International Business Today
How to Get the Most From an MBA with Kate Klepper, Dean at Babson
Everyone says nobody needs a degree anymore. Kate Klepper spent 25 years running MBA programs and explains why that headline is wrong. Is an MBA still worth it when AI is reshaping every job and headlines keep telling you to skip the degree? Kate Klepper has spent two decades deciding who gets into MBA programs, and she argues that navigating this much uncertainty is exactly what the degree is built for. Kate Klepper is now Dean of the Graduate School at Babson College after two decades leading graduate programs at Northeastern's D'Amore-McKim School of Business. She has built MBA, specialty master's, and online programs and served on the board of the Graduate Management Admission Council. Why Kate Klepper says the "nobody needs a degree" headlines are wrong, and what the earning studies actually show ⚡ How an MBA trains you to make well-informed decisions while the tectonic plates of AI are still shifting What makes the MBA a career-pivot engine: same industry and new function, or a jump to a whole new field Why she calls them critical skills, not soft skills, and how a messy team becomes a leadership sandbox How negotiation coaching became the service alumni come back for years after they graduate Why students now push business schools to treat social impact and profitability as connected, not opposing 02:08 How Graduate Business Education Has Changed Since 2005 03:10 Kate Klepper's Path Into Business Schools 06:33 The Real ROI of an MBA: Costs vs Returns 08:21 Is an MBA Still Worth It in 2026? 09:00 Why Anyone Can Use an MBA to Change Careers 11:06 Who Actually Needs an MBA, and When 14:01 Does an MBA Still Matter in the Age of AI? 17:00 Critical Skills: How to Lead Messy, Real Teams 19:30 Career Services, Placement, and Negotiation Coaching 23:01 Co-op and Experiential Learning That Goes Global 27:02 The MBA as a Network and a Brand 29:24 Why There Are So Many Specialized MBA Programs 31:44 Flexible, Stackable, and Hybrid MBA Formats 33:37 20 Years of the Online MBA and What 2020 Changed 34:44 Is There a Typical MBA Student Anymore? 38:04 How to Get the Most Out of an MBA 39:16 Should Business Be Socially Responsible? 41:26 Kate Klepper's Next Chapter: Leading Babson About the Guest: Kate Klepper is Dean of the Graduate School at Babson College, where she leads the graduate portfolio. She previously spent two decades as associate dean for graduate programs at Northeastern's D'Amore-McKim School of Business, and earlier served as Babson's dean of graduate admissions. She holds an MBA from Northeastern and a BS from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-klepper-she-her-6a39a73/ Babson bio: https://www.babson.edu/about/our-leaders-and-scholars/office-of-academic-affairs/office-of-the-provost/dean-of-the-graduate-school/ Northeastern bio: https://damore-mckim.northeastern.edu/people/kate-klepper/ About the Host: Ravi Sarathy is a Professor of International Business and Strategy at Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business and co-host of International Business Today. His research focuses on global strategy, technology management, and international business. Northeastern: https://damore-mckim.northeastern.edu/people/ravi-sarathy/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravi-sarathy-5848705/ Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/vuOFhmyR6JE International Business Today Podcast: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InternationalBusinessToday Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2y21XexVdXEiTBdZQIuSyf Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/international-business-today/id1665009512 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-business-today-by-northeastern-university/ https://damore-mckim.northeastern.edu/podcasts/international-business-today/ Thinking about your own next move? Explore Northeastern's flexible online business programs → https://online.northeastern.edu/
