MBA & Master Glossary
Hard Skills
Definition
Hard Skills are measurable, technical competencies taught in MBA programs. Core areas include: Financial Analysis (valuation, financial planning, investment analysis), Accounting (Financial and Managerial Accounting), Data Analysis (Excel modeling, statistics, business analytics), Marketing Analytics (market research, campaign analysis), Operations (supply chain, process optimization, Six Sigma), and Strategy (frameworks like Porter's Five Forces, SWOT, BCG Matrix). Unlike soft skills, hard skills are directly applicable tools for business management. Employers expect MBA graduates to have solid hard skills combined with the necessary soft skills for effective leadership.
Example: "His hard skills include financial modelling and SQL."
Why this matters for your MBA
"Hard Skills" is one of the terms you will come across when comparing MBA and Executive MBA programmes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland — in admission requirements, accreditation details or programme descriptions. On mba.de you can check how individual business schools handle it and compare programmes independently.
Source: mba.de – independent comparison portal since 2003.