7 reasons to choose a part-time MBA program

Congratulations—you've decided to go business school. And you've decided that study in a top-ranked MBA program will give you the knowledge, skills, and network to chart the course of your career, from next move to a lifetime of meaningful work. Now you need to determine which MBA schedule is right for you: Full-time? Part-time? Executive?

We in Admissions for the Evening & Weekend MBA Program at Berkeley Haas would like to share 7 things about part-time MBA programs that may help you decide if this is the best way for you to MBA:

1. Don't pause, stay in play. 

Part-time programs let you continue working while you earn your degree, eliminating opportunity cost. Not only that, many students make career moves while still in school—beginning to realize ROI on an MBA early on.

2. Make the office your learning laboratory.

Nothing makes new knowledge stick like the chance to use it right away—in the real world. Part-time MBA programs let you learn it on Monday night or Thursday, or Saturday and take it right back to work with you.

3. (Your job title here) by day, marketer, strategist, founder, etc. by night. 

Whatever your day job, part-time MBA programs let you walk a mile in many different pairs of shoes, through class projects, consulting engagements, and startup competitions, to name a few opportunities. 

4. If the shoe fits...you can wear it to work!

As your previously untapped talents come to light at school, you can help people at work see you in a whole new way; let them know that you better follow financial conversations and have more to contribute to strategic planning. Or brand management. Or global operations. 

5. Plug into a whole new network.

Ever wish you knew someone who worked at (Your Dream Company Here)? Now you do. In a part-time MBA program, your classmates bring a wide range of experience, expertise, and connections to the table. As do faculty and members of the alumni network.

6. Live and work where you want. 

The flexible scheduling options of part-time programs let you choose study at night, on Saturdays, or in blocks every few weeks. That way, even a commute to school by plane is do-able (and done by lots of people).  

7. Invest in yourself—and others will too.

Getting an MBA signals that you are taking charge of your career, realizing your potential, shaping and sharpening your skills. It says it before you’ve even finished the program. And it says it to your boss, even your boss’ boss. 

Want to know more about the benefits of an MBA? Get our free ebook Calculating the ROI of an MBA.