How did the Masters in Business Administration emerge?

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the vast majority of universities offered their students accounting and business management courses. However, the knowledge revolution took a radical turn in understanding the needs of organizations. Because of it, the physical work began to be done by machines and the companies began to demand other type of skills that little or nothing had to do with the physical work: the companies required management capacity, fact that directly influenced the schools Business and the emergence of the first MBA.

Start and evolution of the MBA master

The first business school in the world was created in the United States: the Wharton Business School, which was founded in 1881. And the first school to deliver an MBA program was the Tuck School of Management at Dartmouth University in the year 1900.

The method of the case originated in the business School of Harvard University, which began to teach the first MBA program in the year 1908. It was a success as the number of students increased exponentially in the following years; In 1908 were 80, in 1920 more than 300 and in 1930 were already more than 1,000.

The MBA took several years to cross borders and spread to the rest of the world. In 1950 the first MBA program was held outside the United States, specifically in the business School of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Five years later, the first MBA in Asia was started, at the Institute of Business Administration of the University of Karachi, Pakistan. In Europe the Master in Business Administration did not arrive until the year 1955.

MBA types

Currently we can classify the MBA into three categories.

In-person MBA
It is also known as "Full-Time MBA" and is the most common type of modality for recent graduates in this type of postgraduate studies. Its duration varies according to the business school, but as a general rule in the United States this program lasts two years and in Europe one year. They are usually imparted in the morning hours from Monday to Friday. It requires the daily and intensive presence of the student in the business school, so the dedication must be full-time.

Executive MBA
The Executive MBA that is imparted in the Chamber of Commerce is a postgraduate study that is part-time. It is the best option for students who want to reconcile the MBA with their work, because the schedule is much more flexible. In most of the business school it is imparted during the weekends. It is known as "Part-Time MBA" and in Europe it usually lasts one year.

MBA On Line
It is a typology of MBA that is imparted on line and does not require the attendance to class. It is the most flexible of the formats, since the students can take the subjects at the most suitable time for them. Among the drawbacks is the fact of not being able to have direct contact with the teachers and not being able to work or discuss with the classmates in the classroom.

With this contribution I hope to have helped them to understand how and why the MBA was started, as well as its subsequent evolution and the different modalities that exist.