Should I Get an MBA? Yale Online’s New Course Helps You Decide

By Matthew Reynolds

How long is too long to spend answering a single question? An hour? A day? What if it’s a big, potentially life-changing question—like what should I do with my life, for instance? Hopefully, four hours spent on such a question sounds reasonable. With the guidance of a new online course, that’s how long it will take you to formulate your own answer to the question: Should I get an MBA? 

The question also serves as the title of the new course, a collaboration between the Yale Poorvu Center and the Yale School of Management (SOM). It’s an experiment in both form and function. It’s aimed primarily at college students and early-career professionals who are asking themselves what’s next: Where do I go from here? Can an MBA help me launch something new, lead with purpose, or amplify the impact I want to have in the world? Instead of pitching an answer, we built a course that lets you live out the question and hopefully arrive at your own clear answer by the end.

The course brings you into the life of a Yale SOM student. You’ll “sit in” on real Yale SOM classes, hear from top faculty across core and elective subjects, and listen to honest perspectives from alumni, students, admissions advisors, and career coaches. It’s a kind of “try before you apply” experience—whether you’re drawn to entrepreneurship, sustainability, finance, or leadership development, you’ll get a taste of what the MBA journey looks and feels like.

And because the eponymous question is big, the course seeks to break it down into smaller, more manageable questions. What’s the value of an MBA? What type of person succeeds in an MBA program? Who shouldn’t get an MBA? What kinds of paths does an MBA open? Is it worth the cost? How do I apply? Across four immersive modules, you will find answers to the many small questions it takes to confidently answer the big one. If you're someone who’s curious, motivated, and thinking hard about your next step, this course was made for you. 

So, is four hours too long to spend on one question? That depends on the question.

Discover more information about this Yale Online course for summer 2025—stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter.

Matthew serves as Senior Associate Director on the Digital Education team at the Poorvu Center, where he leads strategic projects and partnerships that advance online learning across Yale. He’s always happy to collaborate or answer questions about digital education. Contact him at matthew.reynolds@yale.edu.