I think it all depends on the school and the program. While on active duty in Oklahoma I earned an MBA from Oklahoma City University which I have found to be very helpful. Oklahoma City University is slightly unique in there MBA program. First a student cannot enroll in their MBA program directly from a Bachelors degree program, they first must gain real world experience. Second none of their MBA Professors can be full time professors they must work in the real world outside of a University setting. The second I found to be profound on as not only was an MBA student exposed to the theoretical aspects of the program but also the real applications of the knowledge. A big name school may not be the way to go.
“That depends on the school and the program” I think it mostly depends on the individual. Someone who has “wonder” will learn. One who doesn’t won’t. If you wonder how things work and why they are what they are, you will learn.
A degree in a structured program is one way to do this, I’ve found. I came out of an undergraduate ChE program in the 60’s. When I started to work I was somewhat intimidated in my first job by how business worked, so I took an accounting course. The instructor suggested when I did well that I take the GRE and enroll in their MBA program. I did and found it did a good job of helping me with the non-technical parts of my job. I particularly liked the Finance courses and these proved valuable later when I bought a business.
I might have done this without an MBA but I’m not sure I would have had the confidence.