More Veterans Pursuing Advanced Degrees: M.B.A. Top Choice

By Debbie Gregory.

As the Post-9/11 GI Bill advances to its five year mark this summer, we are seeing more and more Veterans completing their Bachelor’s degrees and undergraduate studies and considering moving on towards advanced degrees. Among of the most popular pursuits for Veterans, pursuing graduate level academics are Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees.

Many military Veterans venture into the study of business because they are proven leaders with unmatched experience in prioritizing, assigning and delegating tasks based on their employees’ skillsets. Veterans are also used to developing simple, realistic and effective solutions to even the most complicated problems, while using up a minimum amount of funding and resources.  Carrying an attractive skillset, many Veterans are seeking business school educations to complete the package.

Along with the number of Veterans who want to change their camouflage uniforms for business suits as a means to work in lucrative careers, are the increasing numbers of business schools who are discovering that Veterans are ideal business school candidates. Many business schools are aware of the skillsets that military Veterans possess and are further enticed by the fact that so many Veterans are using their Post-9/11 GI Bills, meaning guaranteed tuition payments.

At the top of many M.B.A. school lists for Veterans is MilitaryConnection.com’s Veteran School Salute Award winner, D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. Not only does the school provide excellent academic programs for all of its students, but the school has a history treating students from the military community with unparalleled service. Veteran students interested in DYC should visit D’Youville College’s Veteran Affairs Office webpage.

M.B.A. programs require students to proceed with more rigorous, in-depth studies of the various skill-areas of business such as: accounting, finance, marketing, human resources and operations management.

While advanced degrees don’t guarantee jobs or advanced careers, much of what is learned, and more importantly practiced, in M.B.A. programs can lay the foundation for an executive level career in business. Another major perk to any advanced degree programs are the networking contacts that you make while attending, including the professors and your fellow students. Students looking into MBA programs would be wise to view their perspective school and program’s success record online. If your potential M.B.A. program has a proven track record of generating successful individuals, you degree will carry more clout with future employers and you will be more likely to add successful contacts to your network.

Veteran students seeking to obtain an M.B.A. would be wise to evaluate their GI Bill benefits and see how much of the benefit they can put towards their advanced degree.  There are also scholarships available for Veteran students through various Veteran groups, individual schools and local communities.