Here’s a list of some of the available bachelor’s/MBA programs:

Johns Hopkins’ combined program is open to all undergraduates in the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, but is particularly suited to those majoring in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Computer Science, and General Engineering. Students begin a traditional major as freshman at Johns Hopkins, and then have the opportunity to apply to the MBA program in the third year of their undergrad. If they’re accepted, they’ll take undergraduate classes in years 1-3, business classes and an internship in year 4, and finish any remaining classes for their undergrad or MBA in year 5. 

The Rutgers/Rutgers Business School combined bachelor’s/MBA program was designed with students majoring in biology, business, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, and physics in mind. Students spend years 1-3 working exclusively on their undergraduate degree. In year 4, students begin taking classes through the Rutgers Business School and complete any remaining undergraduate coursework. When they complete their bachelor’s degree, they’ll enroll in the MBA program part time until they complete their graduate degree (1.5-2 years). 

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business 5-Year Bachelor’s/MBA

Cornell undergraduate students with a good academic record and leadership experience have the option of applying to the 5-year bachelor’s/MBA program (including submitting GRE or GMAT scores) in the fall of their junior year. There are no specific undergraduate courses required for admission to the MBA program, but students must complete their undergraduate coursework by the end of their junior year. 

Admitted students have the opportunity to receive both an undergraduate degree from Claremont McKenna University and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management. Students begin taking business classes in the fourth year of their undergrad, and take exclusively business classes in the fifth year of the program. Students are required to participate in two internships: one after the junior year and one after the senior year of their undergrad. The application deadline for the Four Plus One program is in January of students’ junior year. 

Loyola University Chicago BBA/MBA Program

This five-year program is open to Loyola Chicago students pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration. Students apply to the Quinlan School of Business MBA program in the fall of their senior undergraduate year. If they’re accepted, they’ll take 2 MBA electives in the second semester of their senior year, and then spend the year after their undergraduate graduation completing the remaining MBA requirements. 

Purdue Krannert Bachelor’s/MBA Programs

The Krannert School of Management allows students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, business, or health science pre-professional majors to apply for a five-year joint bachelor’s/MBA program. The MBA admission requirements are slightly different for each undergraduate major, but all require students to complete a certain number of credit hours before the end of their junior year, maintain a certain GPA, complete internships and/or participate in extracurriculars, and meet with the pre-professional office regularly in order to be considered for admittance. 

Although most MBA students have completed an undergraduate degree and worked for several years before enrolling in business school, there are several bachelor’s/MBA programs that allow students to complete an undergraduate degree and an MBA on an accelerated timeline. Enrolling in a combined bachelor’s/MBA program is a great way for students to save some time and money and boost the quality of their early career options. 

Maybe you have a parent who is a CEO, or one who is an entrepreneur. Parents are often influencers when it comes to future careers. But, even if your role model is outside your family or within yourself, you’ll need to know the steps to take to prepare for a future in business. Similar to medicine, keep in mind there are a vast range of disciplines within the field of business—everything from finance and marketing to data analytics and product innovation.

They all require similar skills. If you are a high schooler with an eye for business, there are a wide range of abilities and interests that could lead to a future in business. If you can answer yes to any of the following, then it’s time to start planning your business career. 

If you love problem solving, product innovation may be in your future.

If you’re drawn to television ads or social media product placements, then marketing might be for you.

If you have a head for math, anything involving finance might be your thing.

If logical decision making is a skill you possess, perhaps a future career in market analysis is for you.

If you have a knack for persuading people, business sales may be your career calling.

So what steps should you take in high school to pursue your calling in business? Let’s take a look. 

Although the vast areas of business may mean your skills lean one way or another, according to U.S. News and World Report, any career in business will benefit from the top 10 following skills:

If you see yourself with a future career in business, you’ll need both “qualitative” and “quantitative” skills. Qualitative skills, often called “soft” skills, are those that center on the ability to build strong interpersonal relationships. These skills include communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence. Business areas, such as management/leadership, entrepreneurship, and human resources rely heavily on soft skills. Quantitative skills, deemed “hard” skills, are the more technical abilities tied to business. These include capabilities in the areas of financial literacy, data analysis, and accounting. 

“In business, both qualitative and quantitative skills are vital,” comments Dr. Patricia Grant, Senior Associate Dean, McDonough School of Business Undergraduate Program, Georgetown University. “Universities and colleges now tackle both in sync to ensure graduates are well rounded in both skill sets, which is optimum in today’s business world.”

So, why are these skills so important? According to Indeed.com, business skills used effectively can positively impact the efficiency, performance, and productivity of a company, while the opposite can lead to catastrophic results. Let’s look at two examples:

In 2009, Tropicana Orange Juice made the decision to change their iconic packaging from a straw inserted into an orange to just a bold glass of orange juice. They lost $20 million in sales in the first month alone, after investing $35 million into the campaign - for a whopping total of $55 million dollars spent. After just one month, they reverted back to the old image. It has since morphed into a case study, being called the “worst rebranding in packaging history.” So what went wrong? Simply put, they changed too much too quickly, which led to brand confusion. 

In 2012, Eric Yuan founded the communication platform Zoom as a daydream to help solve a long-distance relationship issue that required a 10-hour train ride to see each other.

Now, Zoom is used by more than 750,000 companies to keep their teams connected through video and audio conferencing, collaborative workspaces, chat, and more. The real-time, face-to-face aspect of Zoom makes it easier for companies to stay in touch, so people can easily work from home or stay connected while working remotely or across several office locations.

Tropicana and Zoom are examples of business skills that, in one case, were missing in action and in the other, leveraged to achieve global success. In business, mistakes are made, but, as you can see in the case of Tropicana, the consequences can be swift and substantial. It’s always best to test out your ideas before engaging in risk. All of these decisions come from the minds and accumulated skills of people working in these businesses. That’s why the mix of hard and soft skills are so critical.

Having a foundation in business can help anyone—regardless of the field of study—become more marketable in their job search and more effective in whatever position they finally fill. The first step is to assess your own strengths and weaknesses. Are you good with numbers? Are you a good communicator? Do you prefer working on a team, or do you prefer working by yourself? Is problem-solving a natural fit? Or is analyzing data your wheelhouse? By the time you’re in college, you should have a pretty good idea of your strengths and career preference. 

According to U.S. News and World Report: “Business skills are essential for the success of any company and employee, but especially those in service-related fields where employees are often the first and most important interface between the company and its customers,” says Jim Glenn, faculty member in Walden University's DBA program. “In the U.S. today, services represent approximately 70% of GDP, which makes having good business skills even more important than in prior decades where manufacturing dominated the American economy.”

There are opportunities to build business skills while still in high school. Summer jobs are a great way to see firsthand how business works. Every organization—from a locally owned retail shop to a nonprofit or a Fortune 500 company—revolves around money: Making money, borrowing money, managing money. This means that no matter where your career takes you, business skills are what drive outcomes.

So what business skills are the most important to learn as a high schooler? How can you go about acquiring these skills? Should you take business-related courses and, if so, which ones? 

There are many general courses offered at the majority of high schools to start your path toward a career in business. These courses may include:

According to Niche.com, there are also a host of national and local clubs available to high school students that will help you prepare for college and your future career. They include: 

Speech/Debate Club (most high schools have local debate clubs)

In addition, many top colleges are now offering online courses in a whole range of subjects, including business. Here are some examples of universities with pre-college programs and their business offerings:

Once you reach college and have chosen your major, you’ll be expected to develop skills that prepare you for your career. Some are actual courses, like math, finance, marketing or STEM, but no matter the major, you’ll be expected to attain basic skills through coursework and collaboration that make you a good job candidate. These skills include:

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?” ~Steve Jobs, Apple founder

Business skills are vital to a host of careers. So what skills should you pick up in high school to pursue your calling in business? Read on to find out.

Business-school

Combined Bachelor’s/MBA Programs

How to Learn Important Business Skills in High School