MBA Essentials

Introduction

The MBA is a famously expensive degree. But most of the academic learning you’ll get in an MBA program can now be had through free online resources. We ran a detailed study of the core curricula of some of the world’s top business schools to determine the essential components of an MBA. Then, we curated the best online resources that teach each of those essential components.

Why learn this?

Unlike law or dentistry, you don't need a degree to conduct business. Yet, the basics of finance, accounting, operations, and management are useful for most professions, even those outside of “business” and “management” fields. Some of these skills are even useful in personal life, e.g., when negotiating a car purchase or investing one’s savings.

What will you learn?

You’ll learn the core MBA skills taught in top programs—finance, accounting, operations management, marketing, strategy, and organizational behavior.

What won't you learn? Traditional MBA programs place a lot of value in the interaction with peers and building a professional network. It’s difficult for this (or any other fully online) program to substitute those interactions. This said, many of the classes included in this learning path have their own forums, where you could get to know “classmates” with shared interests.

Who is this for?

Anyone who is interested in gaining the skills taught in an MBA program but who is unsure whether a traditional MBA degree is right for them. Engineers, designers, creative professionals, analysts—just about anyone looking to learn the fundamentals of business. No prior knowledge of business is assumed. An understanding of high school math would be helpful.