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Considering Enrolling in a Graduate Business School?
Here's Some Key Points to Consider
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The NJIT School of Management,
an AACSB accredited business school, offers
MBA and
executive MBA
degrees with a special focus on the management of technology. When pondering which MBA
program is right for you, Dean Somers suggests you research four key factors.
4 Critical Factors to Consider in Evaluating MBA Programs
The real value of an MBA degree lies in the knowledge, skills, and abilities that the program
fosters and builds. While all MBA programs are focused on developing a broad based view of
a business (hence, the label "master of business administration"), they achieve this objective
in different ways. It is important to select an MBA that meets your needs and career
aspirations and that will prepare you for what lies ahead in the general business environment.
The following criteria are suggested for evaluating MBA curricula:
| 1. |
Breadth
Beware of the "Quick MBA"
The MBA is a de facto certification that one can understand all facets of a business
as well as interrelationships among them. In order to meet this goal, the curriculum
should have a general business component that includes all of the functional areas of
business (e.g., accounting, marketing, finance, etc) and a capstone course that is
emphasizes inter-functional integration.
Although "streamlined" MBA programs of 36 credits or less have become popular along with
"mini-MBA" certificate programs, it is very difficult to achieve the breadth that an MBA
requires with such a compressed curriculum.
- A good rule of thumb for a quality, broad based curriculum is forty five to sixty
credits. Working professionals can still achieve a quality MBA in under two years with
the right program.
- For those who view the faster graduation time of a "lighter" MBA curriculum as an advantage, consider this: your competition is other MBA's with the greater knowledge and breadth of a more intensive program.
- However appealing an online MBA may seem, you are not going to be taken seriously with a diploma from the University of Phoenix. Great strides have been made in providing online courses that supplement an accredited MBA curriculum, but they will never comprise the entire program of a top business school.
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| 2. |
Depth
Why MBA? What Makes a Program Special?
Virtually all MBA programs offer an area of specialization or concentration that serves to define
the graduate's interest. The most common specializations are in functional areas such as accounting,
finance or marketing. In recent years, the growth of the digital economy has led to the development
of more technology-focused specializations such as e-business, management information systems,
and e-commerce.
- Be sure that the MBA program you select has specialization areas that meet your needs.
- To properly support the program, the business school should maintain full-time faculty with expertise in the specialization areas offered.
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A Distinctive Focus
The number of MBA's has grown over forty fold during the last 40 years. Quite simply, the MBA is no longer special and finding MBA's in the labor market is not difficult!
- It's important to choose an MBA program with a distinctive focus that sets you apart from the crowd. The program should give you a distinctive competitive advantage as opposed to being "just another MBA."
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AASCB Accreditation
A Key to Graduate School Ranking
Only twenty-five percent of MBA programs are able to meet the standards of the AASCB International -- the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business.
- AASCB accreditation ensures that the MBA program is current, relevant and staffed by qualified faculty, as only the best business schools are able to achieve this important credential.
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