MBA programs were created to teach practical business skills to college graduates. In recent years, however, business schools have sought enhanced academic prestige, and have been requiring faculty to undertake and publish business research. Some schools, especially those that offer a doctorate in business, tend to emphasize this research mission and have programs that are highly theoretical in exposing the student to the "state-of-the-art" in the field. Schools at the other end of the spectrum believe in the original mission of the MBA program and emphasize theory that can be applied to the solution of real problems. Naturally, most schools fall somewhere between these extremes.