A More Relevant MBA: The Role of Across-the-Curriculum Delivery of Intercompetency Coursework in Aligning the Required Curriculum With Required Managerial Competencies

Abstract

Despite their widespread popularity in the United States, MBA programs have received considerable and sustained criticism. The chief complaint is that MBA graduates lack key skills required to be competent managers, and the main suspect has been identified as a less than relevant curriculum. Previous studies determined that the required MBA curriculum did a poor job of delivering the managerial competencies prized by incumbent managers. However, these researchers suspected that across-the-curriculum delivery of managerial competencies could mitigate this misalignment. This study advances the field by implementing an intercompetency approach, by including previously excluded coursework, and by using an updated dataset. The results show that the required curriculum of MBA programs in the United States is on average more closely aligned with the prescribed coverage benchmarks than previously believed, and that across-the-curriculum delivery of content via intercompetency coursework substantially aids in this alignment. The findings have actionable implications for program managers, faculty members, and researchers in the field of graduate management education.