What Is an MBA Certificate?
Credit: Witthaya Prasongsin / Moment / Getty Images- An MBA certificate is usually another name for a nondegree credential offered by a business school.
- While MBA certificates aren’t degrees, they can count toward a degree if you decide to pursue one.
- Short-term credentials offered by business schools can be a way to test out the curriculum before enrolling in a program.
- Graduate business certificate programs tend to cost between $1,000 and $5,000, but they can cost more depending on the school.
Going to graduate business school is a major decision, so pursuing a master of business administration (MBA) certificate is a way to try out graduate courses without diving into a full program.
MBA certificate programs are usually an individual course or set of courses broken out from a school’s MBA degree to operate as a standalone credential. Schools offer MBA certificates in all forms, from general business courses to specialized areas like supply chain management and healthcare.
Many business schools also count credits earned in their MBA certificate programs toward eventual MBA or graduate degrees.
Business schools have embraced nondegree credentials. The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) found in previous research that 62% of business schools offered some form of nondegree credentials.
Standalone Certificates
The term “MBA certificate” usually refers to a graduate certificate in a business topic.
Students don’t have to be enrolled in an MBA program to take these certificate programs, which usually entail several online courses.
Take the University of Indianapolis for example, which offers MBA graduate certificates in high-demand areas like supply chain management and artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics. These certificate programs are nine credit hours and can be applied toward an eventual MBA at the university.
Other graduate business certificate programs have a more narrow focus. The Ohio State Fisher College of Business started offering a microcredential in financial technology (fintech) in 2024. That field is projected to see meteoric growth over the next decade.
Ohio State’s fintech microcredential includes 4.5 credit hours spread across two courses: “Introduction to Fintech” and “AI and Machine Learning for Business.”
Standalone graduate business certificate programs typically have a few commonalities:
- Flexible format. MBA certificates and other general graduate microcredentials are usually geared toward working professionals who want to boost their resume without leaving the workforce.
- More affordable. Some credit-hour based programs are charged based on university tuition. That generally means graduate certificates cost between $1,000 and $5,000, although other training programs can exceed that figure.
- Short time to completion. Graduate certificate programs can take anywhere from weeks to a year to complete. At Ball State University, for instance, certificate programs require four classes and take less than a year to complete.
- Count for credit. Most schools will count credits you earned in one of their certificate programs toward their degree requirements, if you decide to pursue an MBA. Keep in mind that your credits might not transfer to graduate programs at another school.
Employers see the value in nondegree credentials, BestColleges previously reported, and tend to favor programs based out of universities.
In-Degree Certificates
Other schools offer certificates built into their MBA programs.
North Carolina State University features stackable certificates via the elective courses in its MBA programs. Those customizable certificates include areas like sustainability, analytics, finance, and supply chain management.
Some programs, like the University of Jamestown in North Dakota, shape their online MBA programs entirely around high-demand stackable credentials.
University of Jamestown Provost and Vice President Paul Olson said in a press release that the program’s curriculum “has all the essential elements of an excellent MBA program and has the added bonus of microcredentials that allow students to specialize in the areas that best meet their professional goals and needs.”
Mini MBAs
A number of business schools also offer mini MBA programs, which are essentially more intensive nondegree certificate programs.
While a typical graduate business certificate program might focus on one topic, a mini MBA functions as a broad introduction to core business concepts like accounting, finance, marketing, and more. Like other nondegree credentials offered by colleges, mini MBAs can sometimes count toward an eventual degree.
Mini MBAs tend to be similarly priced to other graduate certificates, typically ranging from $2,000-$10,000.