Top Accredited MBA in I. T. Degrees
Despite predictions to the contrary, information technology continues to spit out jobs that require highly skilled professionals. Skill sets are more advanced as well. IT has defied laws of gravity and trickled upward into business echelons formerly reserved for strict managerial business types. Where MBAs only tread, come the MBAs with hyper-specialized talent and training in Information Technology.
IT Comes of Age
IT is hardly a new topic in business, but its application and purpose have shifted. Networks are in place and skilled technicians that once defined the IT profession fill the jobs. But information technology has proven to be too slippery a slope for traditional business managers to navigate. They are relatively unskilled in the technological processes that run business and many are neither qualified nor necessarily interested in the decision-making relative to enterprise systems and infrastructures.
Degree Prerequisites
Most accredited MBA programs require applicants to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The exam assesses verbal and written skills as well as reasoning. Applicants are also expected to have a four-year degree and a solid academic record. Business experience, especially in an IT setting, is highly desirable and straight IT experience may be a requirement depending upon the program.
The MBA/IT degree is suited to information technology professionals who are interested in management positions, which are a growing sector of business. Working professionals may seek online degree programs that offer temporal flexibility. Traditional colleges and universities welcome candidates to part-time programs that follow evening and weekend schedules.
Standard MBA Degree
The base foundation is the MBA—an intense, comprehensive graduate level program by nature. Coursework provides advanced business fundamentals, such as marketing and sales strategies, organizational behavior, business economics, accounting, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Information Technology Concentration
The IT concentration blends in curriculum specific to business technology. Some programs combine IT with e-business and include even more granular topics in online marketing and brand building. But general IT specializations target curriculum such as: project management, enterprise systems and infrastructure, and dynamic electronic strategies that build upon an organization’s profitability and value.
Important concepts in this degree are first, the understanding that IT meshes seamlessly with business management, and secondly, that the decision-making and leadership accorded the IT concerns of the business must be made by the whole. Managers with IT experience offer unique guidance through the technological twists and turns.
Some MBA programs utilize co-op education and internships to achieve the ultimate goals—practical and theoretical training. Whenever possible, students should take advantage. IT is especially notorious for its hands-on factor and graduates may make critical industry contacts.
Career Opportunities
Without a doubt the MBA/IT degree will gain popularity. Contemporary business needs are globally focused, which demand individuals sensitive to both sides of business: management and IT.
