What is an MBA?The Masters of Business Administration degree, or MBA, has been steadily growing in popularity among graduate students over the last century. This popularity is probably related to the versatile, interdisciplinary nature of the degree and also to the needs of an emerging business oriented economy. In Australia alone there are approximately 40 different MBA programs (catering to 30,000 students) that have arisen since the University of Melbourne first offered a six week course in executive development in 1956.   Who gets an MBA? Because the degree plan is often considered to encompass more big picture, organizational subject matter than specific technical information, the types of people that undertake this degree varies widely.