<p>What is the general concensus about this MBA program? It is ranked about 50 overall by US news and top 20 public MBA's. In Florida, the school is very well respected, in all likelyhood the best school in the state. They offer a professional MBA where students spend 1 weekend a month in Gainesville for 27 months to complete the MBA. My company would pay. However, I may eventually transfer to the North East and I would like the MBA to be able to compete for me with other prestegious programs, which the North East is chock full of. Of course, I understand that my experience and accomplishments would be the first thing that employers will look at, but I interested in the hypathetical scenerio of everything else being equal, would a UF MBA be looked upon in the same league as say NYU, Rutgers, Boston College, etc? Thanx for your input.</p>
<p>It may be fine for getting a job in FL and the southeastern US. However, it will not carry the same weight as NY schools if you intend to go into I-Banking. UVA may be your best bet for an MBA in the Southeastern US --or Duke, if money is not an issue.</p>
<p>"NYU, Rutgers, Boston College, etc?" </p>
<p>Definitely no.</p>
<p>Even though it is ranked higher than Boston College and even with Rutgers?</p>
<p>It's not about the rankings; location matters a great deal. Like I said, if you are planning to stay in FL, then UF is great. If you are planning to move to NY, going to school in NY (or at least NE) will be more important than rankings -- especially since you are already out the top tier schools.</p>
<p>Which MBA? (The Economist) 2005
UF's Overall ranking</p>
<pre><code>* #80 Worldwide
* #30 Overall in the U.S.
* #17 Among Publics in the U.S.
</code></pre>
<p>Forbes Best Business Schools 2005
* #50 Overall
* #21 Among Publics</p>
<p>U.S.News & World Report Best Graduate Programs 2007
* #41 Overall
* #20 Among Publics</p>
<p>To be blunt, UF is regional at best. The quality of its MBA program is probably equal to Rutgers and BU but definitely not Stern (NYU). But again, since it's a regional school, it will likely lose out to the Northeast schools. On a national scale, UF just isn't as reputable -- even to fellow publics where schools like CAL, Michigan, UCLA, and UNC are far ahead.</p>
<p>Not going to argue with that, but I do want to point out that the Wall Street journal Ranks the UF MBA ABOVE NYU. They are right down the street from NYU, too. I know rankings aren't everything, but I am saying that some vary valid sources in the North East disagree with you.</p>
<p>You're picking and choosing the rankings though. The WSJ ranking methodology is notorious for relying on recruiter opinions too much -- it's already well known that using in that ranking, run-of-the-mill company recruiters will rank schools lower because they feel slighted by some of their students (ie. they reject the job offers from Deloitte for McKinsey or Bain), etc. The WSJ also ranks Michigan above HBS, Wharton, and Stanford GSB. Does that sound like a sound ranking to you?
Check out US News & World Report, Businessweek, The Financial Times, and The EIU -- see where UF is in relation to the other schools on your list. Not to say that one ranking is more correct than the other but looking at the aggregate, you get an idea for which one(s) are more flawed than the other(s). Again, if you'd like to stay in the south, UF would be a great selection but anywhere else, you'll be losing major ground.</p>
<p>I did, US News and World Report ranks Florida a tie at # 41 with Boston College and SMU. I wish I could see a starting salary report for all schools with a geographic adjustment factored in so apples can be compared to apples.</p>
<p>Which is probably about right. But in that ranking (along with most others), you'll see that there is a big gap between Stern and UF.<br>
An easy way to do an apples/apples comparison is to look at the peer and recruiter assessment columns in the USNWR rankings. It'll give you a rough idea of peer schools, in addition to how recruiters and school administrator/faculty themselves view rate other b-schools.</p>
<p>Do you just want somebody to tell you UF is your best option? It's not -- unless you stay in FL (period).</p>
<p>
[quote]
Do you just want somebody to tell you UF is your best option? It's not -- unless you stay in FL (period).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>quoted for the win. anyway, look. the point of an MBA is to give yourself good job prospects. Will you have mobility to move around to different locations right after graduation? no. Your school will probably help you get a job in the immediate florida area and maybe some surrounding states, but it probably wont let you go grab a job in California or New York. </p>
<p>If you want those options you're going to have to realize you'll probably have to hold out longer (I don't know what your story is for wanting to go to UF for an MBA, maybe you have no desire to leave florida which is ok, maybe you don't want to spend time working and gaining experience which you'd need to get into top MBA programs -- which isn't so ok) but just keep in mind that one of the greatest benefits in an MBA program is being able to make a big career change and that change may be hindered by going to UF.</p>
<p>SMU is similar but to an extent better IMO. SMU has the ability to rely on a network of wealthy people which can help. Regionally SMU is pretty good, but the power lies in the fact that many wealthy individuals have attended SMU people and are working in positions of power in various industries, so sometimes with the right networking you can be in a good spot.</p>
<p>I already have 7 years of professional experience with the largest flavors/fragrance compay on the globe since graduating from grad school (perhaps I should have said this originally). I will start work towards an MBA soon and Florida has a professional MBA where students spend 1 weekend a month in Gainesville, a 4 hour drive. However, USF and Tampa are closer. Would Florida, being a top 50 program open more doors for me say 3 years from now if I move to NY, or does it even matter?</p>
<p>What about the Crummer Business School at Rollins? Do they have a distance learning option? If you are in Tampa they are deifinately closer than Gainsville. For a nonbusiness type, their reputation in these parts, and in the Northeast is quite good.</p>
<p>I will look at it, but Florida is tougher to get into than Cornell, it would surprize me if wasn't a saught after degree in the tri state area.</p>
<p>Cornell Johnson easier to get into than UF? Where did you come up with that?</p>
<p>Cornell has a slightly lower acceptance rate, but also has a lower average GMAT than Florida. Think about it, people in the North East with high GMAT scores have a lot of schools to chose from.</p>
<p>Look at the GMAT for full time enrolement, which is what I would be looking at, Florida has a higher average score than Cornell:</p>
<p>Although I will admit that Cornell has a ~35% acceptance rate versus Florida's ~38-39%. Again, I would be willing to bet that this is a finction of the high population in the North East.</p>
<p>"I would be willing to bet that this is a finction of the high population in the North East."</p>
<p>Change then end to South East, and you have precisely how the UF MBA (especially a PT one) will be perceived up north:D.</p>