As professionals seek faster and affordable leadership training, business schools are experimenting with an idea that would have once sounded implausible: the one-week MBA. In just five days, participants dive into business fundamentals, brush up their leadership skills and explore fast-changing fields such as artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
Many of these one-week MBAs are offered as part of business schools’ executive education offerings.
At the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business, the Mini MBA is aimed at busy professionals who want a fast, focused introduction to core business topics. Tracks include artificial intelligence, data analytics, digital marketing, energy transition and supply chain.
The week-long format concentrates learning into a short, intensive burst with practical takeaways, says Cheryl Baldwin, associate dean of executive development. It also facilitates high-impact networking – connecting participants with peers and senior leaders from different industries.
Baldwin says what sets their program apart is the “balanced focus on foundational business knowledge and specialized skill development, which is ideal for professionals aiming for fast, focused growth”.
Rutgers Business School in New Jersey has also seen a surge of interest in its Mini MBAs. The school offers two formats: a one-week, in-person course called Business Essentials, structured around 10 half-day modules, and a 12-week online option.
In both formats, learners “quickly secure valuable and timely skills that can aid them in the work they are currently doing,” says Peter Methot, associate dean of executive education, adding that professionals are increasingly gravitating toward shorter, more flexible formats.
One-week MBAs attract busy professionals and employers
The short format appeals to both individuals and employers who want training that is efficient in time and scope.
Methot notes that flexibility has heightened the value and interest for “many of our time-starved executive learners”. It allows participants to “incorporate their learning into their busy professional and personal schedules” and to apply new skills directly to their current work challenges.
According to Baldwin, many Mini MBA participants already hold degrees but want “targeted, practical learning that can be applied immediately in their roles”. Others use the program as a steppingstone into advanced business concepts without committing to a full MBA.
Cost efficiency is another draw, especially for companies that are supporting the development and growth of their staff.
Mini MBAs provide skills for a shifting landscape
Both Bauer and Rutgers see the growth of one-week MBAs as part of a broader shift in executive education, driven by the pace of change in business.
Baldwin at Bauer highlights the need to keep pace with rapid advances in AI, digital transformation and supply chain management.
“The rapid pace of technological and market change is driving professionals to seek flexible learning options that keep them competitive,” she says.
Methot agrees. “Demand for shorter-style executive education programs is growing, particularly because ongoing shifts in the business landscape necessitate continuous learning,” he says.
“Just think about the impacts of AI, for example. What is true today may not, and almost definitely will not, be true in two years, five years and so on, requiring that professionals be steadfast in their learning to remain competitive.”
Careers now evolve in unpredictable directions and professionals need accessible ways to reskill and upskill along the way.
“Executive education programming supports learners at every stage of the career journey,” says Methot.
