Editorial: business education in profound disruption

Purpose: This editorial aims to discuss 11 trends that are driving changes in business education, especially for Master of Business Administration (MBA) curriculum programming. Design/methodology/approach: The editorial provides introspection, personal reflections and conceptualization using current literature. Findings: The authors discuss 11 drivers that are influencing graduate business education. These drivers include the demographic cliff, the K-shaped recovery, MBA degrees losing their allure, emergence of two pricing structures, the rise of online universities, certificates and micro-credentials, the massive open online course (MOOC) MBA programs, MOOCs and certification, Grow with Google, Outsourcing MBA instruction and business education relevancy. Research limitations/implications: Traditional university and college graduate business education providers must realize that the educational industry is experiencing a revolutionary disruption and that many universities will fail to meet learners’ expectations for relevant skills and organizational demands for employees who have specific skills for employability. Practical implications: Learners will no longer rely on traditional four-year universities to obtain business skills. Originality/value: This work synthesizes a disparate set of drivers that are affecting all graduate business educational providers.