MBA salaries from non top schools?

I'm wondering what are the chances of getting a good job with an MBA from an RA non-top ten school. I heard that an MBa in this situation is useless. Is this true?

I am interested in possibly starting an MBA at the University of South Florida or maybe Touro so I need all the feedback I can get.

-S

 

Every company has different hiring practices. I work for a Fortune 100 corporation and I know that one of our finance groups recruits MBA's from certain schools, but we do go beyond the top 10 and usually stick within the top tier. However, each department has different hiring practices and I know other departments don't look just at the Top Tier. So I wouldn't say that an MBA is useless outside the top ten. Every company is different.

 

Exactly! While you may not be a CEO of a major financial corporation, a lot of your success, both financial and otherwise, will be a result of your hard work, the strength of your social network and the time you put into building it, patience, perserverance, personality, luck, and just plain experience.

We have one MBA/JD in my company making $99K/yr and someone without a college degree making $95K/yr. Both are in the same department doing the same job.

Don't worry about the school so much as worry about how you will work to make yourself stand out amongst all the other applicants by adding value to the position they want to fill beyond merely holding an MBA degree.

My .02,

Christian

 

I work for a large global corporation, have an MBA from Cal State-Dominguez Hills, and am near the 100K/year mark. I'm in the computer industry and have about topped out in my field. The MBA helps out some but my other IT skills are the clincher for me.

My company recruits a lot of MBAs from Duke and Standford. The MBA might help me to get promotions to other managerial levels but I know how far I can go here. They have a number of Harvard MBAs here, too. So, the competition is too much for me. These MBA people come in young, move from mangement job to management job at around 9 month intervals, and hobnob with the Chiefs. CSUDH is not going to cut that.

Bing

 

I am currently enrolled in an online MBA program at Touro. I won't begin my first term there until next month. They say that it is important to look at your expected return on investment (ROI)in determing which MBA to go with. What this means is that you need to weigh how much the MBA will cost you against how much more you expect it to help you earn. Considering the ROI factor in my situation makes it easy to choose Touro. Since the Touro MBA is costing me nothing, even if it earns me nothing, I have lost nothing. ROI evens out. But, I do expect that the Touro MBA will help me to earn more than if I just had the Charter Oak B.S.

I think it is true that it's difficult (if not impossible) to get a job with a top-of-the-line consulting firm (for instance) without a top-tier (probably meaning top-seven or better) MBA. But it is not likely that having a less well recognized MBA will actually close any doors. That's especially true when you consider that you probably wouldn't be getting one of those great consulting jobs with just a bachelor's degree anyway.

Salary data broken down for all MBAs is difficult to come by. I did find this survey of MBA salaries that is based on data collected in 1995. The chart and graph are hard to read and the sample size is pretty small (less than 70). It is based upon data taken by people responding to salary questions posted on the Internet. Supposedly, the survey's designers took pains to throw out data that was submitted by people who were obviously not telling the truth. Still, while this survey is not really useful, it may be somewhat useful. Paraphrasing an addage from the Fox News Channel, I'll report. You decide (if you can make anything out of the clumsy chart and graph design. Lord knows I couldn't.)

In any salary survey, average MBA salaries may tend to be scewed upwards because of the extreme salary levels at the top. What we can say for sure is that those with master's degrees (including MBAs) tend to earn more than those with just bachelor's degrees. Those with master's degrees will also tend to be less likely than those with bachelor's degrees to be unemployed. These assertions are supported by data collected by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Bureau reports that, in the year 2000, those who held master's degrees earned a median income of $55,300 and had an unemployment rate of 1.6%. Contrast this with the $46,300 median salary and 1.8% unemployment rate for those with bachelor's degrees.

Looking at the big picture, I'd say that your chances of getting a good job with a non-top-tier MBA are better than they would be without an MBA at all. But that's just average thinking.

Tracy<><

 

Re: Re: MBA salaries from non top schools?

Another problem with the MBA salary survey that I should have mentioned is nowhere does it say which schools the MBAs are from. So, it is impossible to compare salary levels between schools, which does make this survey--at least for our purposes-- less than wonderful.

Tracy<><

 

Re: Re: MBA salaries from non top schools?

Not entirely true. One of the things that you will learn in your MBA Program (hopefully), is that there is an opportunity cost of your going to Touro. There is an EMV or expected monetary value of your doing do. This sould come into play when deciding which program to do.

This is why I choses Touro.....None of the other RA PhDs will allow me to get the degree done as quickly without having to travel to cluster sites or to campus to fulfill residency requirements.

 

It's not the Job - It's the Worth of that Job

Don't get confused, keep in mind what a job is worth what the
market place is willing to pay.

For some basic comp. into look @ www.Salary.com


An MBA might fill in a hole into the skills gap on your resume, but standing alone it's an expense that may or maynot pay-off.

Forget about the "degree" - focus on your dream job, take a mini pole of say 5-10 professionals in that field - what are their tools, ie. degrees, experience, certifications, pay levels ????

REMEMBER - copy when you can, if most of your peers in your dream job have MBA's, you'll need one also...., If your peers have theirs from top schools, ---- you might have a problem...... with Touro. - yes it's RA

What I mean is you'll need to get pass some gatekeepers in your life, including those square headed HR Managers that have to clue.


Example: - all ofther factors being equal, i.e. 3 brothers, same age, etc...


1. BS, MBA from UCLA
2. BS from USC, MBA from Phoenix
3. BS, Charter Oaks, MBA Touro


And the winner is ??????

 

Re: Re: Re: MBA salaries from non top schools?

Quite true. Most other DL Ph.D. programs will require you to spend some time away from your job and/or involve some travel expense. MBA programs with a period of residency will also require the same thing.

Tracy <><

 

Re: It's not the Job - It's the Worth of that Job

Yes, reputation among MBA schools is quite important. That is why some jobs in certain industries and at certain companies are closed to non-ivy leaguers. But, in general, you can expect higher earnings with an MBA, or another master's degree, than without one.

Tracy <><

 

Re: Re: Re: MBA salaries from non top schools?

I believe that if you go to the US News and World Report website where they rank all the schools, there is a specific section on business schools. You can do a search for particular schools and in the provided summary is a listing of the average starting salary for their graduates. It's a bit of a pain because you have to look up each school individually, but it does allow you to compare salaries in that manner.
Jack

 

I have an old copy of 'Arco- The Right College', 6'th edition. For some (less than half) of the schools it includes a list of prominent alumni. Despite being ten years old, it gives some idea of the possibilities that are open to "fourth tier" students who can perform after graduation.

So I looked for top business executives who graduated from 'US News' "4'th tier" schools. My criteria here are chairmen of the board, president or CEO. Not all of these individuals earned MBAs at the school named, but they did attend it. Some of the companies and the schools the executive graduated from:

CEO and Chairman, Western Airlines (CSUDH),

President, Morris Communications (Augusta State U.)

President, Founder's Bank (So. Ct. State U.)

President and CEO, 1'st Seneca Bank (Point Park College, PA)

President, Exxon (Texas A&M, Kingsville)

CEO, Cooper Tire and Rubber (U. Toledo)

President, Roadway Inc. (U. Akron)

President, Amoco (Fla. Atlantic U.)

President, Gannett Community Newspaper Group (No. Ill. U.)

Founders, Pizza Hut (Wichita State U.)

CEO, Gulf Oil (Louisiana Tech.)

CEO, Commercial Union Insurance (Louisiana Tech.)

Chairman and CEO, First Tenn. National Corp. (U. Memphis)

President, Nordica Intl. (SD State U.)

President and CEO, Aristocratt Inc. (Indiana State U.)

Founder, Compaq Computers (U. Houston)

Chairman and President, Comdisco (SIU Carbondale)

CEO, Sheraton World-wide (Kent State)

President, American Stock Exchange (Kent State)

That's just a few. The list would grow very long if you included VPs.

While looking among the "fourth tier" dregs, I noticed news anchors like Tom Brokaw, "60 Minutes" Ed Bradley, former US supreme court justice Thurgood Marshall, writers like James Michener, actors from Nick Nolte through James Belushi and J. Carroll O'Connor to Lee Marvin (who attended St. Leo College), Monday Night Football's Dennis Miller, three Nobel prize winners, Pulitzer and Emmy winners, university presidents (including a U. of Texas and a UC Santa Barbara chancellor), state governors (Ft. Hays State produced a Kansas governor), many congressmen, senators and state legislators, many mayors, an FBI Assistant Director and a Chief Accountant, Enforcement Division, SEC.

 

Looking at the big picture, I'd say that your chances of getting a good job with a non-top-tier MBA are better than they would be without an MBA at all. But that's just average thinking.

Tracy<><


Thanks for the info. I heard that in order to get in to a good top ten ranking school you might as well aply for a business certificate
in some of the top ten like UCLA. I heard that there is open admission for business certificates from top business schools.

-S

 

I think the key is to go with the best program that you can afford and has the flexibility you need. Try to get as much experience in your chosen profession as you can along the way. When it comes time to send out your resumes, don't under-estimate the importance of a well-written cover letter. It is your chance to explain to prospective employers how your education and experience makes you more well prepared than anyone else for the job.

Tracy<><

 

As long as you stick to an RA MBA program you should be fine. You may even want to consider a program that has AACSB accreditation, but that isn't necessary to get a good job.

I would like to mention three things:

1) An MBA is NOT the only way to get into the executive boardroom if that is the way you want to go. While a degree is important, companies want to see experience, creativity, and a solid progression of increasing responsibility. There are folks in >$250K executive positions without Masters degrees, let alone MBAs.

2) An MBA is no longer the E-ride ticket to high paying positions, titles, and groupies it once was. In Silly-con Vally you cannot swing a dead cat on a busy street without hitting 4 or 5 MBAs. MBAs are becoming a commodity.

3) Don't expect a flood of job offers to come your way once you complete an MBA. You still need to market yourself as always. However, you will have new marketing skills and better packaging (if you apply MBA skills to a job search!).

Yes, there are instances where academic "one up-manship" plays a role, but usually it is little more than ego stroking. I contend that the top 10 are not necessarily better than many of the second tier schools. What they usually have is a strong alumni network, and networking is the best way to tap into the hidden job market.

Also, having a great list of pedigreed manglers does not provide assurance of corporate success, either. I worked for a company where one's academic background played a big role in how far you went (they even had a Harvard Club). However, while it looks good on paper to have a company populated with Hah-vahd and Stanfrod MBAs, it provides a fertile breeding ground for constipated thinking, Management By Arrogance, and illusions of grandeur and invincibility. After being considered the darling of Wall Street and being first to market, the company ceases operation at the end of this month.

 

PhD and the road to the boardroom

I see an increasing number of Ph.D. types in the CEO chair nowadays. The last I recall seeing was the Enron CEO. At my company, I am sure that the vast majority of VP's have some sort of doctorates. It's looked at as a solid ground to the VP rank.

Bing