Master of Business Administration (MBA) originated in the United States, emerging in the late 19th century as America industrialized and companies sought out scientific approaches to management. The original intention of the MBA was to introduce students to the various core aspect of business management such as accounting, marketing, human resources, operations management and corporate laws to help engineers manage at a strategic level. The first graduate school of business in the United States was the Tuck School of Business, part of Dartmouth College. Founded in 1900, it was the first institution conferring advanced degrees (masters) in the commercial sciences, specifically, a Master of Science in Commerce degree, the forebear of the modern MBA degree.

Harvard Business School

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. In 1908, the Graduate School of Business Administration (GSBA) at Harvard University was established; it offered the world’s first MBA program, with a faculty of 15 plus 33 regular students and 47 special students.

Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business

Chicago Booth traces its roots back to 1898 when university faculty member James Laurence Laughlin chartered the College of Commerce and Politics, which was intended to be an extension of the school’s founding principles of “scientific guidance and investigation of great economic and social matters of everyday importance.” The program originally served as a solely undergraduate institution until 1916, when academically oriented research masters and later doctoral-level degrees were introduced. The University was the first to offer working professionals the Executive MBA (EMBA) program in 1940.

Types of MBA programs

• Full Time MBA programs normally take place over two academic years (i.e. approximately 18 months of term time). Classes are typically structured along semester/trimester basis and students enter take classes during weekdays like other university students at undergraduate levels. Whilst most full time MBA students possess working experience and a reasonable GMAT score, some business schools accept students without prior real-world work experience into their MBA program.
• Accelerated MBA programs are a variation of between one or two year programs. They involve a higher course load with more intense class and examination schedules. They usually have less “down time” during the program and between semesters. For example, there is no three to four month summer break, and between semesters there might be seven to ten days off rather than three to five weeks vacation. Accelerated MBA are highly intensive programs and academically challenging.
• Part-time MBA programs normally hold classes on weekday evenings, after normal working hours, or on weekends. Part-time programs normally last between one to three years. The students in these programs typically consist of working professionals, who take a more structured programs where classes are conducted over weekends or weekdays evening. Part-time MBA is the most popular options for most working professionals.
• Executive MBA (EMBA) programs developed to meet the educational needs of managers and executives, allowing students to earn an MBA or another business-related graduate degree in two years or less while working full time. Participants come from every type and size of organization – profit, nonprofit, government — representing a variety of industries. EMBA students typically have a higher level of work experience, often 10 years or more, compared to other MBA students. In response to the increasing number of EMBA programs offered, The Executive MBA Council was formed in 1981 to advance executive education.
• Distance Learning MBA programs hold class’s off-campus. These programs can be offered in a number of different formats: correspondence courses by postal mail or email, non-interactive broadcast video, pre-recorded video, live teleconference or video conference, offline or online computer courses. Many schools offer these programs.

  MBA with Concentration allows students the option to select an area of concentration and focus approximately one-third of their studies in this subject. Accreditation bodies exist specifically for MBA programs to ensure consistency and quality of graduate business education, and business schools in many countries offer MBA programs tailored to full-time, part-time, executive, and distance learning students, with specialized concentrations.

• Dual MBA programs combine MBA degree with others (such as an MS or a J.D., etc.) to let students cut costs (dual programs usually cost less than pursuing 2 degrees separately), save time on education and to tailor the business education courses to their needs. Some business schools offer programs in which students can earn both a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA in four or five years.

Which is Singapore’s Top MBA Program? There are currently over 40 MBA programs offers through business schools across US, Europe, Australia and Asia in Singapore. You can find out more from a special report commission by Aventis School of Management at www.mbasingapore.asia