Choosing to enter an acquisitions MBA program is a move that will reward you tremendously. Acquisitions is a field that involves numerous skills including things such as:
- Production Evaluation
- Purchase Planning
- Contract Negotiations
- Auditing
- Company Mergers
- Management and Administration
Essentially, an MBA program with a concentration in acquisitions is designed to create business leaders who are skilled at handling division, combination, or purchasing of companies. As companies grow and various deals may arise. These deals require high levels of skill due to the different laws, personnel issues, and more. As a result, every major company will need these experts on their team. You may find yourself employed by a single company or working as a consultant who is brought in to manage mergers and acquisitions when they arise.
Salaries for those with these degrees are among the highest in the country, ranging from $70,000 up to more than $100,000 per year. The exact salary will depend on position, employer, job title, and more. Potential careers with this degree include:
- Operations Manager
- Vendor Contract Manager
- Corporate Negotiator
- Financial Analyst
- Contract Negotiator
- Mergers Consultant
- Financial Manager
- Acquisitions Expert
- Purchasing Manager
- Investment Banke
The expected job growth in this industry is projected to be around 9 % over the next decade. While that’s slower than in other fields, it’s still a growth and although it can be competitive to enter the field, the potential rewards are well worth the challenge.
Enrolling in an MBA in Acquisitions program will be fairly simple, but acceptance into some of the more competitive schools may be hard to find. A few things to look for when you start enrolling are things like whether or not the program is offered online, what the tuition costs are, what financial aid options are available, what the admission requirements are, and whether or not the school is fully accredited. For convenience, online options are the best call and they’re also growing in number due to the realization that students prefer to have online options since they’re frequently employed while pursuing their education.
Here are some of the best online acquisitions MBA programs available today.
- 1Strayer University – Strayer is a leading online educator and it features some of the very best concentration areas that are available today, including a solid acquisition specialization. Students learn strategy, functions, leadership, and more and graduate with a quality degree that will be recognized by any employer.
- Jones International University – Jones offers an online MBA degree that can include a specialization in several different areas of study. Negotiation and conflict management is among them, and it is the equivalent of a quality acquisitions program.
- University of North Dakota – UND provides students with an online two year program designed for working professionals, and it’s been ranked number eight on the ‘best buys for online MBA’ list. It’s fully accredited and provides students with the skills needed to thrive in their job.
These programs are surprisingly spare in the online MBA world, due to a couple of different reasons. The first is that demand for the degrees is only now beginning to gather steam, and while the options are limited at the moment they are quickly beginning to be added to more and more online MBA program lists. Additionally, many current MBA programs also feature mergers and acquisitions as part of their core classes, and in most cases students will learn the basics. But if you’re looking to master the skills needed for the field, enrolling in one of the specialized areas is a better choice. The three schools above are good starting points, but there are a few other options available, though some may not be online.