|
So I'm considering going for my MBA sometime soon in the future but I've got a question concerning the type of program to shoot for. My background is in Engineering and I'll be finishing up a Masters in the subject (part time on the company dime while working full time) next summer. I'd like to start working on an MBA soon thereafter. It seems like everyone who goes to a full time program aspires to finance, investment banking, and fields such as that. I'd like to get the advantages of having a top program on my diploma, but I don't know if it's worth taking two years out and paying for it out of my own pocket if I intend on staying in the engineering field. I really am just looking for the MBA to expand my skillset so I can get into higher level management at some point down the road. If you don't intend on going into the banking industry is there any reason to take the time, effort, and expense to go to a full time program? If I go part time it would be at the University of Iowa's Tippie School of Business, which is a decently ranked program. Also my current company would pay for it. The obvious downside is that if I go this route it'll open doors for me within the company, but not as many as I might like if I decide to move out of the area with another company.
|
#
¿
Sep 28, 2008 18:48
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 06:17 |
|
|
ion posted:MBA's are quite expensive. Think of what a business you can set up with 100,000? MBAs are free if your employer pays for it, which just about any medium or large sized company will do.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 10, 2008 23:28
|
|
|
How do you guys think the value of an MBA is going to end up being changed by the financial crisis? Whether you look at it as a general tool for career advancement or to push you into a specific industry, it really seems as though there must be a big change in how an MBA is viewed? I'm particularly thinking of a middle of the road Big 10 school type MBA, not nessicarily one from a top (or bottom) rung school.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 11, 2008 22:12
|
|
|
locdogg posted:Knowing little about his situation I am going to make some broad based assumptions and assume he he is thinking about the "traditional" MBA path. That is, get a job and work for an established firm in some sort of managerial role post MBA. Correct assumptions, I'm an engineer and I'd like to stay in engineering (just not the lower level gruntwork forever). I just don't want to get stuck in middle management, or worse yet have my job outsourced to India. I work for a defense contractor so they can't outsource everything, but what they can outsource increases the competition for the stuff that requires citizenship or clearance. Currently I'm working on a Masters to give myself a bit of an edge, but so are a lot of other people, so I'm hoping the combination of a Masters of Engineering and an M.B.A. will help me distinguish myself in a pool of lots of other smart and talented people. Edit: That's why I say a big ten type school, my intention is to let my company pay for me to do a part time MBA at the local university, which is second tier type program (respected but nothing special).
|
|
#
¿
Nov 14, 2008 02:58
|
|
|
Just got back from taking the GMATs and I had a couple questions to throw out there. Overall I did rather well (Quant 44, Verbal 42, overall 710), but didn't score quite as I'd expected. In the two formal practice tests from MBA.com I got a 730 (48/41) and a 710 (48/40), so I'd been anticipating to do better on the math. However, my undergrad degree is in Aerospace Engineering, so I should hope I'd be able to convince any committee that my quantative skills are up to snuff. I don't feel a need to retake it unless someone can convince me it's a good enough idea to spend $250. Both Chicago Booth and Northwestern are about a 4 hour drive away. My GMAT score, plus undergrad GPA, and having a graduate degree in engineering I would think would make me fairly competitive for either of their weekend programs. Baring that the University of Iowa's Tippie school, which is ranked in tier two by Business Week, is right next door. Do any goons have insight on whether it would be worth subjecting myself to 8 hours of driving each weekend for 2 1/2 years in order to get the MBA from Northwestern or Chicago (assuming I get accepted) as opposed to the mid ranked closer school? My career goals aren't to go into finance or Wall street or anything, I'd like to stay in engineering with the goal for the MBA to put myself in a position to move up to the executive level.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 10, 2009 20:30
|
|
|
lolercoasterrr posted:How long do people generally study for the GMAT? I've heard LSAT studying is on average probably around ~3 months... I figure GMAT was ~1 correct? I studied for about 2-3 weeks, but I definatly could have probably improved my score if I'd studied longer. If you look around some people's blogs and message board postings though you'll see some people talking about studying every night for 6 months or more. Having taken the GMAT I'd say that you definatly need to spend at least a couple of weeks to get used to the format and all that, but your return on the time you spend studying will fall sharply after a couple of weeks. On a side note, I just completed my application to the University of Iowa's part time program (stupid Chicago and Northwestern being too far away to drive for weekend MBA) for this fall, so I hope I hear back soon. It should basically be an automatic given my GMAT score and the fact that they know my company will be footing the bill. But I can't help being slightly apprehensive.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 29, 2009 16:06
|
|
|
Woohoo, just got accepted into the part time program at the University of Iowa (not a top 10 school, I know, but it's solidely ranked and work is paying the whole bill other than textbooks). Any evening/weekend MBA students have any words of wisdom for the next few years of my life?
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 04:01 on Apr 15, 2009 |
|
#
¿
Apr 15, 2009 03:56
|
|
|
Modern Life Is War posted:Good job. Talk to other students to find out which professors to take, find out if you can get advanced standing, and keep in touch with your MBA student office to make sure you're generally taking the right classes in the right order. I'm in the part-time program at Rutgers and my company is basically doing the same, excluding courses that are "not directly related to my job," such as the calc prerequisite. For me the difference is in whether I have to pay taxes or not. Job related means I don't have to pay taxes on the money I get from my company regardless of the amount. If classes are non-job related and I get taxed after like $5,000, which is about 2-3 classes. The company pays either way as long as it's part of an approved degree program. If I was taking individual classes that weren't part of a degree then they would only pay for job related courses. If you don't mind my asking, what's advanced standing and why do I want it?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 16, 2009 04:03
|
|
|
MikeyKins posted:Yeah, I've never been to the testing centre, but I called on Monday and found out what room it's in and I can't imagine it's particularly difficult to find. I imagine I'll be there about an hour before I write to make sure everything goes smoothly signing in and getting them the ID they need. An hour is probably overkill (unless you are totally unfamiliar with the area). 15-20 minutes should give you more than enough time. If you really feel like it's important to show up that early I'd reccomend bringing some last minute study materials, because you are going to be bored.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 29, 2009 22:14
|
|
|
LactoseO.D.'d posted:How accurate are the practice tests on the CD they send out? I just did a 620. My practice test scores from the official GMAT practice tests were pretty consistent with what I scored on the real thing. They are definatly the best gauge of what you need to be studying.
|
|
#
¿
May 3, 2009 04:15
|
|
|
LactoseO.D.'d posted:Took it today, got a 610. Scored 620 and 660 on the practice tests. I'm not sure if the practice tests use the adaptive structure, but it seemed a lot more apparent when I was taking the exam. The ones that you can get from MBA.com (or their CD) are exactly the same as the real tests, they just use old questions.
|
|
#
¿
May 8, 2009 04:17
|
|
|
econdroidbot posted:Should I grind it out for another year in my current job, realizing that I will have an additional year of savings and work experience under my belt when it comes time to apply next year? Unless you hate your life, yes. You should.
|
|
#
¿
May 15, 2009 03:22
|
|
|
Modern Life Is War posted:The people at the top of my company's 'org chart' have both the CPA destination and an MBA. If possible, go for both. Sorry if you've stated this earlier in the thread, but what kind of industry do you work in?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 28, 2009 05:23
|
|
|
ultrafilter posted:
What is the draw of getting a Masters in Engineering Management rather than an MBA? I just found out I have to delay starting my MBA until next year (temporarily relocated for work and careerwise the exposure I'm getting is worth putting off the MBA temporarily) so I could look into switching into a different school and going for the Engineering Management degree instead. I already have a Masters in Systems Engineering (finished this semester!), so my instinct is the MBA would be more worthwhile, but does anyone who has done an Engineering Management program have any advice as to which would be a better option? It really seems like the Engineering Management degree would just be a watered down version of the Systems degree I've already finished with a few management classes thrown in, but I don't want to judge without hearing from someone who has done it. If it helps, career-wise I'd eventually like to end up as an engineering director/VP. I work for a defense contractor and am only 2 years removed form undergrad, so I have time to plan.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 22, 2009 00:43
|
|
|
LofwyrSai posted:Mid size firms will get you a salary in between these figures - like 80 to 100k. Law has some of the most variable pay of any field. The MBA figures you are quoting are for people that go into consulting or IB. I think he has a good point actually. Look at the Law School megathread, they point out in the first post that a select few lawyers get paid mega-bucks but most toil for a very average wage. With an MBA on the otherhand there are definatly still only a few superstars that make the mega-bucks, but the distribution isn't as bimodal with people either making large amounts or very little. It's spread out all along the spectrum. Not to imply that life isn't what you make of it, but I think the point Don Wrigley raised is valid.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 27, 2009 02:51
|
|
|
Agent Escalus posted:So, what's the lowest GMAT score you've heard of an admitted student having? What kinds of schools are you looking at? That's gonna keep you out of any full time programs, but it might not prevent you from enrolling in a local evening program. If you're scoring that low though you probably should consider how successful you'd be in an MBA program. Do you think you'll be able to keep your head above water in statistics and finance type classes?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 21, 2009 05:16
|
|
)
|
Micgael posted:I've started looking at programs recently and I was hoping for some advice. Definitely get some full time work experience first, don't over qualify yourself by having an MBA but no experience unless you are confident you know somebody that'll hook you up with a job upon graduation.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2010 17:53
|
|
|
Modern Life Is War posted:Anyone else doing summer courses? I started my part-time MBA right when this thread was born and I'll finish this time next year. I am, start up this week. It'll be my first MBA class (had to delay my start by a year because of work related travel that just ended) so I'm excited but a little nervous about it.
|
|
#
¿
May 24, 2010 16:47
|
|
|
Stup posted:Which practice test are you guys saying was fairly accurate? The ones given by the GMAC? The ones on the GMAT website are actual old tests, so they are a very accurate representation of what you'll see when you take the GMAT. I got a 710 and a 750 on those two practice tests, then a 730 when I took it for real, so it perfectly averaged my real score.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 14, 2010 20:10
|
|
|
oye como va posted:Is it necessary to work while getting a MBA? I would rather focus on school, volunteer, and intern than keep my current job. Depends on what kind of program you are doing. If you are in a Evening or E-MBA program then they expect that you are working during the day. In a traditional program you are a full time student.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 29, 2010 02:36
|
|
|
Frank Zappa posted:-My plan on studying for the GMAT (test date is three weeks from today) is to first take an adaptive practice exam today (on the Manhattan GMAT) to find out what my biggest weaknesses are, and focus on those weaknesses using the labs and my study material. I don't think I need a great GMAT score to be successful (I think if I got a 650 I'd be pretty darn satisfied), but I'd like to maximize this however possible. Is this doable? What are your thoughts on this? Download the practice tests from the GMAC website, they are real test questions that are no longer in the rotation, plus they are free. That was my number one study help. My average on the two practice tests perfectly predicted my actual score. I got a 690 and a 730 on the practices, and then got a 710 on the real thing. Also, if you are a native english speaker I wouldn't stress out about the essays, just do one or two to get the format down and you'll be fine. On a separate note, I just finished my first semester of evening MBA and coming from an engineering background, the classes are much easier, but way more of a hassle. I did my Engineering masters online so got used to being able to watch the lectures and work on projects whenever. Having to devote specific time slots every week sucks. This summer I had class from 6-10 PM three nights a week, and it was just killer on my social life and sleep schedule. Plus any time I had to travel for work it put me in catch-up mode. The actual amount of the time commitment (worked out to about 10 hours a week per class) is fine, just wish I had more control over when I put in that time. But hey, I'm 2/15th done with the MBA. Thoguh fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Aug 14, 2010 |
|
#
¿
Aug 14, 2010 17:14
|
|
|
oye como va posted:I'm doing okay so far but I'm in a part-time program. However, working 45 hour weeks and going to school is going to be a bitch. I hear you there, this summer I had class from 6-10 PM three nights a week. I had zero life other than work and class. This fall it is only two nights a week, but it definetly still sucks rear end. A part time MBA seems as much about showing your ability to spend 2-3 years surviving getting the life sucked out of you as it is about learning anything. Then again, tha'ts probably a good metaphor for the kinds of jobs you get with a part time MBA.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 8, 2010 15:18
|
|
|
LactoseO.D.'d posted:I'd like some opinions here. Either employers will recognize the name or they won't. Putting it on your resume is extremely tacky and a horrible idea. Maybe bring it up in an interview if it is something you are worried about.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 27, 2010 15:06
|
|
|
Hired Gun posted:The problem lies in getting a letter of recommendation from my company. They've been supportive of me getting my bachelor's and have been very accomodating with my scheduling around classes. Saying I'm going for the MBA and asking for the letter is pretty much admitting that I'm going to be leaving the company, and could piss them off since they've worked with my schedule anticipating I'd stick around. I also don't want to telegraph the fact I'm leaving in case I get rejected from the MBA programs and I do actually need to keep my job. Any ideas on this? Do you have a more senior guy, maybe not a direct boss, that you could discretely ask? Alternately, maybe contact the admissions department and ask them what people in your situation usually do.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 2, 2010 05:51
|
|
|
DrPain posted:Graduated in August with a Marketing degree. Found a regional sales job. Going to work here for 5-6 years then go back to my alma mater for the MBA. Is there a reason you are stucking on going to the same place you did your undergrad?
|
|
#
¿
Oct 15, 2010 17:19
|
|
|
So I'm approaching the end of my second semester (evening program) and I am definetly burning out. Gonna have to reach down in the well to convince myself that giving up my nights and weekends for another two years is worth it. Totally depends on the class I'm hoping. I'm taking two this semester, Statistics and Marketing Management. The Stat class is great since the prof is awesome. The Marketing class, on the other hand, is absolutely worthless. I honestly feel emberassed for the guy teaching it. I know the subject can be worthwhile, but damned if we couldn't have covered everything in a 1 hour seminar back in August and then called it quits. Starting up right after finals I've got a Friday Night/Saturday All Day class that runs in December. That is for sure going to try my patience.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 8, 2010 23:12
|
|
|
T0MSERV0 posted:Actually, this brings up a question that I've been wondering about : how well are executive MBAs received vs regular ones? The company I work for, for example, will pay tuition for a part time MBA, but won't pay anything for an executive MBA, implying that it doesn't think the EMBA's worth much. Is that a normal viewpoint? Would it be worth it for someone who had a regular MBA to go back and get the executive one as well (after the customary extra experience/company level/etc.)? It's the opposite at my company (mid sized defense contractor). Getting a part time MBA only requires the approval of your immediate manager. Going for an Executive MBA requires approval from a VP (so 4 levels above where most people are at rather than 1) due to the extra cost and time commitment. At the local state school for a Part Time MBA you are looking at about 27k over 3 years or so. For the EMBA program it's more like 50k over a 18 months with at least one multi-week trip abroad. Basically anybody who isn't a screw up can go for a part time MBA, but for an EMBA you have to be on the short list of employees that are expected to become Directors or VPs within a few years. Thoguh fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Jan 30, 2011 |
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2011 19:34
|
|
|
OctaviusBeaver posted:Does anybody have experience with an MS in engineering and an MBA? I'm mostly done with undergrad and I'm starting on my Masters classes. My boss at the place I am interning suggested I consider doing a combined MBA/MS which would take 4 semesters instead of 3. That would be at the state school I am in right now. On the other hand if I graduated from this school I could go back later on using tuition reimbursement, but I'm not thrilled with the idea of going back to school at a point when I may have a wife and kids to deal with on top of a full time job. I'd reccomend against getting the MBA without any work experience. Personally I got my undergrad then began my Engineering Masters right away once I started a full time engineering job after graduation (so basically I had the summer off and started part time grad school in the fall). Once I finished the Masters, I took a year off before starting my MBA through a part time program at the local state school (Not Ivy League, but ranked in the top 50). So essentially I started my MBA 3 years after finishing undergrad. I'm about halfway through now and I can say with certainty that if I had tried to do the MBA right away I would not have taken as much out of it. A lot of the topics just require you to have the work experience under your belt to fully grasp them. If anything, I think the MBA would have been better to do in a few more years when I had some experience with direct reports rather than just leading engineering teams. Plus with the MBA and no experience you risk overqualifying yourself for the kind of work you'd be applying for. Nobody is going to hire you as an engineering manager with no experience, and they might be hesistant to hire you into a junior or mid level engineering role if you've made it clear through the MBA that you don't plan on sticking around. And thirdly, let them pay for it. My company has sunk like 40k already into my degrees, and has another 20k or so to go before I'm done with the MBA. Plus this has kept all my undergrad loans in defferment. Edit: However, if your university has a partnership with an engineering company to take people out of the MS/MBA program and put them directly into their executive pipeline, then I take it back and say go for it. Those kinds of agreements do exist.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 23, 2011 16:45
|
|
|
Elucidarius posted:EDIT: I mean couldn't what you said apply to any Masters type program? Why would I apply to a Computer Science program as I don't have as much experience as someone with a pure Comp Sci background? I think what you give/get from a program is dependent on the effort you put into the program. That's not what an MBA is. I only have about 4 years of full time professional experience and sometimes I've felt underprepared for my classes in terms of life experience (I'm in a part time program at a Big 10 school, not top 25 but in the top 50). If you haven't been in the working world for a few years you aren't going to gain much out of an MBA, and you also aren't going to be able to contribute much in class and groups. If you can't relate to your classmates, you are going to hate the MBA experience and also not grow much from it. Thoguh fucked around with this message at 00:23 on May 7, 2011 |
|
#
¿
May 7, 2011 00:20
|
|
|
Xguard86 posted:I'm sure it is legal but I still feel the need: Hell, at my company if you get laid off (not fired) after the semester starts they'll still reimburse you for that semester, even if you were only employed on the first day of class. I've seen companies that require you to pay them back if you quit, but I can't conceive how they could make you pay back tuition assistance if you are laid off. That'd be like forcing you to pay back insurance premiums or something.
|
|
#
¿
May 10, 2011 22:16
|
|
|
I'm now 8/15th done with my MBA. I'm halfway to being a baller. Have a phone interview with a company on Monday though, it's tough because I like the location and think the job would be decent, and likely a huge pay raise, but at this point it would be tough to transfer to a different school and finish out the MBA, so I am tempted to tell them "Thanks for the interest, but call me in a year when I'm done". Especially tough since I'm going to a top 50 school's evening program, but there are several top 10 schools near the new job. I wish they would have called me a year ago before I started!
|
|
#
¿
May 16, 2011 01:38
|
|
|
tolerabletariff posted:I'm writing a case study that's going to be included in an undergraduate business class that's taught mostly with HBS cases and I'd like to get my style and formatting as close to those as possible. serious answer: mess around on Google. I am sure you'll find some cases that have been posted outside of a paywall. Barring that, just make sure to spend a lot of time describing lunch. Every business case seems to spend like half the paper talking about 'crisp lettuce' and 'succulent chicken' and the like.
|
|
#
¿
May 18, 2011 19:46
|
|
|
The Experiment posted:Hello, Are you looking at a part time MBA while you work, or going full time?
|
|
#
¿
May 20, 2011 15:34
|
|
|
The Experiment posted:It depends. There is a huge difference in pretty much everything depending on which route you take. Are you looking to advance your current career, or break off and start a new one?
|
|
#
¿
May 21, 2011 01:43
|
|
|
bouncyman posted:Decisions for UCLA's FEMBA program were released today, and I got rejected. My stats were solid (740 GMAT, 2.7 engineering gpa), and I'm pretty sure my recommendations were good. Graduated in 2007, have three years of work experience, but purely in an engineering function. Does this mean I just got my rear end kicked on the essays? Or are my stats more terrible than I thought they were? 2.7 GPA is actually pretty bad if you are wanting to keep going to school. Are you in any kind of underrepresented minority?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 22, 2011 19:23
|
|
|
bouncyman posted:I thought lower GPAs were more forgivable for engineering majors, but I guess I was wrong. If that's what kept me out, should I just not bother reapplying? Lower is more forgivable, but below a 3.0 is still kind of a stretch, though your 740 GMAT should have really helped. I just looked up that "FEMBA" means part time MBA. In that case I'm confused, because for an evening MBA I'd think that would get you in to any school other than the best of the best. Try again next year?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 22, 2011 23:14
|
|
|
Orgasmo posted:Be realistic with your options. You're not going to get into a top flight program but there should be some local schools offering an MBA program. I'm 80% done with my program, it is fully online at a state school, they didn't require a GMAT score, and they threw a $10k scholarship to boot. How do you do an entire MBA online? Such a huge part of an MBA is the networking and the shared experiences you get from the other people in the program. I could see having a few classes available online (and I wish my program did that), but doesn't doing the whole thing online pretty much defeat the purpose of the degree?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2011 17:24
|
|
|
Online works great for lots of programs, but not all. Law School, for example, would never work as an online offering. An MBA isn't that extreme, but if you are doing it entirely online you are missing out on a huge amount of the personal and proffesional growth you'd normally get from an MBA.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2011 18:21
|
|
|
YankeeAirPirate posted:My thought is that networking at school is A) not something everyone does B) not something every program encourages well. Please go back and read through this thread, and any other MBA related resource until you are capable of telling the difference between an academic/research based degree and a proffesional degree.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2011 19:28
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 06:17 |
|
|
YankeeAirPirate posted:However, the people you meet at school are not likely to be particularly special. This is exactly 100% of the reason people stress out about getting into elite schools. The better the school, the better the networking, both among your classmates and alumni. shrike82 posted:I know for STEM graduates degrees, you really want to go down the research path (PHD preferably) and a class-focused MSc usually results in lab-tech/code monkey work. Now you're going overboard on the other end. Online degrees actually work great for STEM type classes (labs excepted). There are a large number of highly ranked universities offering online options in STEM areas. YankeeAirPirate is just failing to grasp the difference between those degrees and an MBA. Every single large engineering contractor in the country will not only pay for their employees to get online based STEM graduate degrees, they will encourage them to do so. Online degrees aren't inherently bad as long as they are from a respected school. They just don't work for the purpose of an MBA. Thoguh fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Jun 23, 2011 |
|
#
¿
Jun 23, 2011 19:40
|
|