Northern Illinois University College of Business

Fast-Trak MBA (1 year)

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MBA for IT Professionals

Around 5% of all MBA students have completed their first degree in the field of (business) computer science or IT. Is the MBA suitable for computer scientists / IT staff at all? What study options do you have and what do graduates say who have an MBA with a computer science background? We did some research.

When computer scientists are promoted to management positions and take on more responsibility, e.g. for budgets and / or personnel, they sometimes reach their knowledge limits. No wonder, because in the curriculum of a classic computer science course there is hardly any business content. You can then teach yourself the necessary skills yourself, so to speak, on the job, which is by no means always the worse way, or you can further qualify yourself with an academic degree.

There are various MBAs for computer scientists / IT specialists. The spectrum ranges from specialized IT management courses to general management. We cannot make the decision whether an MBA is the right choice and, if so, which variant to choose. The individual requirements and career goals are too different. But with the following overview we can show you the entire range of study options and let graduates share their experiences.

Does an MBA make sense for computer scientists and IT specialists?

You can only answer this question with a classic: "It depends". In principle, business administration understanding or business administration knowledge is in high demand - but not for every company.

When it comes to the question of whether it is worthwhile to expand your studies in business administration, two things are particularly important: firstly, the company and its product or service, and secondly, how you can develop personally. The latter is the more important point, because you can change the company.

There are computer scientists who work little with customers throughout their professional lives and would much rather program new software at their desks or solve IT problems with their technical knowledge. And there are computer scientists who want to pursue a management career in IT. For the latter, knowledge of business administration is becoming increasingly important as responsibility increases. "Calculating costs, planning marketing resources, calculating and managing business plans, you don't learn all of this in studying computer science," says Klaus Christians, HR consultant at Corporate Management Recruiting (CMR) in an interview with Computerwoche magazine. "IT experts quickly reach their limits." And this is where an MBA course can help.

Generally, computer scientists and IT specialists are a manageable, but always encountered study group in the MBA programs.

Specialized or general studies?

Anyone who is interested in an MBA degree has two basic options and a number of degree courses to choose from.

1.) Specialized IT MBA

Study programs such as the MBA IT Management are particularly suitable here. With such a degree, you expand your IT understanding or know-how and supplement it with basic business administration knowledge. Soft curriculum subjects such as project management or presentation skills are also on the curriculum.

2.) Generalist MBA

Many computer scientists or IT specialists also choose a so-called generalist MBA such as the MBA general management, corporate management or business administration. This course then, regardless of a branch or functional specialization, conveys classic business knowledge, also supplemented by management knowledge, for example in the field of project management or employee management.