Does a PR pro need an MBA? Here are 5 benefits

MBAs are much maligned. People say you don’t need one to start/fix/manage a wildly successful business. They’re right. People also contend that MBAs think in a box and lack creativity. They’re right, too. Sometimes.

Few PR people have MBAs. This makes some sense, because our craft involves a fairly specific range of tasks that are best learned by doing. But as an MBA holder myself (I graduated from the Executive MBA program at Concordia in Montreal in 2009) I can say without reservation that the notion the degree holds great value for PR pros is worth considering.

Here are five ways that getting an MBA can help a PR pro:

1. It focuses your thinking on business goals. As PR professionals, we are rightly accused of lacking understanding about business goals. We yell and scream about press hits, retweets, influence scores, content marketing, etc., but often demonstrate a lack of knowledge about how these things tie to the bottom line. An MBA drills business goals into you. It trained me to think beyond the usual metrics of my craft and about the broader picture. When others see this line of thinking from a PR person, they are impressed—especially clients.