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Home | Education Advisor | Ask the Professor | Changing Your MBA Major

Changing Your MBA Major

By Melody Gough

Question

I completed my MBA in marketing a year and a half ago, but I still have no work experience. Now, I'd like to change my major to finance or become a lecturer or professor. In either case, do I need extra qualifications?

Answer

Meet with an academic advisor as soon as possible and bring a transcript of your completed courses for your marketing degree. If you've decided to pursue a finance degree online, contact the institution you are interested in attending. The advisor in either setting can help you see just where you stand in changing your focus to finance.

If the role of an educator sounds more enticing, your MBA is a good start--most adjunct professors and entry-level instructors must have at least a master's degree. For higher-paying, tenured positions, you may need a doctorate. Jobs or internships in marketing or finance may help you work on perfecting patience and communication. Any type of work experience shows future employers that you have problem-solved, communicated and dealt with potential conflict. Those are all traits traditionally necessary in the classroom for a good rapport with your students. Learning takes place when students know that you respect them. Good luck with the path you choose.

About the Author
University of Nevada Reno professor Melody Gough is here to answer your questions every week. Professor Gough has taught poetry in both online and community college classrooms for almost a decade and has also taught English composition at the local university for the past five years. In addition to advising her students and inspiring them with witty classroom exercises, Professor Gough writes both poetry and memoir. Her Master of Arts in Teaching English is from the University of Nevada, Reno.