In today’s environment of instant gratification the Mini-MBA offers a quick way to further your business education within a short period of time which fits the needs of many in our fast paced society. The Mini-MBA was a program that was first offered by McGill University in Toronto and since this inception has grown to be offered by many universities and colleges in England and the United States. While traditional full MBA programs take two or more years to complete the Mini-MBA programs are of a duration of less than 100 hours and in some cases a concentrated schedule which takes 40 hours to complete.

The Mini-MBA can be an attractive alternative to those who have already started their career and are looking to further their education to enhance their opportunities for promotion and advancement in their job position. Many of these programs are offered in concentrated study curriculums which can literally be completed in a week or two of vacation time or in an extended format of twelve to fourteen weeks of three to four hour courses. The shorter week long courses generally are concentrated in a specific area of business study, while the longer curriculum generally include courses in background areas such as accounting giving a more general business education.

Another strong consideration is in the cost of the programs as the traditional MBA programs can range from sixty thousand dollars to one hundred thousand dollars while the cost of the mini programs can range from two thousand dollars to about six thousand dollars, a substantial difference to be considered when making a decision on which method of study is the one that a student should pursue. For the student who is looking to concentrate on a more specialized area of business the mini programs offer an alternative which is more attractive in terms of the time and money to be invested in the program.