...if you aren't going to one of the top tier business schools?

I was told the other day that if I had an MBA I would be the absolute number one candidate on paper for an open position with 80+ applicants for a position i am seeking.

My first reaction was to look in to getting an MBA, but it will have to be online as I cant take a 2 year break from work. There are 100+ online MBA programs ranging from $12 grand to $150 grand and directional state schools to top tier institutions.

My window to get the position I am looking for is closing rapidly, so time is of the essence. This is going to play a pretty major role in choosing a school. Outside of that, does it really matter where you get an online MBA from if you aren't going to one of the top tier schools? If you're just trying to check a box, what does it matter if you're degree is from directional state U? I would love to hear any and all input on this matter and greatly appreciate the insight.

This is a very unique job and there is no hiring manager per se. I dont want to get in to the details but for this specific job I'm not sure they would care too much where it came from. This is only one job out of an infinite number of possibilities though, so I am really just wondering about the rest of the world outside of my very niche industry.

I'll offer my experience, but I feel like this answer could be pretty wide-ranging by field and by industry.

I got my engineering degree and stayed in technical industries. Where I have worked, it seems like there's a pretty easy path internally to management and other roles for engineers who did well technically and also demonstrated the people/leadership skills needed to slide over into leadership roles without an MBA. It may help head-to-head against other candidates, but not a barrier to entry. There are some folks who had it on their development plan to sharpen some of their skills and help get them to the next step, and almost never university specific. But once past that threshold, the benefit of having an MBA on the resume, regardless of school, is greatly reduced.

The exceptions I've seen are:
A) When people in an individual contributor role at Company A try to move into a management role at Company B with no resume indicators or insider information that they're ready for that type of role. An MBA would probably have a much bigger impact here. And to further answer your question, it seems like the university of the MBA is becoming a bigger factor for this situation.
B) When people in less technical functions try to move up internally, especially when they have less relevant degrees. Example - someone in HR with a kinesiology degree seems pretty stuck without an advanced degree. However, I don't think the university is as big a factor here.

if you are doing online anyway do the best school you can get into.

I did Harvard Extension School for a Certificate in Strategic Management.

Harvard On Campus and Remote Certificates

Was it any better or harder than attending Arizona State online? Probably a little.

was it more expensive? yes

do employers look at it and give more credence because it has the word "Harvard" in it?

absolutely.

Is this for an internal job at a company youre already working for? Then the quality of MBA program does not likely matter.

If youre trying to switch careers and get into a better profession like investment banking, then the quality of MBA program definitely matters.

As long as youre not going to do it at University of Phoenix or Western Governors, then go for it if you think itll help get you this job.

Aggie95 said:

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Annoying THAT is the differentiator. I don't know the answer but I would imagine if hiring manager is that worried about an MBA, they would also be pretty critical of where you get it from.

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What I typically observe in the corporate finance and treasury world is that CPA hiring managers require CPA candidates as a first hurdle for applicants w/o even looking at education history, work history etc. Hiring managers with an MBA are a little bit less this way but still I would say more than half in my experience use it as a first hurdle.

It's not so much the content of the curriculum or the acumen of the candidate as it is to say, I set a goal, stuck with it and accomplished it. I've hired a couple CPA senior accountants and analysts that couldn't find their way out of the bathroom without consulting FASB.

With all that being said, it's a risk management technique. Requiring the MBA/CPA certs limits your upside in a search but it definitely also protects you from downside risk. I agree with LMC, if you're going to do it, do the absolute best program you can. In a pool of MBA candidates where the hiring manager is requiring the MBA as a minimum to be included in the interview process, he's gonna put Western Governors University at the bottom of the pile and start drooling over the Harvard applicant - regardless of whether or not the WGU grad is a Rhodes Scholar who got their MBA online while deployed on active duty and the Harvard applicant is a DEI enrollee with 300k in student debt.

It is the same industry I am in now, just a different segment of it. They don't require an MBA, but with my experience, having one would set me apart. Approximately 10% of the candidates have one but only about 6% of the group doing the hiring have one, so not mandatory, it would really end up just being a check in the box to say "this guy did that, not bad, that could benefit our business"

Ultimately the hire will be made on how well the applicant connects with the group doing the hiring, the MVA will just help me stand out a bit.

Now, if I don't get this position, I would be able to use the MBA in another direction in the industry, so that leads me to another question.

Small school with no real name recognition but has a much more industry applicable MBA program, or school with name recognition but a generic MBA program?

If you're going to spend the money and time, I'd encourage you to get into a prestigious university. When I see someone with an MBA from a lower tier university, I just assume they were trying to check a box or couldn't score high enough to get into a decent university, both of which are obvious negatives.

Also, a lot of what you're going to get from an MBA is the network and connections you meet in the program. Online programs really limit this. Just something to consider.

ThreeFive said:

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If you're going to spend the money and time, I'd encourage you to get into a prestigious university. When I see someone with an MBA from a lower tier university, I just assume they were trying to check a box or couldn't score high enough to get into a decent university, both of which are obvious negatives.

Also, a lot of what you're going to get from an MBA is the network and connections you meet in the program. Online programs really limit this. Just something to consider.

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I get the networking thing. I'm nearly 40 and have 3 young kids so online is basically the only option for me. I cant walk away from what is a very good career.

Sea Speed said:

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ThreeFive said:

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If you're going to spend the money and time, I'd encourage you to get into a prestigious university. When I see someone with an MBA from a lower tier university, I just assume they were trying to check a box or couldn't score high enough to get into a decent university, both of which are obvious negatives.

Also, a lot of what you're going to get from an MBA is the network and connections you meet in the program. Online programs really limit this. Just something to consider.

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I get the networking thing. I'm nearly 40 and have 3 young kids so online is basically the only option for me. I cant walk away from what is a very good career.

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The online MBA has to be a very tactical use case. You really, really need to quantify the ROI. Will your employer pay for it? If not, it's hard to justify the cost and time (even at a check the box). In terms of quality online, Kelly is the only one I've heard of that provides an ROI ($60k and actually has recruiting channels for consulting placement).

Yes, network is one of the things you pick up through an MBA. But really, you pick on placement. Each of the M7/T20s have very defined recruiting paths and the entire programs are based around placement. You're really only paying for the initial recruiting channel. You're only getting into IB/PE and MBB through certain schools. And yes, you can recruit from industry but the trajectory will be completely different from on campus recruiting hires.

The position opens pretty regularly, id say in the next 5 years there will be 20 people hired. Probably 10+ in those last 3 assuming I could finish in 2 years, so while it wouldn't help now, it would in the future.

500,000ags said:

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This is a strange scenario.

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Agreed. It is a very non traditional system. I truly do not think there is another hiring practice like this out there. I get it. It is weird. That doesn't really matter as it pertains to my question though, unfortunately.

It isn't policy, but any little edge helps. There is no clear path because I've met the minimum requirements for some years now. This would in theory just give me a slight edge over others and I can take all the help I can get.

But again, this may or may not work out. If it doesn't, i potentially still have an MBA which can't hurt if I ever try and shift gears.

I'd only do an MBA at an Ivy, Booth or Kellogg

Diggity said:

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Unless they're changing the policy on MBA requirements, if there are that many openings coming up and only 10% or so have MBA's, seems like you should just take your shot(s) without one.

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Right. And if they're hiring every 2-3 months, at a minimum, you could apply a few times over a relatively short period before committing to the cost and time of an MBA.

Learning NPV and IRR calcs, statistics, behavioral economics, etc. are commodity skills- they'll teach you the same stuff at Harvard as they do at UH. It depends on your specific goals. If your an engineer at Shell and want to stay at Shell, do the plan than works best for you personally/financially. If you're an accountant and want to get into Ibanking or private equity, the network and pedigree you get from the program will be the real differentiator- and there's tremendous value in it. But if that's important to you, you need to go full time and actually develop the network and become an active citizen in the program to exploit that benefit.

I got the elite branded MBA and I'll be the first to say that it doesn't really "qualify" you to do anything, specifically. What it does is signal to the market that you are smart, competitive, etc.

The brand opens a lot of doors, and when combined with impressive work experiences - it can help convince people to pick you for exciting things.

But it doesn't sound like you really want to spend the money on such a signal to the market - as you'd be going after a job in your current company. I'm not sure the brand is worth much in that situation.

How sure are you that you will stick to your company /industry /linear role progression?

Anecdotal, I realize, but I got my MBA from Rice which under nobody's definition is a top 10 MBA program. That written, I've done very well and make far more money than I thought I ever would, but most people tend to believe "top 10 or don't bother."

My brother went to a top 10 MBA, and he'll tell you firsthand most of what they did was just party, go on trips, and network via fancy meet and greets or whatever.

Our family paid for it but a lot of people who took loans out, didn't look like they were headed out on top. Never know of course but it's such a huge financial hole.

RightWingConspirator said:

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Anecdotal, I realize, but I got my MBA from Rice which under nobody's definition is a top 10 MBA program. That written, I've done very well and make far more money than I thought I ever would, but most people tend to believe "top 10 or don't bother."

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I always wonder how many of the people who are in the M7 or not at all camp actually went to an M7. I work with several people who went M7, and a lot of this feels more like outside looking in jealousy than inside looking out elitism.

Did you stay in Texas? The rule of thumb is top 10-15 if you want to leave location open too, but going to a good school like Rice and staying where that university carries a reputation works as well.

This is why I did mine @ Texas. Weren't planning on leaving and the brand recognition/support locally makes all the difference

We've been all over the place. Bakersfield, Singapore, and now back in Houston. Believe Rice is now top 25, so definitely respectable. I picked a school that had some brand recognition as I wasn't willing to leave Houston at the time. We had a five month old at the time and a home. Didn't want to sell the home or move so we picked the best option for us in Houston.

Keep us posted on this one, interesting situation.

My 2 thoughts are, forget the term MBA for now. Does this job you want and the promotion path its on require you to understand how to run a business? Do you need to know corporate finance or industry strategy? And then personally, can you understand the business just from a profits/loss, balance sheet, cash flow statements? I can see why a hiring manager would love to have someone with a specific technical background and then can see how it all rolls up into a cash generating or incinerating machine.

Can you get that training and exposure right now without having an MBA? My experience with friends who got MBAs who stayed in their own industry and state usually just get the hang of how business works and then the real learning is on the job.