<p>Where do people get this idea that if a MBA is not from a top school, it is worthless? I am considering getting my MBA at Houston Baptist University and I think it is a great choice, because of the relative low cost, great payment plan and they will reimburse you for the cost of the GMAT. I just cant justify paying double for the same degree when most of the MBA core courses at the so called "top schools" are just the same exact courses I took as an undergrad(Economics major),just different names. I know a girl that went to Amberton University for her MBA, she paid something like 20000 for her entire degree and she is doing very well, making her 6 figures, after all, isnt that the reason why people get a MBA degree anyways? I still cant justify paying over $30000 for a "Masters in BS" degree</p>
<p>"I still cant justify paying over $30000 "</p>
<p>Why not? Have you even run the numbers yet? Do you even know the average starting salary of MBAs from Houston Baptist University?</p>
<p>If you think that an MBA is about the courses then you need to reevaluate.</p>
<p>Uhm,
The core courses might be the same at all colleges in name, but i assure you, the classes are NOT the same in CONTENT and DEPTH between a top school and a lower tier school</p>
<p>I think the original poster has a good point. Most MBA programs use the same texts and teach the same material. MBAs from regional schools can be more marketable than MBAs from big name schools in local business communities. </p>
<p>Not everyone wants to go into Investment Banking or work on Wall Street.</p>
<p>"MBAs from regional schools can be more marketable than MBAs from big name schools in local business communities."</p>
<p>If by regional, you are referring to schools like A&M, Rice, and SMU then you may have a point....but "Houston Baptist University" ...seriously?!??</p>
<p>I dont know, but I see a MBA more like a title than a "real education", George Bush has a MBA from Harvard(enough said!) The CEO from BMC Software has a MBA from HBU and he seems to be doing fine. Can anybody explain the difference between a MBA from HBU, U of Houston, Rice and UT-Austin? It is weird that UT-Mc Combs now offers a MBA in Houston. The concept of getting a MBA from UT at different city and saying that you went the University of Texas is quite strange, don't you agree? Is there any statistical evidence pointing to the fact that people that get MBA from tops schools are making "significantly" more than people that go to regional schools? Another point is, a MBA does not make a person, look at the George Bush example. I watch CNBC religiously and I am surprised by all these Ivy League "analysts" that just seem to state the obvious, not to mention that many of these people have absolutely no knowledge of basic Economics. Heck, you can even find some successful VP's/execs that got their MBA from the U of Phoenix. Maybe MBA's should be called MBS's, Masters in the art of BS'ing? :)</p>
<p>You really are off the mark here. You can thrive at lower tier schools with little or no mathamatical ability or background. Just try to get thriugh a top 50 program without having a good mathamatcal tool box including algebra, trig. and basic calculus. As far as text books; they are typically "required" but used as a reference in order to prepare case studies. A good MBA will rely much less on text books than an undergraduate program. The depth of learning and the sheer amount of intellectual acumen are both impressive at top MBA's and add to the learning experience. The list goes on and on...I've seen many engineers, doctors and pharm D's humbled by a good MBA and I don't understand why the MBA has a reputation of being easy. Oh, yes I do-because some schools offer an MBA that anyone can get. Bla</p>
<p>"Is there any statistical evidence pointing to the fact that people that get MBA from tops schools are making "significantly" more than people that go to regional schools?"</p>
<p>Isn't this exactly what avg starting salary and five years after graduation salary stats show?</p>
<p>"George Bush has a MBA from Harvard(enough said!)"</p>
<p>...but he should have gone to Houston Baptist University instead? It's not like he didn't go on and do anything with that MBA..two term President of the United States. Mitt Romney is another Harvard MBA and he has done quite well for himself. Check wikipedia for notable HBS alumni. The list is extremely impressive and very large.</p>
<p>"The CEO from BMC Software has a MBA from HBU and he seems to be doing fine. "</p>
<p>Michael Dell and Bill Gates both dropped out of college. Dave Thomas (Wendy's) was hugely successful without a HS diploma (he later went back to finish). There are successful people from all walks of life, but you really should try to quantify your various options.</p>
<p>"Can anybody explain the difference between a MBA from HBU, U of Houston, Rice and UT-Austin?"</p>
<p>Well, to start with, the starting salary of grads from UT-Austin is 20k to 30k higher than those of UH grads. Employers, including those offering highly coveted jobs, flock to UT-Austin....U of H, not so much. Aside from that, the quality of the students at UT-Austin is much higher. In business school, much of what you will learn comes from your classmates. Additionally, UT's professors are of a much higher caliber than those at UH.</p>
<p>Also, you receive a much better network and much more upward mobility in your career.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Maybe MBA's should be called MBS's, Masters in the art of BS'ing?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>If a joke wasn't funny the first time, it probably won't be funny the second time;)
Seriously though, assuming you are correct about the quality/content of education being the same between the "top" schools and, say, HBU, then it's all the more reason to go to a higher ranked one because it is there that the schools will have most likely done much of the quality screening for the recruiters. By being accepted into a "top" school, by and large you are signaling that you're supposed to be a top candidate.
So assuming that the education is the same across all schools, a recruiter will then look at candidate quality. Compare two extremes:
1) Average HBU grad -- ~3.1 GPA, 530 GMAT. Work experience??
2) Average Stanford GSB grad -- ~3.6 GPA (likely from top tier school), median 720 GMAT. Work experience?? More likely to be from top-tier consulting firm or investment bank, etc. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Can anybody explain the difference between a MBA from HBU, U of Houston, Rice and UT-Austin? It is weird that UT-Mc Combs now offers a MBA in Houston.
[/quote]
</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/studentlife/class_profile.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/studentlife/class_profile.html</a>
<a href="http://www.hbu.edu/hbu/MBA_Student_Profile.asp?SnID=809905940%5B/url%5D">http://www.hbu.edu/hbu/MBA_Student_Profile.asp?SnID=809905940</a></p>
<p>Looks pretty obvious to me. If you were to look at recruiting organizations between the two, I bet that there will be major differences as well. I suspect that if you compared HBU with a school like UT Austin, there would still be noticeable disparities between the two institutions (though not as extreme).</p>
<p>A significant amount of the MBA educational experience is derived from your classmates and the intelligence and experience that they bring to the table. </p>
<p>You will, for example, spend a significant amount of time doing group projects and discussing case studies and other topical issues. How much you learn in business school is often dependent on the quality of your professors in guiding your discussions and projects, and, as I mentioned, on the intelligence and experiences that your classmates bring to the table.</p>
<p>Ok, so it would be better to go to Stanford than HBU. </p>
<p>But someone who really had a chance to go to Stanford wouldn't be looking at HBU.That doesn't mean going to HBU is a bad decision given the other options open to someone looking there. Realistically only a tiny tiny few have a shot at the top MBA programs. To tell all the others to go stick their heads in a hole and forget it is wrong.</p>
<p>that is true, but the cost/benefit equation for a top MBA vs a run-of-the-mill MBA is very different. The benefits to a top MBA, at least financially, are staggering. The benefits to - let's call it a "regional MBA" - are harder to prove and have a lot more to do with where you intend to work and what industries you want to have relationships in.</p>
<p>No one is born knowing the fundamentals of accounting, finance, and economics. Assuming you aren't an undergrad business major getting a background in these things can help one's career significantly. Just looking at beginning salaries out of an MBA program doesn't begin to tell the whole story. Also networking DOES happen at these regional MBA programs, too.</p>
<p>"Ok, so it would be better to go to Stanford than HBU. "</p>
<p>Would it be? The threadstarter is saying that he can not justify paying double (over HBU costs) for an MBA from a top school.</p>
<p>If it's not from a top school you can just learn your MBA Stuff from a book or two</p>
<p>well if u can get into a top program like berkeley or somethin, its always worth it.
Average salary i think for people comin out of a berkeley MBA is easily over 100k</p>
<p>It's certainly not "always worth it". If you are already making 100k a year, it's quite likely not worth it.</p>