Is pursuing an MBA Foundation program worth it?

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is one of the most popular professional programs that students pursue to boost their careers. While many students aspire to attain their business degree from a globally-recognized university, there may be certain hurdles that they need to overcome before they can start their studies.

If you aspire to be an MBA graduate, but fall short of meeting the requirements of your dream university, an MBA Foundation program may be the right thing for you. This article focuses on how an MBA Foundation program can assist you in securing admission at your choice of university. Read on to learn more.

What is an MBA Foundation program?

Also called a pre-MBA program, an MBA Foundation program helps students develop the professional and academic qualities that are necessary to get admitted into an MBA program. It prepares students to cope with the MBA degree curriculum and build a foundation which they can build upon to pursue an MBA. An MBA Foundation program consists of three modules where students learn about:

• Business and Academic Writing: this module helps students develop skills that can aid in writing documents and preparing presentations. Efficient written communication is an integral part of an MBA program as it helps students with the coursework and also prepares them for the real work environment. The focus of the business and academic writing module is to help students adapt skills such as:
  • Context and audience analysis;
  • Identifying the message behind the content and its purpose;
  • Inculcating visual designs to make the form of written communication comprehensible;
  • Ensuring that written communication is understandable and can be used to retrieve useful information.
• Quantitative Skills for Business: since basic quantitative skills are instrumental for core MBA courses, students taking up the MBA foundation course will be reintroduced to subjects such as basic algebra and statistics. These skills are important to understand the underlying concepts of courses such as finance, operations, project management and accounting. In addition to the basic quantitative skills, students will also learn in depth about ways of using quantitative data to support business decision-making.
• Economics from a Business Perspective: in order to understand business concepts better, it is essential to have a strong hold over basic economic concepts and their practical application. This module branches out into two parts – micro-economics and macro-economics, wherein students learn about concepts such as:
  • Components of supply, demand and elasticity;
  • Taxes and price regulation;
  • Market and pricing structure;
  • International economics;
  • Economic fluctuations;
  • Economic growth, investments and financial systems;
  • Production, consumption and costs.

The admission requirements for an MBA program specifies that students must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with a CGPA of 3.00 out of 4.33 (or equivalent) AND one of the following:

• Acceptable score on a Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) that has been written in the last five years.
• An appropriate Canadian professional designation or equivalent international designation (e.g. CPA, CA, CGA, CMA, CHRP or P.Eng).
• A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BBA) or Commerce (BComm) or equivalent.
• A minimum of three (3) years documented professional or management experience.

However, Applicants to the MBA program who do not meet the requirements for direct admission may qualify through completion of the MBA Foundation courses. To be admitted to the MBA Foundation you must have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with a cumulative GPA of 2.33 or better.

Students must earn a grade of B (GPA of 3.0) or better on each Foundation course in order to continue into the MBA program.

How does an MBA foundation program help students?

• This program helps students to bridge the knowledge gap between their undergraduate studies and MBA coursework.
• You can develop a range of practical skills such as analysing data and information, writing according to academic and university standards, business research, working with office tools and online financial data and how to prepare balance sheets, income statements, etc.
• This program gives you the head-start you need before entering the MBA program as it familiarizes you with the graduate-level classroom environment.
• It helps you learn important skills such as professional networking and critical debating, which comes in handy in the professional environment.
• If you are planning to pursue your MBA abroad, this program will help you cope with the cultural differences and develop the right approach to work and study in a business environment.
• You can develop exceptional communication skills with the MBA Foundation program that will make it easier for you to keep up with the academic coursework of the MBA program.

If you are interested in pursuing an MBA but cannot because of the knowledge gap between your previous studies and the graduate program, the MBA foundation program offered by University Canada West (UCW might be right for you. The program is offered on-campus as well as through an online platform, helping students further their careers and realise their dream of becoming a management professional.