Abstract:

During the past decade, there has been a sharp increase of graduate students enrolling into both online and traditional Face-to-Face (F2F) MBA programs. As a result, many students are becoming more focused on the pragmatic outcomes of their MBA programs towards a more defined job market and potential for strong career development, as well as professional development. However, while many of these programs are quite regimented and allow very little leeway for additional electives, other than focusing in the given variety of program concentrations to help them specialize their studies in a given industry and area, there is a stronger need for career development and preparing for professional development. The purpose of this paper is to formulate a process for which MBA program administrators and instructors can help enable MBA students early on in their program in trying to envision their career potential, as well as realizing their professional development pathway. While many colleges and universities may have their own career development offices to help students for potential job interviews and future job preparation, these offices are more generic in nature to accommodate a majority of students across the vast academic hallways. However, the essence of this approach helps to connect both beginning MBA students, especially those with limited or no prior business studies in terms of academic preparation in field, as well as to help them see the importance of mapping out one’s career path. This paper will overview the development and design of a new approach to career development for these new and continuing MBA students with the introduction to the MBA Strategic Career Enhancement-Development Project Matrix (MBA-SCEDPM). It will address the various stages of MBA education and preparation ranging from the first initial semester to first year, and then address years two and three in terms of framing and reviewing the student’s own matrix to see if there is grow occurring or just task completion. The purpose of this project is to determine the impact of the student’s commitment to such a project and use it as a component for their lifelong learning and future career/profession development paths.

Keywords:

Masters of Business Administration, online learning, career development, professional development, Strategic Career Enhancement-Development Project Matrix.