AI is now a top priority for prospective MBA applicants

AI is a top priority for aspiring MBA students, with 31% seeking AI-focused degrees. Discover how AI, climate change, and career advancement are reshaping MBA programs.

Advances in artificial intelligence have undoubtedly fueled discussion in the academic and technical worlds over the past year. From Open AI's ChatGPT-4 to Google's latest chatbot, Bard, some are wondering if language models or AI assistants are the latest form of search.

A future with AI brings confusing wonders and much unknown, and aspiring MBAs are leaning back to benefit from it. In a report by UK consulting firm CarringtonCrisp, AI is at the top of the list of topics in which students are seeking a degree. Of the more than 1,000 respondents surveyed for the annual Tomorrow's MBA study, 31% said AI was their first choice for study, sharing first place with the previous favorite Business and Financial Environment.

Other top content includes the usual preferences such as specializations in business law, corporate finance, data analysis and decision making, and economics. Almost one in six respondents said that climate change was valuable MBA content, and for the first time it ranked a high eighth on the list.

In last year's report, where four of the top seven MBA subjects were technology-related, AI ranked second among the most valued degree options. This underscores a point also highlighted in the study: 52% of prospective students said that business school is not just about business, but about a specific area of business.

Why pursue an MBA? 44% say it's a career driver

The CarringtonCrisp report makes an effort to mention that the MBA is not going away. But similar to curricula, the results show that attitudes and perhaps even the MBA brand are constantly changing. For example, the aftermath of the pandemic has paved the way for new desires for flexibility. The report highlights a similar trend seen elsewhere: more and more students want up-to-date content that reflects current world trends.

CarringtonCrisp collaborated with the management development network EFMD to produce the report. They analyzed responses from 1,658 individuals from 30 countries - about 60% male and 39% female. Data was collected in November and December 2022 to determine attitudes and desires regarding MBA programs. Just under half of participants said they had researched MBAs and were likely to apply to a program within 12 months.