Is AASCB worth it?

And it carries no more weight in the private sector either. There are more important factors in selecting an MBA program than just AACSB or not.

If you have two solid MBA programs you are looking at, one which is AACSB but costs a lot more, you would be wasting money paying more for just the AACSB.

BTW, which management intern program are you in?

 

I'm a senior program manager in the federal sector. AACSB just isn't that important. Local or national reputation makes a difference. You will find that many smaller colleges and universities have established ties to the federal government in both the civilian and DOD areas. Often these ties dictate the program offerings.

I would examine whether you intend to move around for your career or whether you intend to stay in a local area. If you intend to move around stay with a program where the university itself (not necessarily the business college) is readily recognized (often this recognition is more a part of the athletic department than any academic stature).

The reality is that mentors, personal affiliations, and being at the right place with the correct qualifications, at the right time make a larger difference than what school you attended. If, however, you intend to work in the beltway (DC area) try to get a program that has some weight in that geographic area.

Managers are not as ignorant as many believe, we can readily ascertain whether you completed your program via dl, some of these managers don't give the appropriate credit for completing a dl program. Most of us however view any additional effort spent learning and bettering one's self as a quality attribute.

If you are not going to pick an AACSB accredited program then pick one that closely follows the core classes of an AACSB program so that you will have exposure to similar topics. Even among the AACSB schools quality of instruction varies but the curriculum is consistent.

Ask your mentors what schools they attended, and get a feel for acceptance of other schools.

The further you get into your career the less important your school becomes, but you will never get away from the school that awarded your bachelors. So if your bachelors is from a lessor known school look higher for your masters.

Lastly, even in the federal sector an MBA carries more weight than an MPA.

Best wishes,

 

I disagree with this statement. The AACSB degree will have more overall value to the holder. It will allow greater teaching opportunities and may have more utility in private industry in the future. Some companies will not pay for an MBA unless it is AACSB-accredited. I believe that a Degreeinfo member, Han, had this experience.

So, I think it WOULD be worth paying extra for an AACSB-accredited MBA.

 

In addition, there are some inexpensive AACSB options out there.

Shawn

 

Hi all,

I wanted to thank everyone for the replies. After much thought and consideration, pending I can afford it, I will pursue an AASCB accredited degree. This will remove any doubt from my mind as to whether or not I made the right decision. Ultimately, I do not want to have to do a second Master’s degree because I need an AASCB seal and don’t have it.

Again, thank you all for your input, and I look forward to monitoring these forums.

Kyle

 

Depends on what you want to do.

If you want to work for a big 4 accounting firm or a national consulting firm, ala Accenture or Bearing point, or a fortune 50 company having an AASCB MBA Absolutely makes a difference in the "private" sector. As a member of the hiring team for two big 6 firms, we didn't even look at resumes from RA schools. You were lucky to get a look if you were below a top 50 school (all of which are AACSB).

Frank CPA, CIA, CISA, CISM
BS - Arizona State
MS - Arizona State