Earning a business degree can change your life. It can give you important knowledge and marketable skills. And it can open up exceptional career opportunities in business management, business administration, finance, marketing, and more. But before you can reap the rewards of holding a business degree, you have to apply to colleges and universities with a business degree program that’s right for you. If this seems daunting, there’s good news: applying to business school—and attending business school—is more convenient than ever before.
Step One: Decide on a Business Degree
There are a variety of business degrees. The degree that’s right for you depends a lot on your interests, prior level of education, and career goals. If you’re pursuing a college degree for the first time, a BS in Business Administration is a great choice. If you already hold a bachelor’s degree, then you may want to consider an advanced business administration degree such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA degree).
Step Two: Conduct a College Search
For decades, getting a college education meant either attending one of the universities in your area or moving to be close to the school of your choice. You can still do it that way but, thanks to online education, your list of colleges to apply to can be a lot larger.
Unlike campus-based universities, online universities don’t require you to live close to a campus. That alone makes them stand up well in any college comparison. But that’s not all they offer. When you compare colleges, you’ll find that good colleges with online degree programs and online graduate degree programs provide numerous conveniences in addition to letting you study from home. For example, when you take advantage of online learning, you’ll enjoy flexible scheduling, which gives you the power to complete coursework at whatever time of day works best for you. That, in turn, makes it possible to work full time while earning a business degree.
On top of that, accredited online colleges meet the same educational standards as accredited campus-based colleges. And the best offer federal student aid, graduate school scholarships, and robust student resources. If you’re a working adult or have other responsibilities that take up your time, you should definitely consider adding online universities into your college search.
Step Three: Gather and Prepare Application Items
Every university has different requirements for applying to business school. In general, however, you should make sure you have:
- Unofficial transcript(s)—at many universities, you can use your unofficial transcript(s) to have a pre-admission evaluation completed, but you will need your official transcript(s) once admitted
- Official transcript(s)
- Résumé showing work history
- Employment history and educational history
Step Four: Apply
Most colleges and universities conduct their application process online. This process varies depending on the school, but tends to follow the basic steps of:
- Application initiation, where you create an account.
Profile creation, where you enter your contact information, employment history, education history, and any other information required for the business degree program you’re applying to. - Document attachment, where you upload any required documents.
- Submission, where you double-check that you’ve provided everything the university needs and then submit your application.
Step Five: Accept Your Offer
When a school accepts you into one of their business degree programs, they will send you an official offer, which you will need to accept. At that point, you will be able to address financial aid needs. Then, you will be ready to start your business degree program!
Walden University is an accredited institution offering a variety of business degree programs online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.