I am almost done with my BS in Business at Excelsior College. Would I benefit from an MBA at all? Thanks, Joel
Does an MBA help at all? Maybe Steve is right. There are several sites talking about the benefits of an MBA, but your current work experience, anticipated career goals and what you hope to get out of an MBA are things you will have to think about. Just because your Bachelor's degree is in Business doesn't mean you can't pursue an MBA, but some people would view it as repetition of what you have already done. You could also consider a MS degree which might provide more specialization. I did benefit from getting an MBA, but I know others who wish they had done something else.
Well, I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that it wouldn't help MY career at all but would certainly help my husbands. The point? Figure out your career path and then choose the credential that you need. Simply accumulating credentials will probably not help you.
It depends what you want. If you are looking for a corporate career at a big consulting firm or 500 fortune company, an MBA from a top school might help but not one from an non-ranked school. If you want to expand your knowledge in a different area, the MBA even from a low tier school might help. For example, a person looking for a CPA that might need credits in Accounting to write the CPA exam might benefit from an MBA in Accounting. If you decide to go for a top MBA, I would strongly recommend to do it on campus as you would need access to the networking that the school offers that can hardly be accessed with online programs. Also, big consulting firms recruit on campus and not online.
Reflecting from my personal MBA experience: 1. Most important to me was/is –attainment relevant professional and academic knowledge. 2. However consider as a mere standalone MBA awarded via an unranked university … such is doubtful to generate much, if any, advantage as regards an upward mobility occupation resource. 3. The marketplace is so flooded with both online and resident lower-tier (including AACSB accredited) 'me-too' MBA programs; severely diluting standalone MBA degree significance. There is no notable differentiation/s IMO.
What is a me-too program? I guess, when you go to a party and you are taking to a co-worker about your part time online MBA at UoP and the co-worker says "me-too", I am also doing a UoP program online. I have a friend that is attending a low tier MBA program just to meet women, so I guess you can call it the "match maker" MBA type.
Some people are actually doing double MBAs now. Many start with a low tier MBA and once they figure doesn't do much for them then go and do an MBA at a higher ranked school. As few stated here, a low tier MBA doesn't do much for you to increase a salary but many also want one for different reasons as self improvement, open a business, general education, etc.
I am also almost done with my BS business with Excelsior. I tell people I mentor that if they have work experience and a recent business undergrad a MBA is a questionable choice. Exceptions: MBA is from a much higher ranked school. Never get a MBA from a school with less status than your undergrad. With Excelsior that's mostly not a problem. I would not bother getting one of the bargain MBAs we discuss on this forum after an EC Business degree. After any other EC degree -- you bet. MBA is highly desired for a particular field you are targeting, or your chosen program has a significant practical element that appeals to you. I don't think much of the "Specialty MBA" but if you are looking at one that might be a reason to consider it. A masters in a field that complements business and suits your goals and strengths is the way to go IMHO. Phillip
Simply one more, bandwagon, shelf-space filler, inundated marketplace, undifferentiated MBA program offering… P.S. Not that it is of significance; while my MBA wasn’t a part-time program … yet it was still awarded via an unranked university (i.e., it certainly is not vaguely considered on an identification category of say HBS, Wharton, Stanford, LBS, Booth, Fuqua, Kellogg, Tuck, Darden, Sloan, Columbia, Haas, Stern, McGill, Manchester, etc). Nonetheless, whether traditional /full-time, part-time, resident, non-resident, DL, online or whatever … objectively, there is no real delineation/s made between the infinite numbers of unranked (me-too) MBA programs IMO.
Done it 13 years ago and I think the Return on Investment is really abysmal. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have done an MBA, I would prefer to apprentice myself to some accounting practice and qualified as an accountant.
Agree, and it's one reason I largely scoff at some peoples' obsession with AACSB when there are a few universally well-regarded MBA programmes like McGill which do not have and are not seeking any sort of business school accreditation. Of course there are certainly uses for an unranked MBA, it just depends very much on your own work history and career goals. (the same could also be said about top-tier MBAs) However, I think a select few unranked MBAs like Johns Hopkins (currently unaccredited) and UCSD deserve a second look though because of their huge potential, being very young programmes backed by world-class research universities.
