Executive MBA Question and Suggestions

[dhindia]

All - i am in the process of considering an executive mba. I have 11 years of work experience and am currently a Manager with a Big 4 consulting organization. I feel that i have hit the mark in my career where education and a different perspective will help. I am ready to make that investment. My question is:

1. How much does the quality of school have to do with the MBA? I have USF in Tampa right next to me. I also have UF Florida in Gainesville.

2. Apart from these, i might need to consider moving for a better school which can be done but not somthing i would prefer.

Does anyone have any experience with the UF Florida school? What is a good website for me to see rankings etc?

[kalki]

Your choice of school should depend on what you plan to do with your MBA. Do you want to stay at your current firm / line of work? Do you need an MBA to grow in your firm? If so, the ranking of the school should not matter much. Also, check to see if your peers / those above you in your firm have an MBA and from what school. Might give you an idea on what your firm is looking for.

If you are looking to change your careers immediately after MBA then school ranking does matter. Value of the school goes down after a few years. Alumni network does matter in terms of getting leads, but five years out of bschool, it matters what you have done after MBA than where you got your MBA.

Assuming your firm is sponsoring you. Do note that Executive MBA is usually expensive than part-time MBA and is usually sponsored by companies.

Check out the bschool section in Business week for rankings / more info.

[ahirman]

Actually B-schools rankings matter in almost all scenerios..here is the link you can use to see the b-schools comparator tool below (from BW)

http://tools.businessweek.com/BSchool_Comparator/

Executive program cost a lot of money (upwards to 100K ) and even if your company is willing to pay some part of the fees, it makes sense to go for the best one simply because the investment makes it once in a lifetime kind of event. Good b-schools attract best talent which enables one to learn and network with some of the best people around. For someone who is at manager level b-school will make a lot of difference. It makes sense to go for a local college/Univ for Part time MBA because these courses usually involve 2-3 evening classes or 1 weekend class on regular basis throughout the course length but for executive MBA you will have max 5 classes in a term (of 3-4 months) so I dont think location is a constraint. Dont restrict yourself to USF or UF if you can aim higher.

[dhindia]

Thanks for the responses. Most EMBA classes meet once every 2 weeks. So location does become an issue if you are not local. I am not very particular about having to change my career etc after an EMBA. I am hoping it will help me grow as an professional in the longer run. I am 33 and this seems to be the right time. I am willing to bear expenses out of pocket keeping 65k as an upper limit.

[ahirman]

Thanks for the responses. Most EMBA classes meet once every 2 weeks. So location does become an issue if you are not local. I am not very particular about having to change my career etc after an EMBA. I am hoping it will help me grow as an professional in the longer run. I am 33 and this seems to be the right time. I am willing to bear expenses out of pocket keeping 65k as an upper limit.

This alone means that b-school rank becomes very important for you.

[dhindia]

Agreed and i can relate to what you mean. How would you suggest i tackle the location constraint? I have a M-Th. travelling job which takes toll and 2 kids :). Should i consider moving to the EMBA school location? Or there are some other options i can evaluate? Have you done an MBA?

[ahirman]

I have not done an MBA but planning for one too. I am not focusing on Executive MBA but part time ones. One has to invest time if one want the MBA (Part time or executive) to add value to ones career. A lot of time may be required in completing actual coursework or networking if one is serious about them. So your concerns about time are very valid. My suggestion for you is to move to better location where you can manage available time better with a good b-school. The more you time you have to invest the better learning you will have.

Any MBA program in US is a serious drain on time and resources if one wants to get the best out of it. Keep this in mind and plan accordingly

[kalki]

65K will not be enough for an EMBA from top schools. For eg. Berkeley Columbia EMBA program costs more than 120K and I am sure other EMBA programs from top schools will cost similary.

Agree about the quality of students in a top program, but you have to look at your ROI when you are considering paying out of pocket and what you plan to do with it long-term.

Disclaimer: I did a Full time MBA from a top 10 school.

Thanks for the responses. Most EMBA classes meet once every 2 weeks. So location does become an issue if you are not local. I am not very particular about having to change my career etc after an EMBA. I am hoping it will help me grow as an professional in the longer run. I am 33 and this seems to be the right time. I am willing to bear expenses out of pocket keeping 65k as an upper limit.

[ahirman]

[QUOTE]Disclaimer: I did a Full time MBA from a top 10 school.

So howz the ROI been so far...did you made a switch post MBA

[direstraits88]

Let me throw my 2 cents.. It's not first hand. So take it for what it's worth..

I know several desis who did the executive MBA at Duke over the past few years. It benefited the ones who were sponsored by the employer. There are no "campus" placements at the end of the program. So the ones who spent money from their pocket (more than 100k) have not seen any benefit in the near term. (The economy over the past couple of years is certainly a factor).

Majority of the executive MBAs are basically targeted at employer sponsored students. They are having problem attracting students during the recession. So they accept others who are ready to pay more willingly..