Deciding to return to school for your Master of Business Administration (MBA) can set you up for long-term success and career advancement. Once you’ve set your mind on achieving your goals, the second biggest decision you’ll make is where you will pursue them.
You deserve to earn your degree in a setting as bold as your ambitions.
Texas is the second largest state, both in land area and population. Five of the top twelve most populous cities in the U.S. are located in Texas. Named the #1 state for business for 20 consecutive years, Texas’ rapid growth is largely due to its flourishing business landscape.
By choosing to earn an MBA in Texas, students can leverage this growing network of industries to break into today’s competitive business world. As a diverse, dynamic, and developing state, Texas is unmatched in opportunities to build your career.
Here are five ways earning your MBA in Texas can lead to exponential career growth:
Texas is home to flourishing businesses across all industries — from technology to manufacturing to finance. As a result, the Lone Star State boasts a vibrant networking scene, offering numerous events, conferences, and associations for professionals, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to gather.
Below are just a few of the unique networking opportunities available to MBA students in Texas:
Chambers of Commerce
Texas is home to over 135 chambers of commerce located throughout the state. Members can connect with vendors and partners, and learn from other members at special events.
Texas Small Business Networking Group
This group of driven entrepreneurs and business owners helps build lasting relationships while sharing insights and showing support for one another. This expansive network opens doors to endless possibilities for collaboration, learning, and growth.
Governor’s Small Business Summit
The Governor’s Small Business Summit is an in-person event, held in different cities across the state. These events are an opportunity to network with other business owners and meet experts who share relevant information on a multitude of small business topics.
Texas Young Professionals
Bringing together young professionals in their 20s to mid-40s from various industries across Texas, TYP hosts events that foster a community of aspiring executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders.
By attending networking events and leveraging corporate connections, MBA students gain insights into current trends, access job opportunities in Texas and beyond, and expand their professional reach across the diverse business environment of the state.
Texas serves as a melting pot for many different cultures. With roots in Hispanic, European, Asian, and Native American backgrounds, Texas culture is shaped by its rich history, eclectic art scene, and diverse population. One of the benefits of living in Texas is the ability to immerse oneself in the various traditions, languages, and perspectives that foster an inclusive and welcoming environment. Irving, a growing suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, boasts one of the most diverse zip codes in the country. With such vibrant communities, you will find no shortage of unique viewpoints throughout the state.
Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds cultivates a global mindset, essential for thriving in today’s interconnected business world. By embracing Texas's cultural richness, MBA students can gain a deeper understanding of cross-cultural communication, develop greater empathy, and enhance their ability to navigate the international marketplace.
The future of business is rapidly evolving due to technological advances. Many of the companies at the forefront of corporate innovation are small startups choosing to do business differently from the onset. Texas’s pro-business policies and highly skilled workforce have made it a coveted destination for entrepreneurs and innovators looking to start their own business ventures.
Two Texas cities in particular stand out as leaders in the post-COVID startup boom. In addition to Austin, Dallas’ unique blend of a highly educated population, small community environment, robust infrastructure, and access to venture capital creates an ideal environment for startups. This thriving ecosystem is already evident: the Inc. 5000 list, a benchmark for the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, included 205 businesses from the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area in 2024.
Notably, the presence of Texas business incubators focus on a wide range of business industries and provide a variety of administrative, consulting, and networking services to help get startups off the ground. These incubator programs, coupled with the growing number of financing opportunities, coworking spaces, and business accelerators are creating a fertile ground for aspiring entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts.
The combination of Texas' booming economy, pro-business policies, and growing population, the state has become incredibly attractive to business. Of all the major metropolitan areas in the state, Dallas-Fort Worth has made a name for itself as perhaps the most competitive and diverse business hub.
With over 60,000 businesses located in the metro area, Dallas-Fort Worth boasts employment opportunities in advanced manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare, transportation, and logistics, and more. This diverse base of industries helps drive the region’s economic strength.
Home to Fortune 500 companies like McKesson, AT&T, and Wells Fargo, the DFW areas competes on the global stage — but it’s not solely reserved for well-established corporations. In a city brimming with possibilities, the entrepreneurial spirit creates a unique and dynamic business environment.
The Inc. 5000, an “entrepreneurial benchmark” for the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., has revealed that 205 of the companies on its 2024 list are based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
Living in Dallas provides a unique educational environment for MBA students that opens doors to a wide range of job opportunities in Texas. While pursuing your degree you’ll be at the forefront of change and innovation, gaining valuable insights and experience to build your career.
For years, the DFW area has steadily emerged as a prominent figure in the financial world. Since 2019, Dallas has added 59,200 financial jobs, making it second only to New York City. Goldman Sachs is currently building a state-of-the-art, 800,000-square-foot office complex in Dallas as part of its expansion plans.
This growth has been driven by banks, wealth management firms, private equity companies, and corporations relocating their operations to Texas. Next year, Dallas’ prominence in the financial world will be secured with the establishment of the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE). Set to launch in late 2025, the TXSE intends to revitalize and bring competition to U.S. equity markets.
By pursuing an MBA program in the state, the Texas Stock Exchange’s location nearby offers unique exposure to the development and operations of a modern stock exchange and provides valuable opportunities for MBA candidates considering careers in finance, investment, or capital markets.
The innovative and forward-thinking business culture in Texas is ideal for professionals looking to build (or reinvigorate) their careers with an MBA. Wherever your interests take you, earning your MBA in Texas provides ample opportunities to engage with the newest technologies, explore entrepreneurial ventures, and connect with industry leaders.
Strategically located in the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in Irving, Texas, the University of Dallas’ Master of Business Administration program equips future leaders with the skills needed to navigate today’s business challenges through an ethical lens.
Our Master of Business Administration program was created to prepare professionals to lead with expertise and integrity in this new age of technology.
By earning your MBA in Dallas, you will be ushered into the vibrant network of professors, students, and alumni who are eager to assist you in building a meaningful and impactful career.
Download our guide, Using Business as a Force For Good: A Guide to the Flexible MBA at UDallas to discover how the MBA program equips business leaders with the skills to drive meaningful change.
Request more information to learn more or schedule a meeting with a member of our admissions team.
PRO TIP: The University of Dallas also boasts a vibrant legacy of scholars-turned-leaders employed across all industries. As an MBA student at UDallas, you will have opportunities to engage with prominent figures in Texas’ burgeoning business scene.