female mba students specialisations subjects 2021 by Antenna on Unsplash
More and more women are choosing to attend business school, paving the way for a more fruitful future in business. Some of the main takeaways from our data found:
Marketing was the most popular specialisation
More women are choosing STEM specialisations
Women are making moves in the business world. MBA admissions teams are making a conscious effort to recruit more female students – moving towards a more diverse, inclusive MBA experience.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, TopMBA wanted to take a closer look at the motivations and choices women in higher education are making.
50 percent of the total MBA applicants in the survey were female. When asked which three master’s or MBA specialisations they were most interested in, this was what we found:
Which MBA specialisations are women choosing in 2021?
Rank
Specialisation
Desire to study the specialisation (%)
1
Marketing
62
2=
Human Resources
58
2=
Health Care
58
4
Law
56
5
Accounting
54
6
Sustainability Management (CSR)
53
7
Management
50
8
Analytics
49
9=
Leadership
47
9=
Technology
47
11
Strategy
46
12
Finance/Economics
44
13
Entrepreneurship/Innovation
42
14
Operations Management
40
15
Real Estate
19
As you can see from the above data, marketing was the most popular specialisation among prospective female MBA and master’s students, with human resources and health care both coming in joint second at 58 percent, and law following suit at 56 percent.
Interestingly, if we were to look at the specialisations prospective male students are choosing - it's a complete 180 swap, with real estate being the most popular specialisation at 79 percent for men, followed by operations management in second at 59 percent, and entrepreneurship/innovation following closely in third at 58 percent.
If we were to look closely at the above data, it seems apparent the females are choosing the MBA specializations with a greater element of human connection, or subjects that may benefit/help people long term.
On the flipside, men are choosing subjects that tend to reap big rewards - with real estate known to be a lucrative industry, as well as entrepreneurship and innovation for ROI (if successful of course).
But which subjects are women interested in pursuing this year?
Which subjects are women interested in studying in 2021?
Subject
Percentage of women interested in studying the subject (%)
Business Management
26
Creative Arts and Design
8
Engineering and Technology
7
Medicine and Dentistry
6
Social Sciences
6
Education and Teaching
5
Psychology
5
Subjects Allied to Medicine
5
Law
4
Computing
4
Communications and Media
3
Architecture, Building and Planning
3
Biological and Sport Sciences
3
Humanities and Liberal Arts (non-specific)
3
Language and Area Studies
3
Agriculture, Food and Related Studies
2
Geographical and Environmental Studies
2
General and other in sciences
2
Physical Sciences
1
Mathematical Sciences
1
Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies
1
Veterinary Sciences
1
We found that 26 percent of female participants in the survey hoped to study business management (which isn’t surprising considering the demographic) followed by eight percent hoping to study creative arts and design, and engineering and technology following closely behind at seven percent.
And finally, we asked which postgraduate degrees prospective female students hoped to earn.
Which postgraduate degrees have women applied to study for in 2021?
Rank
Postgraduate degree
Percentage of female students hoping to earn degree (%)
1
Master's in Healthcare
58
2
Master's in Marketing
57
3
Master's in Accounting
56
4
Master's in Human Resources
55
5
An MBA with a non-business master's programme
52
6=
Full-time MBA
49
6=
Master's other
49
8
Master's in Management
47
9
Master's in Finance
46
10
Master's in Data Analytics
45
11
Online MBA
44
12
Part-time MBA
44
13
Master's in Entrepreneurship/Innovation
39
14
Executive MBA
30
It was a close call at the top of the list, with master's programmes seemingly being the most popular postgraduate degree courses for prospective female students.
The top three postgraduate degrees prospective female students had/considered applying to were once again subjects that incorporated connections with other people - with a master's in healthcare being the most popular option.
For prospective male students, the most sought after postgraduate degree programme was an executive MBA at 70 percent - which follows the same pattern as the most popular MBA specialisation with men and women being on completely opposite ends of the spectrum when choosing this particular advanced degree.
Once again, men placed major importance on entrepreneurship - with 60 percent of participants stating they had applied for/considered a master's in entrepreneurship.
The above data offers a snapshot into the priorities and mindsets of both female and male students. Male students seem to be choosing the programs that could potentially offer the greatest level of ROI post-graduation, whereas female students have chosen subjects that offer the opportunity to network, build connections, and help people.
This article was originally published in March 2021
.
Niamh is Deputy Head of Content at QS (TopMBA.com; topuniversities.com), creating and editing content for an international student audience. Having gained her journalism qualification at the Press Association, London and since written for different international publications, she's now enjoying telling the stories of students, alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs and organizations from across the globe.
The MBA Specialisations Women Are Choosing in 2021
By Niamh O
Updated March 10, 2021 Updated March 10, 2021More and more women are choosing to attend business school, paving the way for a more fruitful future in business. Some of the main takeaways from our data found:
Women are making moves in the business world. MBA admissions teams are making a conscious effort to recruit more female students – moving towards a more diverse, inclusive MBA experience.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, TopMBA wanted to take a closer look at the motivations and choices women in higher education are making.
QS’s International Student Survey Report (ISS) 2020 surveyed 78,578 participants – all of whom are prospective students at business school.
50 percent of the total MBA applicants in the survey were female. When asked which three master’s or MBA specialisations they were most interested in, this was what we found:
Which MBA specialisations are women choosing in 2021?
As you can see from the above data, marketing was the most popular specialisation among prospective female MBA and master’s students, with human resources and health care both coming in joint second at 58 percent, and law following suit at 56 percent.
Interestingly, if we were to look at the specialisations prospective male students are choosing - it's a complete 180 swap, with real estate being the most popular specialisation at 79 percent for men, followed by operations management in second at 59 percent, and entrepreneurship/innovation following closely in third at 58 percent.
If we were to look closely at the above data, it seems apparent the females are choosing the MBA specializations with a greater element of human connection, or subjects that may benefit/help people long term.
On the flipside, men are choosing subjects that tend to reap big rewards - with real estate known to be a lucrative industry, as well as entrepreneurship and innovation for ROI (if successful of course).
But which subjects are women interested in pursuing this year?
Which subjects are women interested in studying in 2021?
We found that 26 percent of female participants in the survey hoped to study business management (which isn’t surprising considering the demographic) followed by eight percent hoping to study creative arts and design, and engineering and technology following closely behind at seven percent.
And finally, we asked which postgraduate degrees prospective female students hoped to earn.
Master's in Healthcare
Master's in Marketing
Master's in Accounting
Master's in Human Resources
An MBA with a non-business master's programme
Full-time MBA
Master's other
Master's in Management
Master's in Finance
Master's in Data Analytics
Online MBA
Part-time MBA
Executive MBA
It was a close call at the top of the list, with master's programmes seemingly being the most popular postgraduate degree courses for prospective female students.
The top three postgraduate degrees prospective female students had/considered applying to were once again subjects that incorporated connections with other people - with a master's in healthcare being the most popular option.
For prospective male students, the most sought after postgraduate degree programme was an executive MBA at 70 percent - which follows the same pattern as the most popular MBA specialisation with men and women being on completely opposite ends of the spectrum when choosing this particular advanced degree.
Once again, men placed major importance on entrepreneurship - with 60 percent of participants stating they had applied for/considered a master's in entrepreneurship.
The above data offers a snapshot into the priorities and mindsets of both female and male students. Male students seem to be choosing the programs that could potentially offer the greatest level of ROI post-graduation, whereas female students have chosen subjects that offer the opportunity to network, build connections, and help people.
This article was originally published in March 2021 .
Want more content like this Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.
Niamh is Deputy Head of Content at QS (TopMBA.com; topuniversities.com), creating and editing content for an international student audience. Having gained her journalism qualification at the Press Association, London and since written for different international publications, she's now enjoying telling the stories of students, alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs and organizations from across the globe.
Share via
Share this Page
Save
Related Articles Last year
Why Operations Management?
What challenges are facing women in business in 2021?
Operations Management Jobs for MBAs
The MBA in Healthcare in the US & UK: Needed Now More Than Ever?
Why Women Leadership Groups Are Important at Business School
Combining Business and IT – Why Being a Hybrid is in Demand
Most Shared Last year
Why Operations Management?
5 Female Leaders from Business History
Why Women's Groups Are Important on MBA Programmes
Seven Harmful Myths About Women in Business
Eight Inspiring Stories from Women in the Business World
Why Women Leadership Groups Are Important at Business School
Most Read Last year
Why Operations Management?
5 Female Leaders from Business History
Top 10 MBA Programs for a Career in Finance
MBA Scholarships for Women
Operations Management Jobs for MBAs
Eight Inspiring Stories from Women in the Business World
USA Rankings
Find top ranked universities in USA!