No Work Experience MBA

A "no work experience MBA" admission requirement is more common than it used to be.

The requirement for work experience was historically a trademark of the MBA.

For example, the flagship full-time program would require at least two years of post-graduate, full-time work experience.

As times and circumstances have changed, multiple MBA program types have been offered.

Each program type markets to different types of students. Therefore, the work experience requirement often depends on the program type.

For example...most traditional full-time MBA programs still highly recommend or even require relevant work experience. Part-time MBA programs do not usually mandate work experience, but applicants are competing with working professionals that actually have several years under their belt. So in reality, the work experience requirement is still there.

Executive MBA programs usually specify a minimum number of years experience. They are targeting executives with higher level management experience. So they need to have students that have worked for some time. Often the work experience will start at seven years but applicants are competing with those that could have much more experience.

It is hard to definitively categorize what types of schools or programs do not require work experience. In other words, it just depends. Sometimes, distance programs are more apt to be lenient in this regard as well as smaller, flexible MBA programs. If this is a feature you are after, you just have to do your research.

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