Typical Duties for Jobs With an MBA

What are the job prospects for someone with a Master of Business Administration (MBA)?

An online MBA offers numerous futures—from executive leadership or starting your own business to transitioning into new industries. The integration of strategic thinking, problem-solving skills and management proficiency is sought after across nearly all business sectors. 

This post explores common MBA career paths and the typical day-to-day duties associated with each job. Determine what type of role would be the right fit for you based on your personality, interests and skills. Then, learn about the specific online MBA courses at UNC Kenan-Flagler that are designed to prepare you for each of these positions.

One of the primary advantages of earning an MBA is the versatility of career paths available. Individuals with an MBA degree often gravitate toward leadership roles that harness business strategy and operational management skills (e.g., senior management and C-suite positions).

Explore seven common MBA career paths, what a typical day might look like, and what type of individual the role would be a good fit for below.

A marketing director develops communication strategies with the objective of increasing brand awareness among their target audience. They oversee the activity and budgets of marketing teams and work closely with the marketing manager to ensure that they meet department objectives.

Global Brand Strategy: Learn how to develop marketing strategies that are a combination of global standardization, local adaptation and worldwide learning.

Skills learned: Analyzing cultural differences to adapt brand messaging, evaluating market entry strategies and using data-driven insights to maximize shareholder value.

Customer Values Strategies: Conceptualize customer value and understand the strategies toward monetizing this value.

Skills learned: Developing frameworks and toolkits to understand customer value, mapping customer journeys and managing customer relationships.

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A chief executive officer sets the overall strategic direction of a corporation and leads the C-suite executive team. They make high-level company decisions, foster stakeholder relationships and ensure company profitability.

Strategy in High-Velocity Markets: Learn how to analyze the business strategy behind corporations operating in fast-paced, dynamic markets.

Skills learned: Identifying the distinctive approaches executives use to win against competitors in unpredictable environments and navigating industry volatility.

Corporate Financial Strategy: Analyzes the key factors influencing the financial policy of a modern corporation and illustrates concepts with examples drawn from the real world.

Skills learned: Financial modeling, valuation, M&A, risk management and private equity to drive strategic decisions.

A financial manager prepares financial reports, directs investment activities, develops plans for long-term financial stability and mitigates financial risks.

Financial Tools: Explores the methods and techniques of modern finance for financial decision-making.

Skills learned: Practical, data-driven skills for valuation, corporate finance and investment management, and advanced financial modeling.

Taxes and Business Strategy: Examines real transactions and companies, providing insight into how taxation affects business decisions.

Skills learned: Strategic tax planning, analyzing tax impacts on investments, M&A and financial decision-making.

A business analyst leverages data and technology to drive strategic decisions within an organization. They assess business processes and suggest enhancements with stakeholders and IT teams to optimize workflow.

Python for Business Analytics: This 25-hour course emphasizes the practical business applications of Python, including data collection, cleaning and analysis.

Skills learned: Programming, Python fundamentals, data cleaning and manipulation, data visualization and building predictive models.

Marketing Analytics: Focuses on data-driven decision making, customer insights and digital strategy.

Skills learned: Marketing strategy optimization, predictive analytics and AI, customer value measurement and A/B testing.

A health care administrator plans and coordinates the business side of medical facilities. They manage budgets and staff, and oversee daily patient and facility operations.

Design and Delivery of Healthcare Systems: Focuses on applying operations management principles to improve the efficiency, quality and delivery of health care.

Skills learned: Strategic management, health care finance, data analytics and operational efficiency across providers.

Challenge of Healthcare: Provides a broad overview of U.S. health care from a business perspective. Studies the four Ps: providers, payers, producers and patients.

Skills learned: Strategic analysis, problem-solving, improving care quality, data analysis, and understanding industry providers.

An entrepreneur identifies business opportunities and secures funding. They are involved in strategic planning, managing financial risks and marketing.

Introduction to Entrepreneurship: Learn the foundational skills needed to identify, evaluate and develop innovative venture ideas.

Skills learned: Identifying and evaluating opportunities, financial planning, negotiation, risk management and marketing analysis.

New Ventures Discovery: Introduces the tools and skills necessary to build and grow a successful new venture.

Skills learned: Developing business models, creating investor-ready strategies, market testing, scaling and assessing risks.

A management consultant specializes in helping companies solve intricate problems. When a company makes an organizational change or rolls out a new initiative, a management consultant assists in the implementation of these systems and processes.

Consulting Skills and Frameworks: Learn to mirror the methodologies used by major management consulting firms and solve complex business problems in the least amount of time.

Skills learned: Fact-based analysis, action-oriented communication and team-based problem solving.

Business Strategy: Analyze the strategy of corporations and gain an understanding of what allows certain firms to succeed and profit while others fail.

Skills learned: Strategic decision-making, sustaining economic profits, and frameworks of economic and behavioral theories.

Pursuing an MBA can be a valuable investment for individuals seeking to advance their careers without being limited to a single career track. From launching your own enterprise to pursuing a career in education or consulting—the possibilities are endless.

The MBA program at UNC Kenan-Flagler offers six different MBA concentrations, allowing you to tailor your education to support your chosen career or industry. Each concentration consists of suggested core and elective courses designed to prepare you for the hiring needs of employers.

The Online MBA offers a unique interactive learning experience that prioritizes students through a state-of-the-art online platform. Classes are taught by award-winning, on-campus faculty and conveniently hosted on Zoom. The platform allows you to schedule one-on-one office hours with professors or meetings with classmates to ensure you receive the personal attention you need.

The value of an online MBA is a long-term, strategic investment. Explore career paths for MBA graduates, the average salaries of MBA leadership roles by employer type, occupation, and industry in the 2026 MBA salary guide.

Created by the online MBA program from UNC Kenan-Flager Business School.