Hello all. Now that I'm about to finish at Arizona State, I am looking in to graduate programs. Even though I am a History major (was the path of least resistance for going back to college), I would like to get my MS in Leadership. I should have no problem getting in to either of these programs - I am graduating Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA (assuming nothing strange happens as I finish out the semester) AND I have 25 years of business experience, currently at the VP level. Program 1: Penn State, MS in Strategic Management and Executive Leadership Master's in Strategic Management and Executive Leadership Online - Penn State World Campus (psu.edu) Pro: It's in the business school, which is AACSB accredited. Program 2: Johns Hopkins University, MS in Organizational Leadership Organizational Leadership Johns Hopkins Advanced Academic Programs (jhu.edu) Pro: I mean, it's Johns Hopkins. The con is that it's in the Liberal Arts college. From a cost perspective, they're not that far apart. Penn State is a little bit cheaper. I'm self-paying, and I can afford either one. After getting my Master's I'm considering this program at UNC Greensboro for a PhD in Business Administration: PhD in Business Administration | UNCG Online (This would just be for myself; anything beyond the Master's isn't likely to help with my career.) Thoughts? I really can't decide.
Congratulations! Thanks to your academic and work accomplishments, you have a rather pleasant problem to solve. Which of two of the finest schools do you go for? Since tuition and probability of admission aren't issues, you are left with two considerations: First, in your particular situation, do you really need the AACSB imprimatur for what you're going to do - work or school, after earning the degree? If not, then you still have two exceptional schools to choose from. You can make the final choice based solely on course content. Which degree program appears to lead more in the exact direction you want, for your career, your interests and your Doctorate? Yes - it is all about you! I'd say - a fortunate choice to have. And you've earned it. Congrats again!
And if this helps... From the "Said Nobody -EVER Dept" HR Exec: "Mr. Chairman, we're considering this candidate for Chief Executive, World Markets. A senior executive, 25 years' experience and a MS in Organizational Leadership. We'd like your input. Chairman: Where did he earn his Master's? HR Exec: Johns Hopkins University Chairman: Never heard of it. Is it AACSB? HR Exec: Umm, no, Sir. That's because it was earned through the Liberal Arts College... Chairman: Well, that's it, then. We'll just have to find someone else... Like I said - NEVER gonna happen!
I vote Johns Hopkins, basically for the reason Johann so colorfully illustrated. Since you're not worried about a small cost difference, the only reason to consider Penn State is that it's AACSB. But since you plan to do the UNCG program after, even that probably doesn't matter.
Congrats on wrapping up at ASU. Huge accomplishment getting through the undergraduate degree. I was in a similar situation just a couple of years ago deciding between Duke University and Johns Hopkins. I opted for the former due to the degree being in the prestigious Fuqua School of Business. In your case, I would select Johns Hopkins solely for the fact it is a widely known university, even outside of the United States. If you want more details in what helped me make my decision, let me know.
I vote for Johns Hopkins, not just because of the name, but also because I prefer the curriculum. However, if I wanted to study supply chain management, analytics, business research, or sustainability, I'd choose Penn State.
I don't think so, because we've run into both schools that are accredited at the Bachelor's or Master's level but not doctoral, and schools where the MBA is accredited but the MS in Organizational Leadership (for example), in a different department, is not AACSB.
They do not accredit universities. They accredit business schools AND accounting programs within business schools. These are considered separate and need individual accrediting with AACSB.
On the surface just looking at course titles I like the curriculum in the Penn State program. I would be drawn to the negotiation and influence speciality since it is what I focus on but I think it is nice that there are several options to choose from. For no good reason other than strategic positioning for utility, as someone that has a MS in Leadership from a liberal arts school instead of a business school, I think the program being in the business school and AACSB are potentially significant things. Johns Hopkins is a big name and may outweigh everything else but it is something to consider. It was mentioned above that your later potential pursuit of the UNCG DBA may make AACSB unimportant; life is constantly changing and I wouldn’t discount the potential value of AACSB for what may happen further down the line, especially when we are talking about something as “dynamic” as doctoral studies.
I went to Georgetown's School of Continuing Studies (SCS), some people said I went from the back door. The employers never asked me whether it is Georgetown College, McDonough Business School, or anything. I agree with Steve, go for Johns Hopkins. Lot of people know Johns Hopkins University, not many people know the different colleges/schools within JHU along with programmatic accreditation.
You guys have convinced me to go with Johns Hopkins, which is where I was leaning anyway. I'm not sure that the AACSB accreditation is going to matter for the PhD program, and the PhD program itself is AACSB, so I will get it with that anyway. Might be useful if I were to decide to teach, but I can't imagine any employer caring about it, as Johann pointed out.
No - for example, the program I'm looking at at JHU is not AACSB, but their MBA program through the business school is.
