MBA concerns

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

<p>Greetings all,</p>

<p>I am considering returning to school to pursue my MBA after 30 years. </p>

<p>However, I have concerns about the value of the MBA. Is an MBA from a school that's not in the top 5, or 10, or even 20, worth pursuing? I have a home and job in the Memphis area. That combination makes it difficult to even consider looking at a top-tier school.</p>

<p>Some of my reading implies that the value of the MBA is not necessarily in the academics of the degree program, but rather from two sources, first, the perceived quality of the school where the MBA earned. This would mean that a degree from a lesser school isn't worth considering.</p>

<p>Second, however, a large portion of the value of the MBA appears to be derived from the contacts developed while obtaining the MBA. If that's the case, then a local school equates to local contacts, and in the small city that is Memphis, that's invaluable. (My work experience has come from elsewhere, severely limiting my initial business contacts here.) It would follow, that an MBA from a top-tier school would be of less value here, than if I were trying to pursue a job in the Northeast. To continue that line of reasoning, the MBA from the local school would be preferable to that from even a top-tier school, since contacts made here are usable here.</p>

<p>It also occurs to me that if the value of the MBA is in contacts developed during the MBA program, that I may be better served by pursuing a different degree, where the value is in the academics. That is, if I'm looking for the degree to improve my value to my current employer. </p>

<p>There's my dilemma. I'm going to have to make the final decision, but I'd like to hear opinions on the subject.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>SilverG</p>

2

<p>A couple of opinions here...</p>

<p>The value of a MBA to an employer:
Perhaps you are making the issue of how much your employer values your graduate education a bit too complex. An employer's value of your education is simply determined by how much their tuition reimbursement fund will pay and how much time off they will give you to pursue the MBA if you can't do it part-time. If they pay zero, it is HIGHLY LIKELY they don't care value your MBA very much.</p>

<p>The value of a local school:
I have no idea how much a local state school in Memphis costs but here in San Jose, CA, San Jose State University is around $2k/yr part-time for everything. Haas is another local state school but it is over $30k/yr but it is a top tier MBA program. If you want a low risk investment, a cheap local MBA state school with decent local connections might not be a bad idea, especially if your employer won't pay for it.</p>

<p>The value of a MBA in general:
Personally, I've found it difficult to justify the money and time invested to gain a positive return without having somebody else pay for it, even for a cheap MBA program. If you can go to school for free, then I can see a MBA being a good investment.</p>