6 of the Most Popular MBA Specializations

An MBA in marketing prepares MBAs for marketing careers by giving them an in-depth understanding of the concepts, tools and practices associated with modern marketing. Marketing MBA graduates can pursue a variety of careers in a variety of industries including consulting, consumer-packaged goods, technology and healthcare.

At Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, the marketing MBA concentration “centers around the premise that the fundamental role of marketing is stewardship of the customer asset and managing the firm's brand equity,” states Debu Purohit, marketing professor and area coordinator at Fuqua.

The school’s concentration aims to teach students three essential marketing skills: understanding value, creating value and delivering value. Understanding value is the ability to understand the voice of the customer and identify the drivers of value. Creating value is using the tools of marketing (including the traditional four ‘p’s of price, product, place and promotion) to develop products and services that address consumer need and enhance the equity of the company. Delivering value, meanwhile, relates to the way in which the firm’s offerings can be used to manage relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and competitors. At Fuqua, there are individual courses that look at each of these three skills. 

An operations management MBA specialization looks at how products, services and supply chains are designed and managed. At Spain’s IESE Business School, these topics are covered in the first year of it flagship MBA curriculum as well as in electives available in the second year:

“Overall, the MBA program ensures students can get both the more concrete aspects of managing manufacturing operations as well as the more strategic dimensions of global supply chain management,” states Carlos García Pont, marketing professor and an academic director of IESE’s MBA program.  

The first year of its MBA features two classes which cover the basics of operations from both a practical, ground-based perspective as well as a strategic point of view. In the second year, students can opt for electives, such as ‘Advanced Methods for Operational Excellence’.

“Operational excellence allows many companies to outperform competition in several industries,” states Pont. The course, which looks at operations planning problems, capacity management and logistics design as well as new strategies, tools and practices, seeks to provide students with a deeper understanding of how to solve complex planning problems and assess operational risk.

Another elective, ‘Managing Global Operations’, is taught in Shanghai and addresses the global operations issues facing Western companies operating in China as well as those in China who are seeking expansion into Europe and the Americas. The course considers key concepts and issues of managing operations in a global context for both the manufacturing and service sectors. Students also have the opportunity to dissect globalization strategies for several different companies and talk to their leaders about current trends in operations globalization.

Supply chain management is a subset of operations management which focuses on the flow of goods or services. The MBA concentration in supply chain management at Penn State Smeal College of Business is designed for anyone who is planning on a post-MBA career in this area, regardless of their past experience. In this concentration, three electives cover what’s known as the end-to-end supply chain: ‘Strategic Sourcing’, ‘Managing Manufacturing and Service Operations’, and ‘Demand Fulfillment’. After taking these, students then take courses in advanced analytic modeling, transportation management or a two-course sequence in the Lean Six Sigma methodology which can lead to a black belt certification (generally equated to possession of a skillset expected of a full-time project leader). Recently, Smeal has added more analytics content as well as new content on omnichannel retailing.

Most students at Smeal end up having two concentrations and many of those who choose to specialize in supply chain management complement this with a concentration in corporate finance, strategic leadership or marketing. Whichever other concentration they opt for, its graduates are said to go on to work in a variety of roles in, for example; manufacturing strategy (demand or supply planning), procurement or process improvement roles with consulting firms, or strategic procurement.

“Since so much of the supply chain profession now is about collaborating with different stakeholders, either customers or suppliers or different departments within an organization, students must develop both strong analytic skills as well as strong soft skills such as effective communication and influencing without authority,” explains Doug Thomas, professor of supply chain management at Smeal.

An MBA in human resources (HR) teaches you the kind of skills managers need in order to bring in and retain a strong workforce, from initial recruitment to the effective training and development of employees. Michigan State University’s (MSU) Broad College of Business offers a concentration in human resources which teaches students how to create vibrant organizational cultures and motivate employees to create strategic advantages in the marketplace.

The first year of this concentration features classes both at Broad and at MSU’s School for Labor and Industrial Relations in order to prepare students for internships in process improvement, benefits/compensation work, and predictive metrics. During the program’s second year, students receive a more dedicated HR curriculum as they prepare to pursue a professional certification in human resources. Upon graduation, Broad says its HR MBAs are often selected for corporate leadership development programs or HR specialist positions at top 100 companies.