I am starting or running a business
Our verdictNot the MBA. Buy the two or three things you are actually missing.
Founders usually need specific competence — reading a balance sheet, pricing, hiring — not a general management survey. Those are available as short courses in weeks.
What to check
- A finance-for-non-finance course will do more in six weeks than a semester of general management.
- The exception is the network: if you are buying a cohort and will genuinely use it, that is a real reason, and it is the one thing a cheap programme cannot give you.
- Do not take two years out of a business that is working.
Other situations
A promotion needs a postgraduate qualificationI want it for a government jobI am changing career or functionMy employer is paying for itI already have a postgraduate degreeI just finished my degreeI want a higher salaryI want to work or study abroadI am returning to work after a breakI might do a PhD laterI am joining a family business