An MBA is one of the most widely respected and sought-after business qualifications in the world today, and it’s not just for those who have exclusively studied business. No matter your previous experience, qualifications or expertise, anybody can benefit from gaining an MBA. However, the key factor to remember is that the benefits of studying for an MBA will vary greatly, depending on your end goal for getting the degree. Since the process of getting an MBA can be both time-consuming and costly, your plan for what you are going to do with the qualification is the most valuable part. As a graphic designer, here are some of the options that you will have once you’ve gained your MBA.

1. Work as a Graphic Designer:

Whilst any further education can be extremely beneficial, there are few professional advantages to gaining an MBA whilst working as a graphic designer. However, the option is always there if this is what you want to do. However, in general, when a project comes to you for design work, all of the business decisions will have already been made regarding both the project and the brief that you are given. An MBA may give you the ability to better understand how the decisions were reached or ask questions, but be prepared for this to be a very frustrating situation to be in.

2. Career Progression and Advancement:

If you want to progress in your career after graduating with an MBA, then the key factor here is to redefine the way that you see yourself in a professional capacity. You are no longer a ‘graphic designer with an MBA’; instead, you’re an ‘MBA graduate with a design background’. This will open up your window of opportunity and give you the freedom that you need to go for careers that may not be strictly about designing, but that your design skills will give you an advantage for. Ultimately, you may wish to go for an opening that requires an MBA in finance, business, or HR, although many designers find that marketing is a good fit for them as it has more creative and design components.

3. Run Your Own Business:

Have you always wanted to start and run your own business as a graphic designer? If you’re freelancing right now and want to expand into something bigger and better, you might want to consider getting this Boston online MBA, which you can study for alongside working full-time and building your brand. And, studying for an MBA will teach you everything that you need to know about running a successful business. You’ll learn about contracts, HR law and practices, bookkeeping, contracts, marketing, and much more – allowing you to get your new graphic design company off to the best start.

4. Teaching and Academia:

If you want to work in higher education, then it may not always matter which master’s degree you have obtained. In a higher education teaching career, a master’s degree is almost always a requirement. Although your potential employer may ask for your highest degree to be in the field that you are teaching, this is not always the case. And as an MBA graduate with a graphic design background, you may have the option to teach either design or business students.

5. Just to Continue Learning:

Last but not least, don’t think that you absolutely have to have a solid reason for studying an MBA. You might want to do it just because you are curious about the subject and love learning new things, and that’s perfectly fine. In fact, studying just because you want to is a very legitimate reason and if you’re passionate about a subject and have the time and money to do it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go for it. And, you never know what a qualification could hold for you later on down the line. Even if you have no career aspirations in business right now, it could be studying for your MBA that introduces you to new areas of business that you find you are extremely passionate about, changing your whole career outlook. And, if you ever feel like a change of career in the future, an MBA is a great qualification to have with several different career pathways to explore.

Getting an MBA after studying graphic design is certainly not a conventional choice, but it can pay off massively for your career. Whether you want to work more closely alongside businesses or start your own company, an MBA can help.