At the center of product development is the role of the product manager (PM). It is a role that involves consumer research, product concept development and the development and deployment of the final product.
Every company that develops and markets products or services needs a product manager to guide the product development process. This means that product management is a career path with plenty of employment opportunities.
There are several ways you can attain an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) that will enhance your career in product management. Other than conventional learning, more and more people are opting to pursue their MBA online.
The skills that make a good PM The job requires a broad set of skills that must be well developed. Amongst theses are consumer research, communication and basic marketing skills. These skills will help you define the product, communicate what the product is about and position the product.
In a normal setting, a PM may take care of the existing products through life-cycle management and makes sure one or more new and inventive products are being developed.
As you can see, a PM needs to be a jack-of-all-trades and this means learning a broad set of skills. A relatively quick way of acquiring these different skills is by getting an MBA education.
What an MBA is An MBA education is a collection of courses on a variety of business topics from finance to marketing. It is thus specifically tailored to the corporate environment and it's challenges. Because of this, MBA graduates often have a competitive edge in the job market.
Especially for those with a technology background and an affinity for business, an MBA degree can be the ticket they needed to move into more business oriented roles such as product management.
Can anyone enter an MBA program? Different programs have different requirements, but generally you need multiple years of work experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience. Usually, lower entry criteria mean weaker schools.
Business schools want MBA students to have work experience so they can apply their experiences on the case studies. This helps students learn modern methods of solving problems in a business environment.
Many companies understand the value of an MBA degree and prefer candidates that hold the degree for business related roles, like product management.
Product Management MBA programs There is no standard for what a product management MBA program should encompass. However, it seems most of these programs put a great deal of emphasis on marketing and brand management.
The marketing courses will often cover the topics of market research and product positioning, which are important to a PM. Because the products a company produces fall under the corporate brand, the brand management courses are valuable too.
MBA degrees can be pursued at well-regarded business schools around the world, so you do not have necessarily have to leave your home country for one.
Full-time, part-time, or online, it's your choice
Full-time Full-time programs are great, because you get to focus purely on studying and you get to know your fellow students very well. Though this is the quickest way of doing an MBA, it also requires a significant financial commitment. During the approximately 2 years of a full-time program, you'll have to be able to pay for the tuition costs and costs of study materials, while have little to no income.
Part-time People who are not willing to let go of their jobs may opt for part time classes. These may be evening classes, weekend and holidays. While it is convenient in terms of finances, it will take a considerable longer period of time to accomplish and makes it very hard to take a break for multiple years. You will be spending a lot of your free time on the MBA, so make sure that your family is ok with that. Studies typically take 4 years.
Online If time and/or money is highly constrained and the acquisition of skills is the most important reason for choosing to pursue an MBA degree, you might also want to do it online. There are several institutions that offer distance and e-learning.
Every company that develops and markets products or services needs a product manager to guide the product development process. This means that product management is a career path with plenty of employment opportunities.
There are several ways you can attain an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) that will enhance your career in product management. Other than conventional learning, more and more people are opting to pursue their MBA online.
The skills that make a good PM The job requires a broad set of skills that must be well developed. Amongst theses are consumer research, communication and basic marketing skills. These skills will help you define the product, communicate what the product is about and position the product.
In a normal setting, a PM may take care of the existing products through life-cycle management and makes sure one or more new and inventive products are being developed.
As you can see, a PM needs to be a jack-of-all-trades and this means learning a broad set of skills. A relatively quick way of acquiring these different skills is by getting an MBA education.
What an MBA is An MBA education is a collection of courses on a variety of business topics from finance to marketing. It is thus specifically tailored to the corporate environment and it's challenges. Because of this, MBA graduates often have a competitive edge in the job market.
Especially for those with a technology background and an affinity for business, an MBA degree can be the ticket they needed to move into more business oriented roles such as product management.
Can anyone enter an MBA program? Different programs have different requirements, but generally you need multiple years of work experience and a Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience. Usually, lower entry criteria mean weaker schools.
Business schools want MBA students to have work experience so they can apply their experiences on the case studies. This helps students learn modern methods of solving problems in a business environment.
Many companies understand the value of an MBA degree and prefer candidates that hold the degree for business related roles, like product management.
Product Management MBA programs There is no standard for what a product management MBA program should encompass. However, it seems most of these programs put a great deal of emphasis on marketing and brand management.
The marketing courses will often cover the topics of market research and product positioning, which are important to a PM. Because the products a company produces fall under the corporate brand, the brand management courses are valuable too.
MBA degrees can be pursued at well-regarded business schools around the world, so you do not have necessarily have to leave your home country for one.
Full-time, part-time, or online, it's your choice
Full-time Full-time programs are great, because you get to focus purely on studying and you get to know your fellow students very well. Though this is the quickest way of doing an MBA, it also requires a significant financial commitment. During the approximately 2 years of a full-time program, you'll have to be able to pay for the tuition costs and costs of study materials, while have little to no income.
Part-time People who are not willing to let go of their jobs may opt for part time classes. These may be evening classes, weekend and holidays. While it is convenient in terms of finances, it will take a considerable longer period of time to accomplish and makes it very hard to take a break for multiple years. You will be spending a lot of your free time on the MBA, so make sure that your family is ok with that. Studies typically take 4 years.
Online If time and/or money is highly constrained and the acquisition of skills is the most important reason for choosing to pursue an MBA degree, you might also want to do it online. There are several institutions that offer distance and e-learning.
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