<p>First I want to apologize for posting in the MBA corner, but this was important since I need advice from the people on the "business" side.
Here is my situation:</p>
<p>I have just been accepted into the EMTM (Executive Masters in Technology Management) program. The classes start in August this year.
The EMTM program is a joint program offered by the engineering and the Wharton Business school.
Honestly, when I applied for the admission, I was sure I would not be selected, but I guess I was wrong.... and now I have to decide whether it makes sense for me to enroll into this program.</p>
<p>Let me start with giving you some information on my academic and professional background: I have an undergraduate and graduate degree in Business from an average state school in San Diego. I graduated with my masters 4 years ago.
Since then, I have been working for reputed organizations as IT Engineer, consultant and sales/systems engineer. I am currently working as a senior systems engineer with a large security software company. My current responsibilities are to technically position products in the IT security market.
My career focus has been more technical than business until now.</p>
<p>My goal in the next few years is to move to a manager level consulting position in the IT security/risk management area. I am looking at companies like Mckinsey, PwC, E&Y, KPMG etc...
As far as I have assessed my strengths and weaknesses, I want to polish my leadership and management skills. I plan on not specializing in any of the EMTM concentrations and take more Wharton courses.</p>
<p>The few concerns/questions I have about the EMTM are:</p>
<p>1- My major concern is cost. The total tuition for the program is over $100,000. If I get my employer to sponsor the program costs, I will have to sign a sponsorship contract, which can prove counter to my career growth in future. And I am not sure paying for whole program myself would makes sense from the ROI standpoint.
I live in San Diego which means I will have to fly to Philly every other weekend. Committing time to the program is not my big concern as my employer will support me to have days off for attending classes.</p>
<p>2- A few other schools offer similar programs with substantially less cost. For example, Georgia Tech has a comparable degree that costs ~$55,000. I am not sure what difference it would make to have a MSE (EMTM) degree from UPENN or a Masters in Technology Management from GaTech or Columbia.</p>
<p>3- Is the program very renowned among the employers? Does the program have extensive connections with large companies? Do you study with people in hiring positions?</p>
<p>4- How is the overall experience of attending EMTM like... is it very competitive, career-changing, over whelming etc.. ?</p>
<p>I have to decide in the next couple of weeks if I am going to enroll in the program or not; I am still confused so far.</p>
<p>Any suggestions or insights from you about the program will be helpful. Thanks in advance!</p>