What Jobs Can You Get With an MBA?

An MBA is a graduate-level degree that covers a wide range of business-related topics. Because of this, MBA degree holders may be able to consider pursuing careers in a variety of fields, as well as a variety of leadership positions.

Throughout your career, you may come across some jobs that require an MBA, while others may simply prefer candidates who have earned a graduate-level degree. While this list is by no means exhaustive, we've highlighted some jobs you can pursue as an MBA graduate¹:

Accountants come in many forms, but in most instances, they provide clients with accurate records of their finances along with advice on how they can improve and manage them. Many people who wish to enter the accounting profession choose to earn an MBA with an Accounting Specialization instead of a general MBA.

The primary responsibilities of an accountant typically include:

A financial manager works alongside executives and other management-level professionals to look after an organization's finances. Unlike accountants, who primarily deal with tracking and record keeping, financial managers work to make decisions about where money can be most effectively spent in order to improve a company’s bottom line.

The financial manager’s primary responsibilities typically include:

Businesspeople who work in the healthcare industry help providers gain access to the tools they need to save lives. Professionals with an MBA can work in hospital management or in other health care facilities to help these organizations obtain the resources they need to help their patients.

Medical and health services managers, for example, typically have the following primary responsibilities:

An MBA degree can help you develop many skills that are ready to be put to use in the world of marketing. As a marketing professional, you'll help a company develop a positive brand image through thoughtful combinations of advertising, organic search visibility and product offering or service choices.

The primary responsibilities of marketing managers and product managers typically include:

IT managers combine technology skills with management capabilities in order to oversee an Information Technology team or department. They often also have some business skills that can help them determine how to best delegate tasks and add members to their teams as needed, and may report to the company’s chief technology officer.

These primary responsibilities are typically assigned to IT managers:

Sales managers oversee the operations of a sales team at a business. They use communication, organization, interpersonal and leadership skills to manage the team and make direct sales to potential clients.

A sales manager’s primary responsibilities typically include:

Human resource managers, commonly called HR managers, work to ensure that a company provides a safe and productive workplace for all its employees. Human resource managers need to have excellent communication and conflict management skills in order to do their job and maintain the safety of everyone at a company.

HR managers typically have these primary responsibilities:

Project managers use a combination of skills to ensure that projects are being completed in a timely and financially responsible manner. They often play a role in helping choose which projects a company takes on and provide insight into what resources it has available to them.

In a typical organization, project managers have these primary responsibilities:

Business operations managers help ensure the day-to-day operations of a company are always running smoothly. This may entail making business administration decisions regarding where company money should be allocated and how different departments should be staffed.

The business operations manager’s primary responsibilities typically can include:

Working as employees or contracted management consultants, business intelligence analysts use available data to make predictions about various markets that inform the decisions that a company makes.

The primary responsibilities of a business intelligence analyst typically include:

Managers in many different industries delegate, collaborate, drive team directives and oversee staff to ensure they are being productive and using their time to impact the company in a positive way.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, administrative services and facilities managers typically have the following primary responsibilities:

If you opt to amplify your MBA degree with a specialization, choosing one in an area that most closely aligns with your career goals is a good option. Examples of MBA specializations include global supply chain management, project management, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources and others. If you want to pursue a career in marketing, an MBA with a Specialization in Marketing can help you develop industry-related skills, while someone who wants to work as an accountant would be better served earning an MBA with a Specialization in Accounting.

While no MBA specialization in and of itself is better than any other, choosing one that is aligned with your desired professional career path can help you develop a more industry-focused skillset and a greater understanding of that discipline.

Now that we’ve helped answer the question “what jobs can you get with an MBA,” let us help you get on the path toward your goals. We offer an online MBA program with 10 specializations to help you take charge of your education and earn your degree at your own pace. Let’s talk about how you can get started in our next session. Classes start every 8 weeks.