Â鶹´«Ã½

Are you considering earning your Master of Business Administration (MBA) and curious about the soft skills you will gain within the program? An MBA program not only provides you with the business-focused knowledge necessary for your career, but will also help you develop a wide array of soft skills essential for effective leadership and management in the business world.

6 Key Soft Skills for MBA Students

Let’s take a look at some of the core MBA soft skills you can expect to develop during your journey within an MBA program.

1. Leadership

Students in an MBA program gain the soft skill of leadership through a combination of coursework, experiential learning, and practical application. The coursework they engage in covers important leadership practices and theories, while group projects and internships help provide hands-on leadership experiences in real-world settings. Together, these aspects help them to develop MBA soft skills in leadership they can put to use in their future careers.

2. Communication

MBA students hone their skills through presentations, reports and group discussions. This helps them become more practiced in professional communication, a crucial soft skill for MBAs, preparing them for real-world settings, interviews, and working alongside future coworkers.

3. Problem-Solving

Since problem-solving is an essential MBA soft skill, students in our program will be put in situations to hone this ability through case studies, simulations, and real-world business challenges. MBA candidates will learn to approach problems systematically to develop the best solutions.

4. Negotiation

Negotiation is a key soft skill for MBA students to master, as it applies to diverse roles in a wide range of fields. Negotiation can be vital in areas such as management consulting, investment banking, entrepreneurship, and many more.

5. Networking

Gaining networking skills through attending events, connecting with alumni associations, and making industry connections can lead to a more prosperous career. Honing this essential MBA soft skill prepares students to create opportunities for themselves and foster relationships that will enhance their careers in the future.

6. Project Management

Students in our program engage in courses that cover project management tools, best practices, and group assignments that imitate real-world scenarios. This soft skill for MBA students is not only beneficial to future career roles, but also for effectively managing personal projects and enhancing organization skills.

About Kent State’s MBA Program

The MBA program at Kent State is offered both in-person and online, and includes core courses in finance, marketing, and management, with opportunities for specialization. Our extensive program emphasizes experiential learning such as internships, study-abroad opportunities, and career coaching, ensuring graduates are well-prepared with the MBA soft skills needed to pursue roles in various sectors.

Along with a strong focus on developing both hard and soft skills for MBA students, our program offers a variety of specializations tailored to specific career goals. These specializations include: