Students in Master of Business Administration programs enroll in this type of degree program intending to develop or learn skills ranging from financial modeling to crafting and communicating a new business proposal. Associated with a career switch or progression, frequently MBA students arrive in their new, post-graduation roles with a skill gap that requires the employer to train their students. Experiential Learning programs, a subsection of the MBA student experience provide a way for students to have first-hand participation and contribution to actual business problems. Through qualitative research methods, data was collected comparing the leadership opportunities in one-year and two-year MBA programs and the influence of Experiential learning on leadership and other critical soft skills. The result of this study indicates that a student's involvement in real world business experiences, or experiences that simulate true business experiences serve as the richest form of preparation for MBA students to transition into the business world. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]