More MBA Students Seeking Entrepreneurial Skills

Entrepreneurship is becoming a growing priority for MBA students over the traditional areas of banking, finance and consulting, according to a new study conducted by education and marketing research firm CarringtonCrisp. "Tomorrow's MBA 2011," which surveyed 476 prospective MBA students in 79 countries, looks at the evolution of the business degree and found a growing demand for entrepreneurship in the curriculum, with entrepreneurship courses listed by students in their top-five most desired course content. Other valuable course content among prospective students included Strategic Management, Leadership, and Managing People and Organizations.

Students are also recognizing the importance of pursuing an MBA to develop skills sets of a business owner. When asked what they want from a business school and MBA, 60 percent of respondents said they want an MBA that will improve their career prospects, while their second and third most important criteria were for an MBA that provides them with new skills and challenges them to think differently. Improving earning potential was listed as the fifth most important factor, chosen by just over a third of all respondents.

"There's evidence in the rankings that salary increase post-graduation is becoming less of a distinguishing issue between schools," Andrew Crisp, a co-author of the report, said in a statement. "The downturn in financial hiring in recent years has forced students to look at other career options. Whether they want control of their own careers by starting their own business or recognize the need to be able to manage a variety of projects in a large business in order to move up in their careers, entrepreneurship skills are increasingly valuable."