So you’ve downloaded Evernote in your quest to remove notebooks from your backpack (and you use Dragon Dictation to save important thoughts for later and get a head start on your latest essay for your Business Ethics class). You’ve got Dropbox to access your digital coursework in your dorm, the library, a class, or on the go. And the free Wall Street Journal mobile app gives you easy access to the latest news in the business world (although you could definitely do without the ads). In short, you’ve got nearly all the tools you need on your iDevice of choice to ensure smooth sailing all the way through business school. But if you haven’t yet heard about a handy little application called Pocket MBA: Learning Studio, then you’re missing out on a major mobile resource that is aimed at helping MBA students.

Unfortunately, this app is a bit pricy at $9.99, but you’ll quickly find that it’s worth every penny. The developer, Intersog LLC (International Software Group), is known and respected for their educational software, including other apps that business students will no doubt find appealing (Business Essentials, Legal Environments of Business, Financial Solutions, and Applied Operations Management, just to name a few). And considering how much you’re spending on tuition and textbooks, you might be surprised to find that you can get a basic course in business for only ten bucks. In fact, the material presented was provided by business professor Dr. Jae K. Shim, an author and instructor currently working at California State University, Long Beach.

Although it has been designed as something of an every man’s introduction to the wide world of business, this app nonetheless provides users with the information and tools needed to enter the world of business. Of course, it’s not even close to the level of education you’ll receive during 5-6 years in an MBA program, but for students it can provide a supplemental resource to beginning courses in business, as well as an easy-access refresher for more advanced students. In addition to the actual textbook aspect of the app (which allows you to select subject matter by chapter, set bookmarks, and access a glossary of terms just like a real-world textbook), users will also have access to interactive flashcards and chapter tests for study purposes, with the bonus of explanations for right and wrong answers.

Plus, there is no shortage of informative topics, from management and marketing to economics, finance, and business law. And with the ability to control your own educational experience you can follow the chapters in a linear fashion, focus on only the topics you’re interested in, or come back over and over again for review and re-testing. This app will not only help you to grasp the basics of business and economics, but also formulate and implement real-world strategies to help you deal with issues down the road, when you find yourself competing for jobs, contracts, and consumer dollars.

So whether you’re shooting for your basic business degree because you want to keep your options open or you’ve got your sights set on the executive MBA that will help you to quickly reach the CEO chair, this app can be a useful tool in your arsenal. At ten dollars it may be a bit much for the starving college student, but considering all the benefits it can offer, it’s worth putting it on your iPhone or iPad to add to your growing list of educational apps.

Editor’s Note

Thanks to Evan Fischer for this quest post. He is a freelance writer and part-time student at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.

[appext 313338528]