Great MBA programs pair exposure to cutting-edge business research with an overarching commitment to professional development, and the primary mission of these programs is to prepare students for the world of work. For years, business executives and professors have called for reform in MBA programs, asking them to emphasize the core competencies of business, such as crisis management and the art of the sales pitch.
These people skills, they argue, are often neglected by MBA programs that specialize inquantitative skills.
Here are seven tips to find an MBA program that boosts your leadership abilities.
1. Target MBA programs that balance theory with practice: Johan Roos, chief academic officer and professor at the Hult International Business School in London, says some business schools are so research-oriented that they neglect to teach students business fundamentals, such as decision-making skills.
"Research experience is a great way to see beyond the surface, but nothing beats having struggled with everyday dilemmas in organizations," says Roos. "Too few professors have the kind of professional experience that other professions would require for someone to give advice to practitioners."
2. Vet business schools based on the real-world relevance of their research: Not all business school research is created equal, according to critics of business schools. Someargue that business school research often focuses on topics with little relevance to the practice of business.
But many business professors say the best business research is eminently practical and that it gives businesses the science necessary to make smart decisions in real time. Look for business research that offers guidance on how to navigate the business world.
3. Choose a school that teaches rhetorical skills: Peter Rodriguez, dean of Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business, says prospective MBAs should seek schools that teach not only how to formulate and recognize great business ideas but also to communicate those ideas to colleagues who lack formal business training.
"Any good leader has to be a good storyteller too," he says. Rodriguez adds that, in consensus-driven organizations, the ability to rally support for ideas is critical to success.
4. Decide whether case studies or lectures will be most helpful in your education: Rick Grenis, a senior financial analyst and 2016 graduate of the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, says there are two distinct forms of business school teaching styles: one that emphasizes the value of lectures, and another that teaches using professor-led discussions of real-life business dilemmas known as case studies.
For Grenis, who has a bachelor's degree in philosophy, the case-method style of teaching at Darden showed him how to be a more pragmatic decision maker, he says. Now, Grenis says, when faced with a dilemma at work, he relies on the problem-solving skills he developed at Darden. He acknowledges, however, that the case method is not a good fit for everyone's learning style and that lectures may be a better way to learn about abstract concepts.
5. Figure out which programs provide the training you need for your dream job: Michelle Crawford, a startup CEO and a 2014 MBA graduate from the College of Business at Florida State University, says her objective in business school was to get first-rate training inentrepreneurship.
"I was looking for a real cross-disciplinary approach," she says. Crawford saysentrepreneurs considering MBA programs should know they will need to learn a wide range of skills, including fundamentals like accounting and marketing and soft skills like eloquence and resilience.
6. Look for a program that teaches how to predict the consequences of business decisions: Crawford says one of the most rewarding lessons she learned in business school were the courses she took in a business simulation lab that allowed her to forecast the effect decisions in one sector of a company would have on the rest of the company, and ultimately, on the bottom line.
7. Focus on schools where you can learn from experience: Crawford says pitch competitions at Florida State helped her hone the pitching method she now uses with venture capitalists and potential investors, and that a good business school is one that gives students practical experience. | 
