How impt is school choice for my MBA?

[Deleted]

Very.

The school matters with this type of degree.

[Deleted]

You might want to provide a little more info about your career goals. I know there has been a lot of posts on MM in regards to getting an MBA and it seems the general consensus is to go to a good program.

Do you have a mentor in your field you could get more specific advice from?

[sequins]

You don't need a top five but you do need a good school.

[imojoebunny]

I chose to go to a lesser school that was less expensive (free) over a better more expensive school. I spoke to about a dozen HR professionals in my area of interest and found out that the State school I chose was highly regarded in the area I wanted to work. It was still ranked highly, just not top 20, like the other school. I did not want to leave the southeast, so I knew that having the nationwide rep was less important. My DH also has a state school MBA, and he has done very well. I did well for the 12 years I worked after I finished, no one ever had a problem with my school choice that I worked with. I don't work anymore by choice, but it is not from lack of opportunity. I was lucky to be able to save a lot working too, which makes me more comfortable staying home.

I would not waste money on an MBA that is not from a decent school though. I had some people under me who couldn't get into regular programs, and went the for profit or easy to get into route. I never saw that payoff, outside of government

[foxmulder]

I think you will need to take the GMAT, unless you choose a for-profit school. I'm receiving my MAcc all online, from a brick and mortar school. I believe they have an all online MBA program as well. I have been very pleased so far. My undergraduate university also offers an all online MBA and executive MBA that are highly recommended. PM if you want specifics.

For an MBA, I think the school matters quite a bit. I wouldn't consider working towards one unless I was accepted into a good program.

[chloesilverado]

I think whether the school matters depends on a lot of factors. You should try to go to the best program you can but cost may be a limiting factor. I'm currently going for my MBA part-time. My employer pays for 80% but an MBA is not necessary for my current role.  I have a terminal degree and work in R&D at the top company in the industry. I feel my PhD and work experience currently trump the MBA. I am also not sure if I want to pursue the management track or a technical track but have always been interested in learning more about business.  Therefore I'm going to the best program in the area (but still only top 50). Some higher ranked schools had online options but the tuition was also much higher and as I'm paying the difference as I go, I didn't want to shell out that much cash. Many schools that offer an MBA may also offer additional certificates in a field such as data analytics. Also in my experience, the GMAT was only waived if you had a terminal degree.

[Deleted]

Aug 10, 2015 16:56:45 GMT -5 mp said:

I work in analytics. It's a field that exploded in the last 5-10 years. There are some degrees that focus on analytics, but very few have had graduating classes yet, or just have in the last year or two.

I want to continue to grow in this field - Im a director currently. The jobs out there have "preferred mba" in the listings, so I guess my follow on question - would an MS in ANALYTICS be sufficient ? I mean, I know you can't answer that necessarily - but would a degree in a specialized field and a lot of professional experience be comparable to people? I dunno.

When jobs say they prefer an MBA, they probably prefer an MBA.

While an MS in Analytics would probably suffice for the actual job, the MBA probably gives you a better shot at getting your foot in the door.

[shopgirl07]

Experience plus an MBA at a halfway decent school will be fine for your purposes. Even if you are interested in C level roles. I really have no experience with online programs though. I know they've come a long way so I would just do your research.

[Deleted]

If you can go to UCLA, USC, Pepperdine, or Loyola, I think you'll be golden.

[Deleted]

Aug 10, 2015 18:34:14 GMT -5 mp said:

Aug 10, 2015 17:54:19 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

If you can go to UCLA, USC, Pepperdine, or Loyola, I think you'll be golden.

Looking at ucla - I just really don't wanna spend $120+, ugh. I need to evaluate the ROI for me at that price point.

Does your company pay for any education?

A number of folks at my old company had their MBA from Pepperdine paid for by the company!

[moolarkey]

I think finding a school ranked high enough that offers an online MBA (or MS) may be difficult. I just looked at Ohio State to see what they were requiring these days and what they might offer online. It looks like GMAT would be required and I didn't see a lot about online grad degrees at OSU. gpadmissions.osu.edu/grad/admissions.html

I have no idea how Ohio University stacks up, if they offer what you are looking for but it looks like they offer online grad degrees. onlinemba.ohio.edu/lpppc-pmba-ohio/?Access_Code=OU-MBA-GOOGLE&kwd=mba%20programs&kwdmt=bm&gclid=CPPc7K_bn8cCFQ-maQodHOkHfw

Probably not much help for you above but maybe.

[Deleted]

I got both my undergraduate and graduate (MBA) from state schools here in the Bay Area. I got accepted to both Cal and the state school. I, like you, did not want to go into debt over it and work would pay for the entire cost of the state school but I would go into debt with Cal. I opted for the state school.

I'm 42 and I'm going to get my SVP title in November (they appoint them two times a year) - I have employees working for me with MBA's from UCLA and Cal. <--honestly not bragging, just saying a top tier school is very nice (and something to be very proud of) but having a state school MBA hasn't held me back personally. I'm in banking/finance.