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MBAs that have emerged in the marketplace during the last few years. This trend has led some educators to ask if it's a necessarily good thing for the MBA to diversify into such nar- row categories. Purists, especially, view the general MBA degree as complete in itself, designed to make graduates com- fortable in all business environments, not just one. Even so, some business students are seeking out specialized Bordeaux's Wine MBA is one of many industry-specific and niche degree programs as a way to set themselves apart from a sea of general MBA graduates. Likewise, many business schools see tailor-made MBA programs as a means to differ- entiate themselves in the marketplace. "Everyone wants to have some strategic advantage over someone else. When we all offer the same thing, we all ask, 'How do we distinguish our- selves?'" says Dale Doreen, director of the International Aviation MBA at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, in Canada. "An industry-specific program allows a school to develop a strong reputation separate from the rest of the market." Although a crowded educational market is an important "Everyone wants to have some strategic advantage over someone else. When we all offer the same thing, we all ask, 'How do we distinguish ourselves?'" Dale Doreen cational alliances for IATA. "But for many, this was a step beyond their training. Most simply didn't have the back- ground that allowed them to be effective managers." The airline industry's first solution was to seek out indi- factor in the rise of targeted MBAs, it's by no means the only catalyst. As individual industries grow more complex, it is only natural that they examine their current management pools more closely and look for ways to infuse them with the just-in-time industry know-how they need. That examination has led some industry professionals straight to the source to ask business schools for customized degree programs to suit their needs. What's Driving the Trend While most industries value managers with MBAs, those that have experienced the biggest changes are sometimes even more desperate for executives who have specialized skills. These are the industries that can't afford to wait for a new generation of managers to absorb industry-specific knowl- edge through on-the-job exposure. For them, an MBA with that knowledge already in place can have substantial appeal. This is especially true for the airline industry, which has viduals with a solid general business education, says Guillemette. Then, the new managers could learn what they needed to know about the industry after they were hired. That approach was better than promoting someone with no management background at all, says Guillemette, but it only went so far. "The airline industry has become a very compli- cated business, so a manager's transition from general busi- ness to airline business didn't happen as quickly as people would like," he says. "To solve that problem, we decided to build a specialized MBA to ensure continuing education based on the principles of our industry." Unique Challenges, Unique Rewards Educators like Doreen admit that the road to creating a niche MBA is not always a smooth one. Other MBA specializations such as finance, marketing, or IT are valuable across many industries. They have a degree of immunity to fluctuations within a single sector. The fortunes of industry-specific pro- grams, however, are inextricably tied to the fortunes of the industry they represent. For example, with the airline industry currently in eco- seen tremendous changes to its landscape in recent years. For this reason, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Montreal, Quebec, approached the John Molson School of Business ten years ago. It wanted to create an MBA degree that would produce managers who already under- stood the challenges of the industry and were ready to meet them head-on. "In the past, the airlines would promote someone who had 24 nomic straits, Molson's International Aviation MBA has seen its enrollment decrease to 15 students from a high of about 25. "The airlines have had some dramatic difficulties in the past couple years. This has been a challenge," says Doreen, "but we continue to market the program. And we've expand- ed its focus to include other segments of the industry, such as air traffic control and corporate fleet management. As our reputation increases, we hope to attract more students over the years. Even in these times, we attract enough students to keep us, if not above water, then not too far below it." On the other hand, enrollment in the MBA in Luxury been a mechanic or pilot all his life to a management posi- tion," says J.M. Guillemette, director of academics and edu- BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2003 Brand Management at the ESSEC Business School in Cergy Pointoise, France, has not declined because of a lackluster economy, says Corinne Degoutte, ESSEC's MBA managing director. However, the school has seen job prospects for its