Best MBA programs for a Career in Product Management

Last Updated on March 4, 2023 by MBA Gateway Team

This article is a part-of ‘MBA Careers’ Series

Best MBA programs for a Career in Product Management

Product management is a growing field, and many MBA programs offer courses and opportunities to help students prepare for a career in this area. If you’re interested in becoming a product manager, here are some of the best MBA programs to consider:

1. Stanford Graduate School of Business
2. Harvard Business School
3. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
4. Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley
5. Sloan School of Management at MIT

These schools all have strong reputations in business and entrepreneurship, and offer coursework and resources that can be beneficial to aspiring product managers.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for a career in product management:

1. Gain experience in product development: Look for internships or entry-level positions where you can gain experience working on a product development team. This will give you an understanding of the product development process and help you develop skills in areas like market research, product design, and project management.
2. Develop strong communication skills: Product managers need to be able to communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders, including engineers, designers, marketers, and executives. Take courses or seek out opportunities that can help you develop your communication skills, such as public speaking or writing classes.
3. Build your technical skills: While you don’t need to be a software developer to be a successful product manager, having a basic understanding of technology and the ability to work with engineers is important. Look for courses or workshops that can help you develop your technical skills, such as coding bootcamps or data analysis classes.
4. Learn about user experience design: Product managers need to be able to understand user needs and translate those needs into product features and designs. Take courses or seek out opportunities that can help you develop your skills in user experience design, such as user research or interaction design classes.
5. Network with product managers: Connect with current or former product managers to learn more about the field and gain insights into what it takes to be successful. Attend industry events or join professional organizations like the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) to meet other product managers and learn about the latest trends and best practices in the field.

Table: Top 30 Business Schools for Product Management

1. Stanford Graduate School of Business
2. Harvard Business School
3. University of Pennsylvania Wharton School
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management
5. Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
6. University of Chicago Booth School of Business
7. Columbia Business School
8. University of California-Berkeley Haas School of Business
9. University of Michigan Ross School of Business
10. Duke University Fuqua School of Business
11. University of Virginia Darden School of Business
12. Yale School of Management
13. New York University Stern School of Business
14. University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business
15. University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School
16. Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business
17. University of California-Los Angeles Anderson School of Management
18. University of Southern California Marshall School of Business
19. Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
20. Emory University Goizueta Business School
21. University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business
22. Indiana University Kelley School of Business
23. University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management
24. Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
25. Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management
26. University of Maryland Smith School of Business
27. Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business
28. University of Washington Foster School of Business
29. University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin School of Business
30. University of Rochester Simon Business School