Hello, I am brand new here so if this has been covered already I apologize. I am in my mid 30's and have progressed decently in my career and want to pursue an MBA related to my field (community banking). I am looking to see if anyone is aware of any decent banking and finance MBA online programs. I have a B.S. in business management with a 3.4 GPA. I have not taken the GMAT and my undergrad work was at a small RA university so I am not sure if that will hurt me during the application process. Just looking to tap into your collective expertise as to which schools to target and whether or not it is worth taking the GMAT to open up options.
SHSU offers EMBA in Banking Banking and Financial Institutions - Graduate Studies - Sam Houston State University Smith Hutson Endowed Chair of Banking and it costs $32k
I am currently in a program that might meet your needs. Right now I am 7 months into it. It is a MBA in Banking and Financial Services from the University of Tennessee (at Martin) This is AACSB accredited . I think the tuition is about $16k-$17k. The program is 20 months in length and no residencies are required; however, the program is a hybrid in the sense that there are both synchronous and asynchronous classes. Typically, there are about 3-6 hours of recorded video lectures every week. In addition to that, there is a live, weekly class that is about 90 minutes in length. The live class time is used to address questions from the lectures, books, articles, assignments and also for class discussion and presentations. The class I am currently in (Banking and Financial Services) utilizes the Stanford Banking Simulation. The Simulation (and other class projects) requires working with cohort members. So, if you are not interested in group work, you may not like the program. Now for the bad news. It is a cohort-based program which starts every January. Also, the cohort is only 20 people and is selective. However, if someone wanted to start next January, it would be advisable to complete the application process immediately to increase chances (as they do rolling admissions). I chose the UT program because: 1) I live in Tennessee and it is a well known state university system 2) It is AACSB accredited 3) It is extremely cheap relative to other AACSB schools 4) It can be completed in 20 months 5) It can be completed online or in residence. Here is the link: Online MBA
Here's some info... There aren’t very many banking-specific MBA programs, and none that I know of that focus on community banking. An MBA with a finance concentration would be well-rounded but not banking specific. More specific would be banking schools that are considered post-BA but are also attended by people with masters’ and even doctoral degrees or law degrees. Usually, an attendee’s bank pays the tuition for these and gives the student time off work to attend. In my area, there is the Pacific Coast Banking School at Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. This is a three-year program consisting of three two-week sessions in person at the UW campus in successive summers and an online component during the year and a final thesis along with BankSIM, which was developed by a professor/friend of mine. The UW offers some credit for those that take the PCBS program and then go on to the UW for an MBA. Other schools with similar programs are Stonier School of Banking in partnership with Wharton, Graduate School of Banking at UWisconsin-Madison, SMU-Cox School of Banking at Southern Methodist in Dallas and Colorado’s Graduate School of Banking in Boulder. Other bankers in your geographical area might be able to tell you where the community bankers go, as that would be a good place to make networking connections. Some of these schools also give credit towards an MBA after. ...And looking further into it, it looks like UWisconsin might have the best program in terms of parlaying the GSB into an MBA. https://www.gsb.org/gbp_mba.htm They give a waiver of 9-12 credits and smooth transition into the MBA programs at UNebraska –Lincoln online, online MBA at UMass- Amherst and UMUC online. All three of these MBA degrees are therefore banking-specific MBAs. That would be a great deal. All except UMUC require the GMAT and are AACSB-accredited. So, there you go. I wish they'd had these programs 12 years ago when I started my MBA search. Great options! I don’t know if the specific banking degrees at UMUC, UN-L and UM-A are available if you don’t go to the banking school but that is something to check out too. My feeling is that the banking school followed by the online MBA would be the most useful program, combining the networking of banking school with top-notch MBA programs after.
Looks like a good program Joker, I missed your reply but this looks like a great program. It even mentions that it is excellent for community bankers. It does require a GMAT so if DeBanker wants to apply there is still time to get going on test-prep.
University of London (SOAS - Centre for Financial & Management Studies): MBA Banking £7,960 ($12443) Banking (MBA and Postgraduate Diploma) | University of London International Programmes
Concordia University (Chicago): MBA in Banking and Financial Institutions MBA in Banking and Financial Institutions - Concordia University Chicago
From the Great State of California: If DETC works for you, try California Intercontinental University's Online Education – Online Degree – California Intercontinental University MBA in Banking & Finance.
Yes, there is still plenty of time for test prep with one caveat. The sooner a person takes the GMAT and applies to the program, the better his chances for admission. The reason is because they make admission decisions throughout the year. I was told that they admit about 15 people early on. Then, once it gets down to the last few months of the year (and I mean Oct-Dec, not the school year), then they continue accepting applications, but don't fill the last 5 spots until mid December when the final cutoff date has been reached. Personally, I submitted an incomplete application packet (I turned in everything but my GMAT score) in October and didn't take the GMAT until early November. My GMAT score was forwarded to the school and I didn't find out until December 16 that I had been accepted. Then, my first class began mid January. However, I would NOT recommend doing things the way I did. The earlier the application the better. BTW, I have been extremely pleased with the program so far. I have learned a tremendous amount. The classes are definitely geared toward banking (regional and community).
From the Great State of Kentucky: Morehead State University Morehead State University :: Much More MBA Bank Management
From the Great State of Massachusetts: Boston University Boston University Master's Track Diploma in Banking and Financial Services Tuition: $8600
From the Great Country of Indja: Madurai Kamaraj University Welcome to official website of MADURAI KAMARAJ UNIVERSITY offers the MBM (Master of Bank Management) through the Department of Distance Education program (at least they did the last time I looked).
I guess you already are working in a good company and earning a lot. It's not a bad idea to pursue MBA through distance learning. Research on which Institute provides best course materials. Then look out for your convenience. Match both these things and take admission. Your age doesn't come in picture in any way.
