring the challenges of their work to their MBA, workshopping them with both classmates and faculty.
The third reason concerns finances. Completing an MBA is a huge financial commitment, requiring expenditure to cover program costs, living costs, relocation costs—and all that on top of one to two years without earning a salary. The average cost of a U.S.-based MBA now sits at $242,267; for some, retaining a full-time job during their MBA is a way to bypass this financial burden.
The final reason for completing an MBA while working is relocation. Prospective students may wish to stay local, committing to their current location due to family responsibilities, financial concerns, or other connections. In these cases, the relocation associated with a full-time MBA is not a possibility.
Which MBA Programs Can Be Done While Working?
Completing an MBA while working full-time requires careful program selection. Flexibility is a crucial feature to look for, to ensure that you are able to manage both your job and your studies. This flexibility can be found in Part-Time MBAs, Online MBAs, Weekend MBAs, and Executive MBAs.
Some examples of such programs include:
- Berkeley Haas’s Evening and Weekend MBA
- Carnegie Mellon Tepper’s Online Hybrid MBA
- Florida Warrington’s Online MBA
- Georgetown McDonough’s Flex MBA
- Indiana Kelley’s Evening MBA
- Pennsylvania Wharton‘s EMBA
- UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA@UNC Online MBA
- USC Marshall’s Online MBA
- Washington Foster’s Evening MBA
These programs tend to be designed for—and operate around—working professionals. They offer flexibility in terms of both timing and learning and are structured around typical working days. Usually, they don’t promote internships, since students are already working.
Structure, Design, and Teaching
Teaching and Curriculum Delivery
The MBAs taken by working professionals are flexible, part-time, online, or hybrid MBAs. Program to program, these vary in how they are split across online and in-person settings.
Some are fully online, some are fully in person, some are hybrid. This latter category can include programs where:
- Teaching varies across a typical week as to whether it is online or in-person;
- Weekly teaching is online, but occasional in-person projects occur;
- Almost all teaching is online, but an in-person orientation week takes place at the start of the course.
To take Georgetown’s Flex MBA as an example: there, on-campus class sessions make up at least half of the curriculum, and are supplemented by additional virtual classes. Online learning is reserved solely for classes which require little professor-students interaction. All discussion and collaborative activity takes place in person.
And to take Wharton’s’s EMBA as another, teaching is usually delivered via in-person classes every other Friday and Saturday. This allows busy professionals to maintain their commitments at work—commitments, for example, like managing a Major League Baseball team. Sam Fuld, General Manager of The Phillies, is currently completing an EMBA at Wharton and spoke to Clear Admit about the details of doing so in our MBA Admissions Podcast.
Time Commitment
The weekly teaching on these MBA programs tends to be structured around working hours. For many programs, this looks like evening and weekend classes (usually online and live, or in-person), supplemented with self-led study and occasional group-projects.
In terms of duration, the MBA programs taken while working mirror the structure of full-time MBAs. They are designed to span one or two years of teaching; the difference that they offer is flexibility.
Students who work while completing a part-time MBA have the option to spread their learning out over extra years, should they need to. USC Marshall allows students to pause for a semester, while on other programs students can adjust their workload according to their other responsibilities. This makes maintaining a job while studying for an MBA far easier to manage.
The maximum duration for these MBA programs tends to sit at around five years.
Pursuing an MBA While Working Full-Time: Advice
Tackling an MBA while holding down a job can bring a lot of advantages. Financial burdens are kept low, job-security is maintained, and career advancement is almost guaranteed. But there are sacrifices to be made, too, and juggling both responsibilities is no mean feat.
One thing to consider is the potential absence of community. Completing your MBA while working full-time means less time on campus, which means less time with classmates and faculty. This leads to some drawbacks in terms of networking, and also in terms of peer support.
Another is the time commitment that studying while working entails. Even when spread out over an extended period of time, an MBA is a hefty undertaking. Putting evenings and weekends aside is not just tiring, it detracts from time available for your other responsibilities.
Our advice for navigating these challenges comes down to preparation and communication.
Be sure that you understand clearly what life is going to look like during this period, and be realistic about which areas might need to take a back seat while you complete your MBA. Draw up plans for managing your responsibilities, and communicate clearly with loved ones about the time you will be committing to your work and your studies. And, finally, find a way to access the support of a community, whether that be online with your MBA classmates or in-person where you live.
The decision of whether to complete an MBA while working involves comparing the pros and cons to your goal. Ultimately, taking this step could be a brilliant opportunity—one that will accelerate your career in the long term.
