In many countries, a bachelor’s degree is needed before an applicant can be admitted to an MBA program. This degree can practically be in any field and from a recognized university anywhere in the world or its equivalent. The reason for this is that almost all careers and domains of life can use a good business administer to help run the show.

If in case you have a postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma in management or business administration, or a master’s degree in a related area from another country which has not been completed, you can apply for a transfer of credits. This should be done at the earliest possible time to avoid delay in your study.

The required education background, however, varies from school to school. Some are strict in their requisites for an undergraduate degree before an applicant can be admitted to their MBA program. If you’re one interested MBA student, you need to check with each school whether they require a bachelor’s degree or not. There are some exceptions to the rule.

It is not really necessary that you have an undergraduate business degree in order to pursue an MBA. Many students come from a variety of educational backgrounds even those not related to business such as the arts, communications and medicine and whether you plan to pursue a business career or a non-traditional career in the government, a non-profit organization, an international agency or other areas, the MBA can surely provide you with a bright future. Non-traditional students who have earned undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, social science, engineering, law or an advanced degree in another field can still acquire the basic business knowledge and skills offered by an MBA program. They can benefit from this program even without the prior formal business training during their undergraduate years or from a corporate training.

Without a business undergraduate degree, your best defense in getting into an MBA program is your ability in math. Preparatory courses in calculus, statistics, financial accounting, macro or micro economics and corporate finance will prove to be valuable during the course of your MBA study. You can enroll in these courses prior to your application to an MBA program if you feel the need to get additional knowledge skills in math.

After completing an undergraduate degree, you are free to pursue an MBA right away. However, experts advise to earn at least two years of professional experience before getting an MBA. In this way, you will be able to contribute more to class discussions and can gain a deeper understanding of specific business ideas. It is best that you have a practical understanding of the systems of organizations because most MBA programs value real world experiences of their students. Assignments given usually ask students to share and analyze their professional experience. Also, those with previous work experience are able to provide more practical solutions to business problems because they’ve personally observed what solutions work and what do not.

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