*URGENT* Your Pick? Nebraska-Lincoln VS UMass-Amherst (Isenberg) Online MBA

Hello Experts.


I am a remote-worker (electrical engineer by profession) and I recently got accepted in online MBA programs at University of Nebraska - Lincoln and at Isenberg School of Management, UMass - Amherst.


As I am totally new to business world, I find it very difficult to pick my final school. Can you please be of help here? Any experiences, stories, tips & tricks to narrow down my choices will be greatly appreciated !


I work from home office , and move around continental U.S every few years (so regional preference does not play any role) - I just want the best education at an easy pace , allowing me to balance my work and life.


Please help !!

 

How many threads (U Nebraska vs. UMass or conversely) are you planning to instigate with your inquiry????

 

Both are quite respectable schools with comparable academic reputations. There may not be a compelling reason to pick one over the other, unless:

- regional preferences matter (but you say they don't), or
- you are a fan of American football (then pick Nebraska), or
- one is less expensive.

It is unlikely that you will find anyone who has attended the online MBA programs in both schools, so there may not be anyone who can provide a direct comparison.

 

I am sorry if I sound a little desperate in picking a better "SCHOOL" that will have a direct impact on my life , family , career and everything. The other thread was not that clear to many and I was getting only a few sporadic replies. Plus since I have narrowed down my choices to only two (UW Whitewater is not a Tier 1 school so I dropped it).


Anyways, apologies if you find my new thread as redundant / spam.

 

If I have this correctly,

• The UMass Amherst Isenberg MBA Online offers an optional focus in Healthcare Administration.

• The UNL Distance MBA offers optional specializations in International Business, Agribusiness, Finance, and Marketing.

I could see a significant factor here, even determining, being a fit between one of these options and your interests and goals.

 

Thanks for the reply. I think I would like to have just a simple old-fashioned MBA. That will be good enough as specializations/majors are really not something which pop out at times of job hunt / interviewing. And plus , I want a rounded business education , and do not want to be tied to a particular field at this point.


UMass Amherst has 39 hr program vs. UNL's 48 hour program. UMass is around 30k, where as UNL is around 27k. Though this sounds like a crazy thought, but since I am in field of engineering, I feel that the word "Massachusetts" itself carries more weight than the words "Nebraska" or "South Dakota" or "Wisconsin" or "Iowa" etc..


However my decision will be based on the replies coming here on this forum. So please guide me as to in which direction I should be going ?

 

It's possible that you may be leaning towards UMASS Amherst because there's something in your past that makes you feel more connected to the word Massachussets, whether it's your travel experiences there, friends, colleagues, or your industry like you mentioned. Nothing wrong with that. I feel the same way about the schools/states that you mentioned above except for Wisconsin. Even though I've never been to Wisconsin yet, I feel ok with University Wisconsin because I know quite a few alums there and a relative who's a professor there.

 

Anyone who has read this forum knowns that I'm a fan on UMass and so no one will be surprised if I tell our op that he should choose UMass. I'll go a step further though. This is a bit of a challenge to the op and hopefully it will help him to make up his mind...

1) Seeing that there are over 180 online MBA programs in the USA, please describe the process by which you narrowed the field down to 2 schools.

2) Please explain why this same process does not allow you to make a final decision.

3) As far as I know, UMass is ranked well above Nebraska-Lincoln. What is it about Lincoln that keeps it in your thoughts.

If you can answer these three questions then you will have solved your own problem. If you can not answer these three questions then you need to start over.

思考

 

Factors you may want to consider is the alumni relations and network; what types of companies recruit from each school and what are your future interests when you graduate? Do you see yourself working at a company such as Boston Dynamics or for Caterpillar?

Also, who will be your professors for the next 18-24 months? Given your fortunate situation, I would lean towards UMASS Amherst MBA. It might be a tougher choice if the other choice was IU-Kelly or similar.

 

I narrowed down the programs using the following criteria:

1. AACSB Accredited
2. Tuition Less Than $30,0000
3. State Flagship University
4. GMAT Score: 680 / GPA: 3.8
5. Nationally Ranked School

UMass-Amherst and Nebraska-Lincoln are neck-to-neck , because Nebraska got a much highly qualified Business faculty with tons of PhDs from top Schools. Amherst has a lower number of PhDs , and mostly from regional schools. But then Amherst has a better name recognition and better rankings. SO CONFUSING !

For future ambitions: I want to work for organizations such as UN , UNICEF , WorldBank , IMF , Bill Gates Foundation etc..

 

Once you have your degree no one will know or care about the percentage of PhDs on the staff.

 

I'll be perfectly honest, if those are the organizations you're looking to work for neither of these schools will hold an advantage over the others. Just go to LinkedIn and see where their employees attended school, it tends to be very prestigious institutions.
That said, between the two I'd spend the extra $3k and go with UMass, and that's hard for me to say because my father played football for Nebraska and I grew up a huge Cornhusker fan. Both are fine schools, but I'd have to say go with UMass.

***Edit. I just looked at employees at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on LinkedIn. These were the schools from the first page of results; Harvard Business School, Columbia University, Dartmouth-Tuck School of Business, University of Cambridge, University of Oklahoma, Pomona College and University of Maryland-College Park.

 

Would love to go to one of those schools but I've a family to feed and raise, and none of those schools offer part-time online MBA. So with current situation , I think I should elect UMass-Amherst over the other options. Thanks everyone for all your input & feedback.