Learn to Lead IT Departments with an MBA IT Management Concentration

The demand for talented MBA-educated leaders remains strong as companies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, companies value professionals who have mastered the core business skills learned in an MBA program, especially in highly competitive domestic and global marketplaces.

While earning an MBA remains the standard for business management, focusing on a concentration helps graduate students better prepare for leadership and thrive in their chosen fields. Among those fields, information technology (IT) is a popular choice.

Because IT is critical in every type of business, earning an online MBA with a concentration in technology management prepares graduates for some of the best-paying IT management jobs. IT managers made a median salary of $151,150 in 2020, with those on the high end earning more than $191,000 yearly.

IT Job Growth

A survey of corporate recruiters in 2021 found that 91 percent of companies expect to hire an MBA graduate. Many of those focus on IT leadership. As a research paper from CompTIA puts it, companies will continue to move out of “bunker mode,” and tech-related spending should reach pre-pandemic levels and beyond very quickly.

That return to tech-driven business strategy means increased opportunities, especially for those who have earned an MBA. Tech companies now represent a large portion of overall market growth, contributing 52 percent of total market value since 2015, according to CompTIA. Tech also has a direct economic impact of $2 trillion annually, or about 10.5 percent of US economic value.

And that’s just the companies focused on technology. Businesses in every industry, including nonprofits and public agencies at all levels of government, increasingly depend on IT to deliver strategic value and make day-to-day operations more effective and efficient.

All this translates into more tech jobs, including IT management. Experts project tech jobs to increase at about twice the national average rate over the next decade. IT management career opportunities will grow in every tech sector, including:

• Software
• Devices and infrastructure
• IT and business services
• Emerging tech
• Telecom services

Skills Needed for IT Management Jobs

MBA IT students learn all the hard skills needed for success in the industry. These skills include data management, data analysis, project management, regulatory compliance, and expertise in administration, deployment, control, monitoring, and upgrading of IT systems. As MBA students, they also have an education in the foundations of business, including finance, budgeting, market research, and goal-setting.

Success in IT management also requires advanced soft skills.

Communication. Mastering clear and effective communication is a primary skill of successful leaders. This includes written and oral communication with clients, co-workers, managers, and executives.

Flexibility. For MBA students, flexibility (as well as solid time management) is essential to balancing work and school. Flexibility serves them well in their professional career, where they must balance multiple projects and other tasks.

Strategic thinking. Setting both short-term and long-term goals requires the ability to think strategically, as well as honing strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

Resilience. The ability to recover from setbacks is key to success because every business leader experiences setbacks. A key to becoming more resilient is strong self-awareness and the ability to acknowledge and learn from mistakes.

Entrepreneurial spirit. Some people prefer to work for others. MBA IT graduates tend to have a more entrepreneurial outlook, thinking ahead and constantly innovating. This mindset is essential in the continually evolving world of technology.

Touro University Worldwide’s MBA IT Program

The concentration in technology management is one of many offered by Touro University Worldwide for MBA students. Earning an MBA in technology management prepares students with the hard and soft skills they need for success in the industry. It also helps them realize what leadership type fits their style.

As with all MBA students, those in the tech management concentration start with core courses in communication, market research, management across cultures, financial principles, and strategic planning. They then take nine credits in their concentration that focuses on leadership within their chosen career. Students choose the program’s pace, with most finishing their MBA in one year.

The 100% online TUW MBA program also offers concentrations in accounting, artificial intelligence management, cybersecurity management, finance, global management, health administration management, human resources management, marketing, nonprofit management, and physicians and healthcare executives.