MBA Majors & What You Need to Know
During your undergraduate years, the top question from friends and relatives may have been, “What’s your major?” It’s an expected question for a bachelor’s degree, but what about for the MBA? MBA programs take different approaches to structuring their curriculum and we’re going to take a closer look at MBA majors in this piece. We dig into the purpose of majors, which business schools offer them and more.
What’s a Major?
A major, which some MBA programs call a concentration or track or specialization, is a structured, specialized area of focus within the curriculum. Majors have specific requirements in both credits and courses of study.
Clear Admit Co-founder Graham Richmond explains, “Majors/concentrations/tracks have two main purposes: First, they allow a student to gain deep expertise in a subject matter that they are passionate about; from finance or investing to healthcare management, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. Second, a major is something that one can place on the resume and mention during the recruiting process as a way to signal a higher level of focus and preparedness to a target employer.”
That said, if a school does not offer majors, candidates will still have adequate coursework to prepare for their post-MBA careers. Often, the entire second year (or more) of an MBA program can be dedicated to elective courses and students can tailor their studies accordingly. This flexibility allows students to explore a range of topics and address their individual weaknesses to develop a more well-rounded skill set. For example, if you already have a heavy finance background, not having to choose a major can free up your time to explore other topics like business development or operations. Schools like Chicago Booth, Dartmouth Tuck, HBS, INSEAD, LBS and Georgetown McDonough have numerous elective options in a given field, but do not offer dedicated majors.
MBA Majors in Admissions
When it comes to the MBA application, few schools directly ask about an applicant’s intended major. Some may ask area of focus in the data form and, of course, it may come up in an admissions essay for schools asking “why our program?” Another exception may be a specialized course of study, such as Wharton’s Healthcare Management program.
Richmond adds, “Candidates should absolutely consider expressing an interest in a particular course of study when describing their interest in the target program, and that may very well include a declaration of an intended major, concentration, or track. Doing so will certainly help the admissions reader to better understand the candidate’s plans and the extent to which that candidate has researched the program.”
Majors at Top MBA Programs
The following charts list MBA majors and which leading business schools offer them in their programs. Please note: Programs may have different nomenclature, e.g. specializations, concentrations, etc. We use majors as a catch-all phrase, but have also included a list of schools’ terminology at the end of this page. The MBA Major column identifies specific majors; additional business schools’ offerings within that discipline are added next to the school names.
| MBA Major | Schools |
|---|---|
| Business Analytics | ASU Carey |
| Babson Olin – Business Analytics, Business Analytics & Machine Learning | |
| Emory Goizueta – Business Analysis | |
| IESE – Data Analytics & Digital Business | |
| Michigan Ross – Data and Business Analytics | |
| Notre Dame Mendoza | |
| NYU Stern | |
| OSU Fisher | |
| SMU Cox | |
| Texas McCombs | |
| The Wharton School | |
| Toronto Rotman – Management Analytics | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler – Business Analytics and Management Science | |
| UVA Darden | |
| Business Development and Growth | UVA Darden |
| Business Government | Texas McCombs – Business Government, Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, Public and Governmental Affairs |
| Decision Sciences | Duke Fuqua |
| Economics | CMU Tepper |
| Northwestern Kellogg | |
| NYU Stern | |
| The Wharton School – Business Economics and Public Policy | |
| Energy | Rice Jones |
| The Wharton School – Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability | |
| Entrepreneurship | ASU Carey |
| Babson Olin | |
| CMU Tepper | |
| Duke Fuqua – Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Social Entrepreneurship | |
| Emory Goizueta | |
| HEC Paris – Entrepreneurship, Digital Innovation | |
| IESE – Entrepreneurship & Innovation | |
| Minnesota Carlson | |
| MIT Sloan – Entrepreneurship & Innovation | |
| Notre Dame Mendoza – Innovation and Entrepreneurship | |
| NYU Stern – Entrepreneurship & Innovation | |
| OSU Fisher | |
| Rice Jones | |
| Texas McCombs | |
| The Wharton School – Entrepreneurship & Innovation | |
| Toronto Rotman – Innovation and Entrepreneurship | |
| UCLA Anderson | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler | |
| UVA Darden – Entrepreneurship, Corporate Innovation | |
| Energy | Cambridge Judge – Energy and Environment |
| Duke Fuqua – Energy and Environment, Energy Finance | |
| SMU Cox – Energy Finance and Investments | |
| Texas McCombs – Energy Finance | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler | |
| Finance | ASU Carey |
| Babson Olin | |
| Cambridge Judge | |
| CMU Tepper | |
| Duke Fuqua | |
| HEC Paris | |
| IESE | |
| Michigan Ross – Fast Track in Finance | |
| Minnesota Carlson | |
| MIT Sloan | |
| NYU Stern | |
| Rice Jones | |
| SMU Cox | |
| Texas McCombs | |
| The Wharton School | |
| Vanderbilt Owen | |
| Finance – Accounting | CMU Tepper |
| Duke Fuqua – Financial Analysis / Accounting | |
| Emory Goizueta – Accounting, Global Financial Reporting Analysis | |
| Northwestern Kellogg | |
| NYU Stern | |
| Rice Jones | |
| SMU Cox | |
| Texas McCombs – Accounting for Investment Banking, Corporate Accounting | |
| The Wharton School | |
| Toronto Rotman – Financial Reporting and Analysis | |
| UCLA Anderson | |
| Vanderbilt Owen | |
| Finance – Asset Management | Cornell Johnson – Investment Research and Asset Management |
| OSU Fisher | |
| Rochester Simon | |
| UVA Darden – Asset Management/Sales & Trading | |
| Finance – Banking | NYU Stern |
| Rochester Simon | |
| UMD Smith | |
| Finance – Corporate Finance | Cornell Johnson |
| Emory Goizueta | |
| Notre Dame Mendoza | |
| NYU Stern | |
| OSU Fisher | |
| Rochester Simon | |
| SMU Cox | |
| Texas McCombs | |
| UCLA Anderson | |
| UMD Smith | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler | |
| UVA Darden – Corporate Finance/Investment Banking | |
| Finance – Investment Banking | Cornell Johnson |
| Emory Goizueta | |
| Toronto Rotman | |
| Finance – Investment Management | Notre Dame Mendoza – Investments |
| Texas McCombs | |
| UCLA Anderson – Kayne Investment Management | |
| Finance – PE/VC | Rochester Simon – Venture Capital & Private Equity |
| Texas McCombs – Private Equity | |
| Finance – Other | Babson Olin – Quantitative Finance |
| Emory Goizueta – Alternative Investments, Capital Markets | |
| NYU Stern – Financial Instruments and Markets; Financial Systems and Analytics; Global Business; Quantitative Finance | |
| The Wharton School – Quantitative Finance | |
| Toronto Rotman – Funds Management, Risk Management and Financial Engineering | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler – Capital Markets and Investments | |
| Food and Agribusiness | Minnesota Carlson |
| Healthcare | Cambridge Judge – Health Strategies |
| CMU Tepper – Healthcare Analytics | |
| Emory Goizueta – Healthcare Consulting | |
| Michigan Ross – Healthcare Management | |
| Minnesota Carlson – Medical Industry | |
| NYU Stern | |
| Rice Jones | |
| Texas McCombs | |
| The Wharton School – Healthcare Management | |
| Toronto Rotman – Health Sector Management | |
| UCLA Anderson – Healthcare Management | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler | |
| Vanderbilt Owen | |
| Law and Business | NYU Stern |
| Management | Babson Olin – Global Management |
| Cambridge Judge – Global Business | |
| CMU Tepper – Communications | |
| Duke Fuqua – Management, Leadership and Ethics | |
| Emory Goizueta – Global Management, Leadership, Organizational Management | |
| HEC Paris – Advanced Management | |
| IESE – International Business | |
| Michigan Ross – Management Science | |
| Minnesota Carlson | |
| MIT Sloan – Enterprise Management | |
| Northwestern Kellogg – Managing Organizations, Managing Science | |
| Notre Dame Mendoza – Business Leadership | |
| NYU Stern – Leadership and Change Management, Management, Management of Technology and Operations | |
| OSU Fisher – Coaching, Leadership | |
| OSU Fisher – Leadership | |
| SMU Cox | |
| Texas McCombs – Global Business, Management | |
| The Wharton School – International Business, Management, Multinational Management, Organizational Effectiveness | |
| Toronto Rotman – General MBA, Global Management, Leadership and Change Management | |
| UCLA Anderson – Executive Development, Global Management | |
| UVA Darden – Global Business, Management Science | |
| Vanderbilt Owen – General Management | |
| Yale School of Management – Management Science | |
| Marketing | ASU Carey |
| Babson Olin | |
| Cambridge Judge | |
| CMU Tepper | |
| Duke Fuqua | |
| Emory Goizueta – General Marketing | |
| Minnesota Carlson | |
| Northwestern Kellogg | |
| Notre Dame Mendoza – Marketing, Digital Marketing and Marketing Analytics | |
| NYU Stern – Marketing, Digital Marketing | |
| Rice Jones | |
| SMU Cox | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler | |
| The Wharton School | |
| UVA Darden | |
| Vanderbilt Owen | |
| Marketing – Marketing Analytics | Emory Goizueta |
| Texas McCombs – Marketing Analytics and Consulting | |
| UCLA Anderson | |
| Washington Foster | |
| Marketing – Brand Management | NYU Stern |
| OSU Fisher | |
| Rochester Simon | |
| Toronto Rotman | |
| UCLA Anderson | |
| Texas McCombs – Brand and Product Management | |
| UMD Smith – Brand and Product Management | |
| Marketing – Other | Cornell Johnson – Strategic Product and Marketing |
| Emory Goizueta – Marketing Consulting | |
| HEC Paris – Strategic Marketing | |
| NYU Stern – Luxury Marketing | |
| OSU Fisher – Marketing Management and Analytics | |
| Rochester Simon – Pricing, Product Management | |
| SMU Cox – Customer Engagement | |
| Texas McCombs – High Technology Marketing | |
| The Wharton School – Marketing and Operations (Joint) | |
| UMD Smith – Customer Analytics | |
| Washington Foster – Product Marketing | |
| Media & Entertainment | Cambridge Judge – Culture, Arts, and Media Management |
| Emory Goizueta | |
| NYU Stern – Entertainment & Media | |
| UCLA Anderson – Entertainment | |
| Operations | CMU Tepper – Operations Management, Operations Research |
| Cornell Johnson – Strategic Operations | |
| Duke Fuqua – Operations Management | |
| Emory Goizueta – Operations Management | |
| Northwestern Kellogg | |
| Notre Dame Mendoza – Supply Chain and Operations Management | |
| OSU Fisher – Operational Excellence | |
| Rice Jones – Operations Management | |
| Rochester Simon | |
| The Wharton School – Operations, Information and Decisions | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler – Operations Management | |
| Vanderbilt Owen – Operations and Analytics | |
| Real Estate | Emory Goizueta |
| OSU Fisher | |
| Rice Jones | |
| SMU Cox | |
| Texas McCombs – Real Estate Finance | |
| Toronto Rotman | |
| UCLA Anderson | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler | |
| The Wharton School | |
| Social Impact | Cambridge Judge – Social Innovation |
| Emory Goizueta – Social Enterprise | |
| OSU Fisher | |
| Texas McCombs – Social Enterprise | |
| Toronto Rotman – Social Impact and Sustainability | |
| UCLA Anderson | |
| Statistics | The Wharton School |
| Strategy | Cambridge Judge |
| CMU Tepper | |
| Duke Fuqua | |
| HEC Paris | |
| Northwestern Kellogg | |
| Notre Dame Mendoza | |
| NYU Stern | |
| OSU Fisher | |
| Rochester Simon | |
| Vanderbilt Owen | |
| Toronto Rotman – Business Design | |
| Strategy – Consulting | ASU Carey |
| Cambridge Judge | |
| Emory Goizueta – Management Consulting, Strategy Consulting | |
| Toronto Rotman | |
| UCLA Anderson | |
| UMD Smith | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler | |
| UVA Darden – Strategy Consulting | |
| OSU Fisher – Consulting and Project Management | |
| Strategy – Other | CMU Tepper – Organizational Behavior |
| Emory Goizueta – Decision Analysis | |
| OSU Fisher – Risk Management | |
| Rice Jones – Strategic Management | |
| Rochester Simon – Technology | |
| SMU Cox – Strategy and Entrepreneurship | |
| Texas McCombs – Strategy & Innovation | |
| The Wharton School – Strategic Management | |
| UMD Smith – Organizational Leadership, Strategy and Economics | |
| Vanderbilt Owen – Human and Organizational Performance | |
| Supply Chain | ASU Carey – Supply Chain Management |
| Minnesota Carlson | |
| NYU Stern – Supply Chain Management and Global Sourcing | |
| OSU Fisher – Supply Chain, Logistics Management | |
| SMU Cox | |
| Texas McCombs – Supply Chain and Operations Management | |
| Toronto Rotman – Process and Supply Chain Management | |
| UMD Smith – Supply Chain Management | |
| UVA Darden – Supply Chain Management | |
| Sustainability | CMU Tepper |
| Cornell Johnson – Sustainable Global Enterprise | |
| HEC Paris – Sustainable and Disruptive Innovation | |
| Michigan Ross – Business and Sustainability | |
| NYU Stern – Sustainable Business and Innovation | |
| OSU Fisher | |
| UCLA Anderson – Leaders in Sustainability | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler – Sustainable Enterprise | |
| UVA Darden – Innovation for Sustainability | |
| Technology | ASU Carey – Information Management |
| Cambridge Judge – Digital Management | |
| CMU Tepper – Business Technologies | |
| Cornell Johnson – Digital Technology | |
| Duke Fuqua – FinTech | |
| Emory Goizueta – Product Management, Technology Management | |
| Minnesota Carlson – Information Systems | |
| NYU Stern – FinTech, Tech Product Management | |
| Texas McCombs – CleanTeach, Information Management | |
| UCI Merage – Analytics in Digital Leadership | |
| UCLA Anderson – Easton Techology Leadership | |
| UMD Smith – Innovation and Technology | |
| UNC Kenan-Flagler – Technology and Innovation Management |
Business School Terminology for MBA Majors
Concentrations
ASU Carey
Babson Olin
Cambridge Judge
CMU Tepper
Duke Fuqua
Emory Goizueta
IESE
Michigan Ross
Rice Jones
Texas McCombs
UNC Kenan-Flagler
UVA Darden
Vanderbilt Owen
Majors
Northwestern Kellogg
Notre Dame Mendoza
SMU Cox
The Wharton School
Toronto Rotman
Specializations
HEC Paris
Minnesota Carlson
NYU Stern
Rochester Simon
Washington Foster
UCLA Anderson
UMD Smith
Yale SOM
Other
Johnson – Immersions
MIT Sloan – Tracks
OSU Fisher – Pathways