<p>Let's say some smart guy/gals graduate from Stern, Wharton, MIT Sloan, etc.</p>
<p>Since their BBAs are from highly selective business schools, will their need to get an MBA decrease compared to people who graduated from lesser undergrad business schools (like Drexel's business school)?</p>
<p>By the way, I’m describing certain schools as “prestigious” or “not prestigious” solely based on the average salaries the graduates make after graduation, their employment rates, and average SAT scores.</p>
<p>The “need” is likely diminished, giving them access to opportunities equivalent to those a mid-tier MBA with no prior business education would be offered. </p>
<p>However, the benefit of the MBA in terms of increased opportunity is multiplied if the MBA is secured from a second top-tier school. The ability to bridge between two major power networks is a strong advantage. The alumnus of a single network exploits, the alumnus of multiple networks connects.</p>
<p>It is thoroughly unsurprising that multiple members of my company’s C-level management hold a BBA from one top-10 business school and an MBA from another top-10. </p>
<p>Can one go to MIT Sloane as an undergraduate? I’m too lazy to look it up, but was under the impression that Sloane was for very well-qualified MBA students hand-picked, often by their own Fortune 100 companies. </p>
<p>I can’t answer for all companies but, my husband has spent some time recruiting for his large nationwide firm. Though they recruit students out of prestigious undergrad programs, getting the MBA is a must. After a couple of years, most employees leave to get one. From a certain point in the career path, an applicant can not get an interview without it.</p>
<p>MIT Sloan is a graduate program. Wharton offers a Bs in Economics, not a BBA degree.
Whether you need an MBA depends on what industry and what type of work you wish to do. If you wish to work for Fortune 500 companies in management, they would probably want to see an MBA</p>
<p>@cbreeze Stern and Wharton do offer undergrad business degrees.</p>
<p>I thought undergrad business degree = BBA?</p>
<p>Regardless of the undergrad the MBA somewhere down the line would make sense these days. Better to work a couple years and then start.</p>
<p>In finance, as in investment professionals, I know quite a number of people who just have a Bachelors degree but usually they are from HYPSWharton and they are extremely talented in what they do thus obviating the need of a higher degree.</p>
<p>I found this from an older article from the Dean at Wharton but it may still apply somewhat today.</p>
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<p>Sloan has an undergraduate degree.<br>
<a href=“http://mitsloan.mit.edu/undergrad/academics/”>http://mitsloan.mit.edu/undergrad/academics/</a></p>
<p>As far as the OP question, it depends where you work and what track you’re on. And what people think of you where you are. For some, they need to return for an MBA, others won’t have to…even if they went to Drexel. 
</p>
<p>In certain places it will take an MBA to get to your goal. It just depends on the field and the specific firms. </p>
<p>@dadx I always thought it was strange MIT had a undergrad BUSINESS school… after all MIT is dedicated toward science and mathematics</p>
<p>If you stop holding (wrong) preconceptions in your head, and think more flexibly, the world makes more sense. MIT is a land-grant university that has always cared about the practical as well as the theoretical (thus MIT’s motto: “Mens et Manus”*); has always cared about engineering as much or even more so than math and the pure sciences and what came to be MIT Sloan grew out of the engineering management curriculum.</p>
<ul>
<li>From <a href=“http://www.mensetmanus.net/mit-motto/motto.shtml:”>http://www.mensetmanus.net/mit-motto/motto.shtml:</a> MIT’s motto is “Mens et Manus,” which translates from the Latin to “Mind and Hand.” This motto reflects the educational ideals of MIT’s founders who were promoting, above all, education for practical application.</li>
</ul>
<p>OP- despite the prevalence of undergrad business programs, there is no such thing as a career in “Business”. The experience and competencies required to work in marketing analytics, digital communication, supply chain management, corporate finance, operations research, are all different- despite the fact that hs kids think they can just get a degree in “business” and be qualified to do any of these things.</p>
<p>Nobody can answer your question without knowing the discipline you are asking about. In general (don’t flame me with examples of your cousin’s neighbor), a career in investment banking (you don’t need an undergrad degree in business to get hired- you need strong grades, clear evidence of strong math and logic skills) will require an MBA. The typical path is a couple of years as an analyst out of undergrad, and then back to Business School.</p>
<p>The typical career path in any of the quant marketing disciplines could be the same but with much more variation. An undergrad degree in psychology (with a lot of stats and programming) would be fine- and you might not need an MBA. For brand management- yes, likely an MBA.</p>
<p>In many of the manufacturing disciplines (ops research, supply chain) getting an undergrad engineering degree and then going back for an MBA is more typical.</p>
<p>So the answer to your question is “it depends”. But you don’t sit around in a graduate business program and “learn business”- you study specific topics and analytical tools (buyer behavior, managerial accounting, valuation/DCF analysis, monte carlo simulation, efficient market theory) which you can then apply to your own career as you see fit.</p>
<p>A Drexel MBA would probably be taken to indicate poor social judgement, and undermine the signalling benefits of a top undergraduate business degree.</p>
<p>Wharton undergraduate degree, you don’t need an MBA.</p>
<p>Oh really now, sorghum, get a grip. </p>
<p>It depends on the situation/job etc. I have a BS from Wharton and never found a need to get a MBA. I considered applying to a few top MBA programs (I had a decent shot to get in with my GPA, GMAT, and work experience) which might have been worth it career-wise but I ended up getting married so I dropped the idea since I didn’t want to move. I turned down a chance to get a company paid MBA at a very mediocre local school because I didn’t think the benefit would be worth my time – at the time I was working and I had two small kids at home so it would have been very hard to carve out time for MBA classes. I have a CPA and never had a need for a master’s degree in the jobs I’ve had. </p>
<p>A CPA is a different animal and doesn’t require an MBA IMExperience.</p>
<p>My understanding, and correct if I am wrong, is that
<p>My D1 has several friends who were hired in the banking side of investment banking who are now four years out of college and must get their MBA’s. And getting your MBA is big business. D1 said they hire personel consultants, at a high price, that help them through the process to help them get into a top business school.</p>
<p>I have a BBA from Ross. Also have an MBA from another school – I found the coursework quite repetitive with the top BBA program, to tell the truth. I have never had trouble getting the jobs I wanted. I certainly could have gone higher up the corporate ladder with my BBA had I chosen to, but it was more a choice of lifestyle that kept me from doing it than anything. If you are talented and do well in a top BBA program, I personally would not bother with the MBA. About the only things I think an MBA might be required for are investment banking and strategic consulting. But if you want to make it to the C level of any other firms, I think the MBA is not a requirement if you have a top BBA degree. Once you have the basic business grounding (especially from a good case school, IMHO), it is much more about your drive and personal qualities than about adding another degree.</p>