I've been comparing some in-state options and was just wondering whether there's much of a difference between these two public university MBA programs: COB Graduate Programs MBA Program | School of Business and Economics | Fayetteville State University They both seem to be accredited by the AACSB and I'm unfamiliar with the reputation of either of them. Any thoughts?
Definitely East Carolina University has better reputation than FSU. It is ranked national tier 1 by US News.
ECU is much larger and appears to generally have more selective admissions than FSU. Neither school has a national reputation, but ECU is probably better known regionally, because of its large size, Division I athletic program, and doctoral/professional programs. FSU is a historically black university. According to College Navigator, enrollment is 70% black, 15% white. At ECU, the percentages are almost exactly reversed: 73% white, 15% black. Another difference, from College Navigator: ECU issued 283 master's degrees in business in 2011-12 FSU issued 19 master's degrees in business in 2011-12 So you might expect smaller classes from FSU, but a larger alumni network from ECU
ECU has been AACSB accredited for over 45 years, and is considered either the third or fourth best school in the UNC system, depending on whether or not the person you're asking went to Appalachian State. Of the two, it's the prestige brand. I would also seriously consider NC State - not as long a history awarding the MBA as ECU, and a bit more expensive, but they are working hard to build a great program there, and NCSU has a much better national reputation than ECU overall.
NC State>ECU>FSU. Given the original poster's options I'd choose ECU, but if you throw in NCSU and costs are similar I'd go with the Wolf Pack. I'd say that NCSU's reputation suffers from being in such close proximity to Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest. It's similar to Northeastern in Boston, great school that doesn't get it's due because it's surrounded by schools that are on another level.