What is the Difference Between an MBA in International Business and an MBA in Global Management?

You will need to know the difference between an MBA in International Business and an MBA in Global Management before you choose a specific type of program or even a specific business concentration.

Both advanced professional degrees are designed to prepare you to be well-rounded business professionals who are equipped to perform in a business setting in a global economy, but the curriculum that is covered in each program varies.

Choosing the best Master of Business Administration program can be an involved process. You need to consider your career goals, what you know now, and what the program will teach you. Here is a guide to distinguishing an International Business program from a Global Management one.

What is an MBA in International Business and Who Is It For?

An MBA in International Business in a business program where students will take advanced curriculum that prepares them for careers with government agencies, international corporations, and other entities that do business in international markets. In addition to teaching students general management skills, the IMBA as it is often called, will help students develop the cultural skills and competencies that are needed in a global marketplace.

Some schools have foreign language requirements and others have structured the programs with tracks where the class is immersed in other countries. Some of the courses that you can expect are cross-cultural management, economics of international trade, corporate finance, international marketing management, and multi-national operations management. With your degree, you can becoming an international marketing director, a controller, a customs manager, or even a multinational manager.

What is an MBA in Global Management and Who Is It For?

In MBA in Global Management can also open many doors for you in more global sectors of the economy. This degree is designed to prepare business students to develop the professional skills that they need to effectively deal with diversity in the workplace and to deal with communications across cultural lines and barriers. While international business programs are globally focused, it is more geared towards policies and regulations. Global management programs will prepare global sales professionals, global managers, and consultants who can help managers build a diverse workforce.

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It is more common for a global management program to have overseas requirements, which can make the school and life balance more difficult for adult students with more obligations. If you can get away for a semester, you will study comparative market systems, diplomatic, race relations, global trade, accounting and economics.

What Can an MBA Degree Do For Your Future?

Earning a degree does not just take one to two years of your time, it also requires a financial investment. The opportunity cost is that you will be limited in how much you can make as you study. The monetary cost is just how much you spend on tuition, books and even travel. You have to determine what an MBA can do for your career at a global level to decide if you want to make the commitment to return to school. In most cases, the degree will pay for itself in the form of new opportunities, higher wages, and more job security.

Each of the programs will give you a broad perspective of the global business world. Now that you know the minor difference between an MBA in International Business and an MBA in Global Management, you can decide if either will help you get where you want to be in the professional world.