{"id":433622,"date":"2011-05-31T11:30:28","date_gmt":"2011-05-31T11:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/31\/the-mba-is-it-still-worth-pursuing\/"},"modified":"2011-05-31T11:30:28","modified_gmt":"2011-05-31T11:30:28","slug":"the-mba-is-it-still-worth-pursuing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/31\/the-mba-is-it-still-worth-pursuing\/","title":{"rendered":"The MBA – is It Still Worth Pursuing?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Citizen<\/a> (Dar\u00a0es\u00a0Salaam)<\/p>\n

Erick Mchome<\/p>\n

30 May 2011<\/p>\n

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There was a phase when getting a master’s in business administration (MBA) was the ultimate thing to do. But recently, it appears that the once prestigious management qualification has almost lost its steam. With so many people holding it, and so many other management qualifications on today’s market, does one necessarily need an MBA to get a good job?<\/p>\n

It is a question that many young Tanzanian graduates like Geoffrey Kissay, 28, have asked themselves in the years following the global economic downturn, which experts say has ushered in a new era in which the viability of the MBA has been put to question.<\/p>\n

Apparently, for many, the global economic meltdown raised serious questions about the viability of pursuing an MBA. Suddenly, the demand for management graduates, which had been rocketing, has somewhat diminished and comments from some employers and young professionals across the country make a similar implication.<\/p>\n

“I feel the MBA is no longer that magical postgraduate that would earn you a good job and perks anymore,” Geoffrey, who works with a PR consultancy firm in Dar es Salaam, says.”What I have come to understand in the past few years is that it really does not matter anymore whether you had done your MBA or not.”<\/p>\n

After working for a year as information officer with a PR firm in Dar es Salaam, Geoffrey, a mass communication graduate from the St Augustine University of Tanzania (Saut), wants to pursue a master’s degree to boost his promotion chances. But he is going through the kind of confusion that’s typical among many young Tanzanian graduates.<\/p>\n

“One part of me tells me to do an MBA. But again, I have a feeling that the MBA is old fashioned – it does not strike me as a relevant qualification in the prevailing environment. Honestly, I do not believe that pursuing an MBA is a sensible option,” he argues.<\/p>\n

There are at least four universities and one college offering MBA studies in Tanzania. These are the University of Dar es Salaam, Mzumbe University, Tumaini University and the Institute of Finance Management. According to statistics at the University of Dar es Salaam, every year there are about 250 to 300 students who get admitted to the MBA. At Mzumbe University, Dar es Salaam campus, MBA classes take between 200 and 250 students every year.<\/p>\n

The issue of oversupply<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yet reports from these colleges and the attitude among workers suggest a dwindling belief in the MBA over the last few years. To many professionals, the reason for the attitude is the fact that “too many” people have enrolled for MBA classes, which has kind of caused it to become a free-for-all postgraduate degree.<\/p>\n

For instance, in the days of old, one had to have worked for at least three years in a management position before they could be enrolled for MBA studies anywhere in the country, and generally the world over. However, the requirements are no longer as tough. Straight-from-college graduates now enroll for the management degree.<\/p>\n

Worldwide, the number of MBA degrees conferred annually has seen explosive growth over the last few decades, going from under 5,000 MBAs in 1960 to more than 100,000 MBAs in 2000 — and now averaging more than 150,000 annually. Experts say enrollment is also influenced by the economy, and as the economy turns toward a downturn, both recent graduates and displaced workers head back to earn their MBAs.<\/p>\n

Granted after one to two years of graduate-level university study, the MBA is basically a document that certifies that one has a general competency in all the major functional management roles that person will find in the modern corporation. It is considered a career accelerator across a number of industries and MBA graduates can usually command higher salaries.<\/p>\n

Huge numbers ‘cheapened it’<\/strong><\/p>\n

A senior human resources manager with a Dar es Salaam firm, Anganile Mwakatumbula suggests that the “huge numbers” of people pursuing MBAs in the past few years has cheapened it.<\/p>\n

“There is nothing really wrong with people getting an MBA, but the fact still remains that with the current trend, it will soon be like an undergraduate degree that everyone has,” says Mwakatumbula, who did her MBA in 2001.<\/p>\n

However, there is a different school of thought among some academicians and experts, who argue that the reason why MBA graduates are, and will remain in demand, is the fact that the best management education actually has the potential to convert a plain graduate into a ‘finished product’.<\/p>\n

“There is nothing like the MBA has lost, or is going to lose its status in industry. I can still argue that the number of people flocking to colleges to do the same course is testimony of its importance,” argues Dr Kanty Mtei, a senior lecturer at Mzumbe University, Dar es Salaam Campus.<\/p>\n

“The private sector is developing rapidly in Tanzania and with this trend one sees an increasing demand for management education. If there is any problem with the MBA it is due to the fact that it is expensive to take, and many people still cannot afford it – but that does not mean it is no longer important.”<\/p>\n

An accountant in Mwanza, Jackson Ulanga, 32, agrees. He plans to quit his current job soon after completing his MBA, and then he will start his own company. He strongly believes the MBA is relevant, and will increase his income.<\/p>\n

“I already have the capital to start the business, what I need now is the practical knowledge to stir my business up. I know the MBA will come in handy,” says Ulanga, an MBA student at UDSM.<\/p>\n

Margaret Mwesigye, a career advisor in Dar es Salaam, also believes that the MBA has not lost its lustre as it were, but quickly points out that those who pursue it today must have a compelling reason other than the mere fact that it is readily available and because they can afford it.<\/p>\n

“Many people who do the MBA today study it because they have the money and time and all they need is a higher qualification, perhaps for promotion. But it is still important to know your career path otherwise it won’t be of any use to you,” she says.<\/p>\n

“If I were a fresh college graduate, for example, the biggest question I would need to answer before enrolling for MBA is: Why do I need it? And if I were a job seeker, I would ask myself: Do I need the MBA for a career change or what exactly?” says Ms Mwesigye.<\/p>\n

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Continued here:
\nThe MBA – is It Still Worth Pursuing?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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