What’s the competition for an MBA?
01 April 2026
Andrew Crisp considers where the competition is coming from for the MBA and what that means for business schools.
Look online and it’s easy to find data that suggests there are at least 2000 business schools globally offering an MBA. Among those schools there may be several different flavours of an MBA – a full-time MBA, a part-time MBA, an online MBA, a blended MBA, an Executive MBA, a host of MBAs with specialist content and many more options as well. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think there might be more than 10,000 MBA degrees offered around the world, as well as a host of ‘alternative’ MBA courses.
It’s clear there is plenty of competition for the MBA, if nothing else from other MBAs. Of course, a two-year full-time MBA from a school such as Harvard, is unlikely to be competing with a low cost MBA from a private online provider, in most cases. Harvard’s competition is largely coming from Wharton, Stanford, London, INSEAD and similar global institutions.
However, the new Tomorrow’s MBA report from CarringtonCrisp makes it clear that competition from the MBA isn’t only coming from other MBA degrees. Just over a quarter of the respondents, 28% suggested that they might consider a specialist Master’s degree rather than an MBA.
Historically, specialist Master’s have tended to be taken by pre-experience candidates, starting their studies immediately after an undergraduate degree and with no or limited work experience. Today, a growing number of Master’s students have similar work experience to those taking an MBA.
Rather than a broad MBA, prospective students are considering Master’s degrees focused on a topic relevant to their career to date, and where they are hoping to advance that career, or adding particular knowledge, such as AI, that might also help advance their career in a specific direction. Add in shorter, flexible approaches to study that may not exist for leading MBAs, as well as lower costs of study, both fees and living costs, and Master’s degrees look attractive compared with an MBA. Ultimately, it is career impact and return on investment that will be key to choice of a Master’s or MBA.
Competition for the MBA goes beyond a Master’s degree. The Tomorrow’s MBA study found 25% considering a professional qualification (e.g. CPA, ACCA, In-company learning CIM, etc), 17% a certificate/diploma, 15% in-company learning, 15% Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and 11% short non-degree courses without academic credit.
The MBA is increasingly seen by prospective students as one option in part of the lifelong learning marketplace. With employees expecting to undertake more learning, more frequently in the future to sustain and advance their careers, the MBA may not be the top choice that it has been before. Instead, candidates will look to find an option that best suits their particular needs at a specific point in their career, that comes at a price that delivers value for them and that is recognised by employers for developing the skills that they need in their organisations.
The Tomorrow’s MBA study, published in March 2026, drew on 1646 responses from prospective students in 35 countries.