How to Choose an MBA Program That Fits Your Life
For many professionals, the decision to pursue an MBA starts with a feeling.
Maybe you’re ready to take on more responsibility. Maybe you’ve reached a ceiling in your current role. Or maybe you’ve realized that stronger business skills are the key to moving forward.
Once you know an MBA is part of your plan, the next step is choosing the right program. Hundreds promise flexibility, career growth, and long-term value. But the best choice usually comes down to fit.
The right MBA aligns with your goals, respects your schedule, and works alongside the responsibilities you already carry. It shouldn’t require putting your life on hold to move your career ahead.
That philosophy drives the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s MBA online program — a flexible, career-focused degree built for professionals who want to keep moving forward. With specialized concentrations, students can focus their MBA on the areas that matter most to them.
Step 1: Define Your Goals
Before you compare MBA programs, decide what you want from the degree.
Are you preparing for a leadership role? Looking to change industries? Your answers shape what “fit” really means and which programs deserve a closer look.
When your goals are clear, evaluating programs becomes purposeful. You can focus on what working professionals actually need: relevant coursework, concentration options, and a learning format that balances school with real life.
When a program aligns with both your career goals and your life outside the classroom, the decision becomes obvious.
Step 2: Evaluate Program Credibility
Once your goals are clear, another common question follows: Does it matter where you earn your MBA?
The short answer is yes. Your degree should signal quality and credibility.
Employers look for programs with strong accreditation, experienced faculty, and coursework that reflects how business actually works today. A program's reputation often reflects how well graduates are prepared to lead, solve problems, and move organizations forward.
For MBA graduate Chris Coffin, that credibility made UL Lafayette an easy choice.
"I think it's hard to find a better high-value education for the kind of affordability you’re going to get at UL Lafayette,” Coffin says.
“It’s fully accredited with the AACSB. That’s the gold standard in business. Now, no matter where I go in the world, that will be recognized as an MBA that meets all expected requirements.”
Accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is rare — only six percent of business programs worldwide hold it. Schools must complete a rigorous peer review every five years to maintain that distinction.
UL Lafayette’s online MBA has also earned national recognition for program quality and graduate outcomes:
- No. 70 Best Online MBA Programs – Fortune Education
- No. 74 Best Online MBA Program for Veterans – U.S. News & World Report
- No. 128 Best Online MBA Programs – U.S. News & World Report
Choosing an accredited, nationally recognized program ensures your degree carries weight. It shows that your coursework meets high standards and that your MBA will be respected wherever your career takes you.
Step 3: Pick a Format That Fits Your Life
If you plan to work full time while earning your MBA, the asynchronous nature of online coursework can be ideal. But pace matters too when you’re balancing work, family, and everything else on your schedule.
UL Lafayette's MBA online uses accelerated 8-week courses. That structure gives you room to move faster when life allows or take a lighter load when your priorities shift.
The format stays flexible, and support stays constant. Online students have access to 24/7 tech support, online tutoring, and more resources designed to help graduate school feel manageable.
Step 4: Choose Your MBA Concentration
An MBA lays a strong foundation in business management and leadership. A concentration helps you shape that foundation around your career goals.
Whether you want to strengthen your role in your current industry or prepare for something new, choosing the right focus can make your degree more relevant to the work you want to do next.
Here’s a look at the nine concentration options available in UL Lafayette’s MBA online.
Business Administration
If you want flexibility in where your MBA can take you, business administration offers the broadest path forward.
Kaley Carroll, a 2024 graduate of UL Lafayette’s MBA online program, saw that versatility firsthand.
“There were times when we’d cover a concept and I’d be like, ‘Wait, they talked about this on our last earnings call,'" Carroll says. "I feel like my overall business acumen has been elevated. I just have a better understanding of how things operate and work at my company.”
Coursework spans finance, analytics, economics, and marketing while strengthening leadership skills that translate across industries.
Learn more about Business Administration >
Health Care Administration
Health care administration prepares students to lead within healthcare systems, where strong management can improve both operations and patient outcomes.
For orthopedic surgeon Timmothy Randell, the MBA in Health Care Administration helped him grow beyond clinical responsibilities.
“It’s not just taking care of the patient from day to day. That’s the easy stuff,” says Randell. “But dealing with employees who might be having conflict or supporting a physician who needs guidance — the MBA really helped me navigate a lot of those situations.”
Learn more about Health Care Administration >
Entrepreneurship
Students interested in building something new often choose the entrepreneurship concentration. Coursework focuses on business planning, networking, and turning ideas into viable ventures.
Those skills matter just as much in established organizations as they do in startups, where innovation and adaptability continue to shape companies' growth.
Learn more about Entrepreneurship >
Global Management
The global management concentration explores how business operate across borders.
Coursework in international business strategy, organizational leadership, global business law, and multinational value chains helps students understand how companies enter new markets, navigate complex regulations, and coordinate operations across regions.
As more organizations operate globally, professionals who understand international markets and can lead diverse teams remain in demand.
Learn more about Global Management >
Human Resource Management
Human resource management focuses on the people side of business, from workforce strategy to leadership development and organizational culture.
HR leaders continue to play an important role as companies look to guide teams, shape workplace culture, and develop leaders.
Learn more about HR Management >
Hospitality Management
Service-driven organizations need leaders who understand both guest experience and business performance.
The hospitality management concentration develops those skills through coursework in expansion strategy, feasibility analysis, and operational leadership. Graduates are prepared for higher-level positions across hotels, resorts, event management, and tourism.
Learn more about Hospitality Management >
Finance
The finance concentration is designed for those who want to upgrade their finance toolkit and prepare for leadership roles.
Alee Khambounleuang, vice president of financial planning and analysis for a healthcare services and equipment company, says the curriculum translated directly to her work.
“We learned data mining and Tableau,” she says. “I use those skills every day, even if I'm not doing it myself. Having that framework really helps me to move faster and better challenge my team… I'm glad it's a requirement in the curriculum.”
Sales Leadership
Sales leaders inspire, negotiate, and build lasting relationships.
The sales leadership concentration focuses on negotiation strategy, customer relationship management (CRM), and leading revenue growth.
Graduates leave prepared for roles across sales, business development, and leadership, opening the door to a wide range of career paths.
Learn more about Sales Leadership >
Project Management
Successful projects don’t just happen. They’re planned, executed, and led carefully.
In the project management concentration, students learn to keep teams aligned, tackle complex initiatives, and adapt when challenges arise. The skills gained translate across industries, helping graduates manage change and deliver results wherever they go.
Learn more about Project Management >
Step 5: Put Your MBA to Work
An MBA should move you forward, not slow you down.
UL Lafayette’s MBA online is designed for professionals who want to build real-world skills, apply them right away, and keep their careers moving. With career-focused concentrations, supportive faculty, and a flexible format that fits real life, the program is built to support progress from day one.
Because the best MBA isn’t the one everyone’s talking about. It’s the one that fits your goals, works with your schedule, and helps you finish ready for what’s next.
Advance your career with an MBA that fits. Explore curriculum, concentrations, and flexible pacing in UL Lafayette’s MBA online.
