What is a One-Year MBA Program?

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Staff
Updated May 7, 2021

The one-year MBA is designed for college grad students who want to earn an advanced graduate degree in the shortest time possible. After spending 4 or 5 years studying to earn your undergraduate degree, the idea of returning to school to live the life of a student again may not sound ideal. You love the prospects of having an MBA and you want to advance your career and achieve your goals, but 24 months of studies is just too long when you are older and have more obligations. This is why so many colleges, both traditional and online institutions, have rolled out accelerated MBA programs. Read on, and learn more about how students can cram all of that curriculum into a single year of studies.

What Sets the One-year Program Apart From Others?

If you have decided that earning a professional MBA is best for you, you then need to move on to comparing all of the types of programs available. While the traditional 2-year MBA program is still popular today, more and more students, who are in a rush to add a graduate degree to their resume, are enrolling in accelerated MBA programs.

These accelerated programs give students the opportunity to enroll in school one year and graduate the next. Spending just one year in school can reduce costs and also enable you to increase your income quicker. If you are able to focus on an intensive program for a 12-month period, the one-year options could be a great alternative to traditional options.

How is the Program Layout Different From a Traditional Layout?

It is only natural to wonder how it is possible to cover 2 years worth of curriculum in half the time. If this is possible, you might wonder just why traditional programs take so long to complete. What you should know is that a 1-year program is not for everyone. It is very fact-paced and you must have intensive focus to keep up and to soak in the information that is being presented.

A 12-month schedule is possible by cramming the first year of business school into the first quarter of the program. After the core classes are completed, more focus is put on the advanced courses during the remaining 9 months. The key is having enough of a business background or enough education to be able to test out of core curriculum so that the advanced courses can become the focus.

Are There Any Drawbacks to an Accelerated Program?

There are major benefits to earning a degree in half the time, but you should always consider drawbacks. One major drawback is that accelerated programs do not tend to have internship requirements. In order to combat this issue, many schools are offering interview training so that students who graduate can get offers fast, like interns do. It is also important to seek out as many networking opportunities as possible in your time as a student.

If your time is valuable and you do not want to spend more time out of the job market, review the curriculum of 12-month programs to earn your MBA. You need to truly take a step back and decide if you are willing to sacrifice your free time now to finish school sooner. If you answered yes, the one-year MBA is the way to go.

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