Beyond the books: exploring the well-being support needs of MBA students

Abstract

Well-being among postgraduate students is now being considered crucial to academic success and personal development. Yet, they report high levels of stress, anxiety, and loneliness, which impact their general study experience. This qualitative study explores the well-being needs of MBA students, and what they require in terms of support to excel academically and in life. Data were collected through 14 semi-structured interviews with MBA students and analysed using thematic analysis. The main themes identified were Current Well-Being, Support, Demands, and Resources. The research indicates that such issues discussed under institutional support could bring a big change in the academic life of MBA students. Recommendations include collaboration with student counselling services for custom-made offerings, mentorship programmes and enhanced peer support. These findings add to the emerging body of literature on student well-being in higher education and provide pragmatic recommendations to enhance MBA students' well-being.