An MBA may offer more personal than financial benefits for students older than age 40, compared with their younger peers, data suggest. Business schools at universities such as DePaul and Duke have developed programs for more experienced students.

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MBA programs can offer professionals the chance to learn the skills and make the connections they need to build a successful startup. Sloan School of Management professor Bill Aulet says the number of business schools offering entrepreneurial programs has increased over the past five years as student interest has grown.

Professionals entering an MBA program should focus on their long-term earning potential after graduation instead of the short-term cost of education, says Brandon Moss, director of client experiences at United Capital. Even though programs can be expensive, Moss says the payoff over time is worth the cost.

Southern New Hampshire University is working on expanding a program to provide free online education to refugees in Africa and the Middle East. Most of the 300 refugees in Rwanda enrolled in the program are on track to graduate, and backers are ready to cover the cost of expanding the program to 20 refugee sites by 2022, officials say.

President Donald Trump this week ended two advisory groups after a number of CEOs abandoned them amid backlash over his response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va. "Unquestionably, CEOs would prefer to remain silent. But at what point do they feel the risks of silence outweighs the risk of taking a public stance?" asked Bill Boulding, dean of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Harvard Business School graduate Dan Price says he made "conscious decisions" to become an entrepreneur while he was in school, and in the years since graduation has started a technology and venture capital firm. Today, he directs the educational nonprofit Sweet Virginia Foundation where he's a beekeeper.

Prospective MBA students should seek a program that offers comprehensive instruction in change management, some experts advise. Such training can help professionals adjust their business plans to market changes and be ready for needed business restructuring, they note.