What's the best school for an MBA?

Well, some, maybe Lance. The unwinnable (to me) argument starts when some people claim that all RA schools are naturally superior to all NA schools, simply because of their accreditation. I'm not accusing you of being among that crowd.

If I wanted a degree in electronics, game design, or some other tech. fields, there are NA schools I'd seriously put at the top of my list. If I wanted a bachelor's in an arts field, so I could then go on to a Master's (and maybe a doctorate) and teach at college/university level, then I'd want an RA school - nothing else. There are some disciplines where both choices are viable. For US-based business degrees, if you want programmatic accreditation - e.g. ACBSP or AACSB, you have to choose an RA School. If you don't care about this - maybe because you're going to run your own, or Dad's company - there are viable NA choices - some pretty good schools, too.

Part of the difficulty of becoming RA (as opposed to NA) is the ongoing extremely high cost of maintaining an institution to RA standards. NA schools (particularly distance schools) are, for the most part, not geared to that financial model, but can still "do what they do" exceptionally well.

It's a matter of choice. No single choice is the "best" for every school - or every student.

Johann

 

That could be argued. Definitely one of the best, but Stanford and LBS could also rightfully claim the designation. All three lose admitted students to one another on a regular basis.

 

Johann,

Thanks for the response, and the above quote makes sense. It sounds like an issue of finances, then. As I mentioned, I hope to attend an NA school for my doctorate and make no apologies for it. The program is just as rigorous as any RA program I've looked at, but at a much more affordable price. However, I would not have considered it if the school did not at least hold NA accreditation. I think accreditation by a body recognized by the US Dept. of Education is an important factor.

 

You must have misread it, then. :jester:

Seriously, I wish you every success in your chosen doctoral program. :smile:

Johann

 

Thanks, but you're assuming I'll make it through my 18 hours of Biblical languages for my M.Div. Ha! I really do want to go for the doctorate, but as I mentioned before on the board, the dissertation holds me back. The coursework doesn't scare me, just the pressure of coming up with a truly original topic. I'm a believer that there is truly nothing new under the sun, and if there is, I'm not the one smart enough to find it! lol

 

"Business: The top business schools held firm this year, with Harvard and Stanford University sharing the No. 1 spot again and University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School at No. 3. University of Chicago's Booth School of Business fell out of a three-way tie for 4th, dropping to 6th, leaving Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management tied for the No. 4 spot."

U.S. News Releases 2014 Best Graduate Schools Rankings - US News and World Report

 

Hey tiger, who is LBS?

 

I assume London Business School. My friends son was accepted into their Masters of International Business Program. He was all set to start in the fall and it would have cost him $100K for the degree. In his travels through Europe he met up with some friends and found out about Berlin School of Economics and Law's program that is part of Germany paying back the US for WWII and has been accepted to Berlin School of Economics and Law's program and the masters will only cost him $10K! He is pretty excited!

 

Good points by you.

 

Ok, so I was right. Stanford and HBS are tied in USNWR. LBS (London Business School) wouldn't be on the list because it is not a US business school. Globally, it is just as well respected as Stanford and HBS. Even state-side it is widely recognized as being as good or better than HBS and Stanford in consulting and high finance circles. HBS grads actually get poorer marks by hiring managers in the finance world than grads of Stanford, Tuck, Wharton and LBS.

In all honesty, at that level it is just semantics. I was simply pointing out that HBS is not the defacto #1 school.

 

I think there are plenty of things new to ME under the sun. And I'm glad of that. There's always something to learn. Even if you believe there's nothing that in itself is "new," new knowledge can be gained by re-examination of something old in a new or different light. I think that concept would apply to doctoral-level programs in quite a few disciplines.

Johann

The journey to a Ph.D. starts with a single CLEP. :smile:

 

I'm not griping here - just reminding people. We have an 18-page "sticky" thread on the "Best MBA."

...and now we have two. So be it. :smile:

Johann

The journey to a Ph.D. starts with a single CLEP. :smile:

 

With our super-moderator powers we could merge the threads without losing a single post. Now I'm off to the Fortress of Solitude.

 

The name schools as you point out are good for people who seek to enter academia, consulting or investment banking - otherwise for such a "technical" degree, perhaps more important are the specific courses + whether professors have on-going business activities to judge whether a school offers the better MBA course. For example, I have both an MBA and a MA (History), certainly the MBA course is much easier, and those taught by DBA's or other people not actually in business are really a bit questionable as to the benefit.
As far as RA or NA, except for people in academic world really not an issue for most employers.
I have managed many MBA's, best to choose a school that offers pratical specialised skills for industry you seek to enter. Forget general majors such as International Business. Too many MBA programs out there have reduced the utility of such dgrees, flip side is because of this MBA now is like a Bachelor in business 30 years ago,i.e. sometimes seen as minimum qualification.

 

An MBA from NIBM GLOBAL is the best! I have completed my mba from there and with the help of its pre-recorded lectures makes it easy for me to work along with my studies. I have also been placed with an mnc company and it has got a very good placement cell too! For more details log into NIBM - Online MBA | Distance & Correspondence MBA Degree India | Mumbai & Delhi

 

This um...ISO-certified school (sic) - National Institute of Business Management, in Chennai, India was mentioned by the same poster in another thread. It's not UGC approved to issue degrees of its own; it's more or less a "study centre" for degrees of Bharathiar University, which is a real school, in Coimbatore. The one-year MBA costs around $126 complete (!) for Indians, but I doubt they take foreigners - especially at that price.

See posts 279 -283 in this thread. http://www.degreeinfo.com/business-mba-degrees/27695-best-mba-degree-18.html

Not a good idea for most of us.

Johann

 

Madurai Kamaraj University charges Americans and other rich Westerners as many US dollars as what the Indians and other poor countries pay in rupees. Not sure whether the same applies to other Indian schools.

 

I am having a Déjà vu Moment!

 

Your MBA was easier than your MA (History)? Hmm.