5 Amazing MBA Experiences You Can Only Get Studying Online

Online MBA programs have become more than just affordable alternatives to traditional classroom-based courses

Today’s online MBA programs are credible alternatives to traditional classroom-based courses. And, with advances in technology, online MBAs are more interactive and engaging than ever before.

So much so that Birmingham Business School positions its Online MBA - the world’s first 100%-online MBA to be accredited by AMBA – as a direct alternative to its full-time MBA program. When Birmingham’s Online MBA students graduate, the certificate they receive is the same as students on the full-time course.

But online courses offer more. There’s no opportunity cost – online MBA students can study while they work. While some full-time MBA programs can cost upwards of $100,000 (USD) in tuition alone, Birmingham’s Online MBA costs a more affordable £18,000 ($23,000)*.

According to GMAC – the demand for online MBA programs is outstripping that for traditional face-to-face part-time and executive courses.

Here’s five amazing MBA experiences you can only get by studying online:

1. Study anywhere, anytime

Flexibility is a big buzzword in business today. Online MBA program participants can study almost anywhere –juggling work and study at the same time.

The is part of the UK’s Russell Group; renowned for its high standard of faculty and research facilities. For Munyaradzi Chikwanda, a South African student on Birmingham’s Online MBA, studying online means having access to a level of educational experience which is less available locally:

“I needed an MBA program that would fit well with my family commitments and responsibilities - as well as my hectic work schedule,” he says. “I also wanted an MBA program from an internationally-recognized and revered academic institution.

“Studying for an MBA from Birmingham will open doors and introduce me to new professional networks, helping me realize both my professional and personal goals,” he says.

2. Connect internationally

Where is more diverse than the internet? Online students connect globally through their computer – to fellow students, professors, and mentors – at the click of a mouse.

Birmingham offers an Online MSc International Business alongside its Online MBA. Across both programs, 62% of students are international, representing 45 different nationalities.

“During my first online session, I was simply amazed as the class went live with students from America, Australia, Africa and Asia,” says Ceridwen Scerri, a Birmingham Online MBA student from Malta.

“And with each module, experts join the course,” she continues. “So far, I’ve had lecturers from New Zealand, Malaysia, Israel and the UK – I don’t think that this can be experienced on-campus, to the same extent.”

3. Use new, cutting-edge technologies

While MBAs in classrooms might read about new developments in digital technology in a textbook; online MBA students live them.

On Birmingham’s Online MBA, students and professors connect through fortnightly live sessions – intensive, two and a quarter hours long sessions in an immersive online learning environment. Birmingham is also looking to use cutting-edge technologies – like artificial intelligence and big data analytics – to create a more personalized online learning experience.

“Online, we’ve got the analytics,” says Daniel Chicksand, director of Birmingham’s Online MBA. “We can see exactly where students are in the program, how much time they’ve spent on a particular page, and how they navigate through the learning experience.

“We can make that learning pathway smoother and more rewarding for students. And we can give them that constant and immediate feedback that you can’t always get in a face-to-face environment.”

4. Get a specialized skillset

Flexible, remote working online is the future of the workplace and online study is the perfect preparation. Employers recognize that completing an MBA online needs even more self-discipline, self-motivation, organizational and time-management skills than a traditional full-time course.

“My employer is pleased that I’ve decided to get my MBA,” says Birmingham Online MBA student Patrick Gettleman – his employer offset some of the program’s cost.

“Having a different perspective on things helps shape different responses to situations,” he continues. “I now look at my projects from more of a big picture perspective than I would have before.”

5. Apply your learnings in your day-to-day work

Combining work and study means online MBA students can implement their learnings in the workplace. Ultimately, studying online makes students better at their jobs, whether they’re bankers, consultants, or entrepreneurs.

Florence Britton (pictured above) is using the skills she’s gaining on Birmingham’s Online MBA grow her home care agency: “When we completed the strategy module, I redeveloped my company’s strategy. When we completed the marketing module, I redesigned my marketing plan,” she says.

“For every module that I have studied, I have done something to improve my business.”

*Course price is rising to £18,540 (GBP) in October 2017

For more information see BusinessBecause

アジアのトップビジネススクールが集結！第5回『アジアMBA夏祭り』7月23日開催

海外トップ大学・大学院留学準備指導校を運営する株式会社アゴス・ジャパン(代表取締役：横山 匡、本社：東京都渋谷区)は、アジアMBAトップ校の日本人卒業生・在校生が集結する『アジアMBA夏祭り』を2017年7月23日(日)に開催いたします。

今年で第5回目を迎える『アジアMBA夏祭り』では、アジア全域を一度にカバーする卒業生によるパネルディスカッションだけではなく、各校ブース形式での学校紹介を行い、リアルな情報を直接得られる貴重な機会となっています。

近年アジアMBA志望者は急増しており、アジアMBA主要10校では、2009年の11名から昨年2016年は47名と、4倍以上増加しています。(※1)

Financial Times Global MBA Rankingによる「Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2017」の評価を見てもアジアMBAの進出は目覚ましく、2009年の4校から10校に増加しています。(※2)

アジアMBAトップ校の卒業生総勢50名以上が集まる本イベントで、アジアMBAの実力を直に感じていただくことが可能です。

(※1)チャイナMBAマネジメント協会(CMMA： http://cmma.biz/ )の調査による

(※2)「Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2017」

http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-ranking-2017

◇日時 ：2017年7月23日(日) 13:30-17:00

◇会場 ：AP渋谷道玄坂渋東シネタワー

https://www.tc-forum.co.jp/kanto-area/ap-shibuyadougenzaka/shb-base/

◇来場予定者：約200名

◇イベントスケジュール

第1部：13:30～15:00 卒業生によるパネルディスカッション

【アジェンダ】

・アジアのMBAを選ぶべき理由

・アジアMBAの特徴

・卒業生はアジアMBAの経験をどのようにキャリアに活かしているか

【モデレーター】

都築 啓氏

卒業校：香港科技大学／The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology class of 2015

留学形態：私費

留学前の産業／職種：総合コンサル／経営コンサルタント

留学後の産業／職種：プライベートエクイティ／投資・企業再生

【パネリスト】

橘 省吾氏

卒業校：香港科技大学／The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology class of 2017

留学形態：私費

留学前の産業／職種：外資総合コンサル／IT・組織戦略コンサルタント

留学後の産業／職種：外資戦略コンサル／経営戦略コンサルタント

周藤 一浩氏

卒業校：清華大学経済管理学院／School of Economics and Management Tsinghua University class of 2016

留学形態：社費

留学前の産業／職種：日系IT／コンサルティング

留学後の産業／職種：日系IT／コンサルティング

大川 栄一氏

卒業校：中欧国際工商学院／China Europe International Business School(CEIBS) class of 2016

留学形態：社費

留学前の産業／職種：総合商社／営業・トレーディング

留学後の産業／職種：総合商社／事業投資・事業開発

井上 貴江氏

卒業校：シンガポール国立大学／National University of Singapore Business School class of 2013

留学形態：私費

留学前の産業／職種：投資銀行／地方金融機関向け債権営業

留学後の産業／職種：ヘッジファンド／エクイティアナリスト

向井 秀明氏

卒業校：早稲田-ナンヤンダブルMBA／Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA class of 2012

留学形態：私費

留学前の産業／職種：外資IT／技術営業

留学後の産業／職種：日系IT／新規事業開発

山田 泰穂氏

卒業校：一橋大学大学院国際企業戦略研究科(一橋ICS)／Hitotsubashi ICS class of 2015

留学形態：社費

留学前の産業／職種：ホテルマネジメント・運営／経営コンサルタント

留学後の産業／職種：ホテルマネジメント・運営／海外事業開発・新規事業開発

第2部：15:00～17:00 各校ブース形式での学校紹介

◇参加予定者出身校：13校(2017/5/18現在)

・清華大学経済管理学院／School of Economics and Management Tsinghua University

・北京大学光華管理学院／Guanghua School of Management Peking University

・長江商学院／Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business

・中欧国際工商学院(CEIBS)／China Europe International Business School

・香港中文大学／The Chinese University of Hong Kong

・香港科技大学／The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

・香港大学／The University of Hong Kong

・香港城市大学／City University of Hong Kong

・シンガポール国立大学／National University of Singapore Business School

・南洋理工大学／早稲田大学 Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA／Nanyang MBA

・シンガポール経営大学／Singapore Management University

・一橋大学大学院国際企業戦略研究科(一橋ICS)／Hitotsubashi ICS

・国際大学(IUJ)／International University of Japan

◇参加費：

無料ですが参加予約のためにアゴス・ジャパンWebサイトの無料オンライン登録が必要です。

◇参加方法：

アゴス・ジャパンWebサイトよりお申し込みください。

http://www.agos.co.jp/e.php?e=5366

主催：アゴス・ジャパン

協力：チャイナMBAマネジメント協会(CMMA)

「チャイナMBAマネジメント協会(英文表記：CMMA：China MBA ＆ Management Association、理事長：大内 昭典)」は、清華大学、北京大学、長江商学院、CEIBSなど中国トップビジネススクールの現役学生および卒業生を中心とし、メンバー同士の交流や研鑚を通じて、中国文化圏および日本中国間で活躍するトップ経営者人材の輩出を目指す団体です。また、日本で初めてアジアMBAを紹介する書籍『アジアでMBA』(英治出版)を共著出版しました。

URL： http://cmma.biz/

■株式会社アゴス・ジャパンについて

アゴス・ジャパンは、MBA／LLM／大学院／大学留学指導、TOEFL(R)TEST／IELTS／GMAT(R)／GRE(R)TEST／SAT(R)対策のエキスパートです。トップ校合格のために必要な各種英語テストの攻略法および出願コンサルティング指導により、海外トップスクールへ1万件以上(2000年以降の累計)という、圧倒的な合格実績を誇ります。また、国内70社以上の企業派遣生への特別テスト対策講座・留学指導、東京大学を始めとする大学でのテスト対策講座等も行っています。

Sankei Bizから

Why The MBA Beats The MD & The JD

The cost of getting an MBA degree can be staggering, leaving students with heavy debt burdens after graduation. But the perennial question every new generation of MBA applicants have is, does the degree still pay off in dollars-and-cents terms? 

A new return-on-investment analysis on graduate education shows that the MBA continues to beat all other degrees when it comes down to value.

The study by San Francisco-based Priceonomics to determine which advanced degrees produced graduates with the most (and least) student debt and how that compared to post-degree income immediately after graduation. 

Researchers analysed MDs (medicine), DDS (dentistry), Pharm D (pharmacy), JDs (law), Masters in Science or Engineering, Masters in Arts, and other masters degrees. They also examined the impact of a university’s brand on a graduate’s earnings.

The study found that MBAs had the lowest debt-to-income ratios of  0.71. That compares with medical professionals’s debt-to-income ratio of 1.41, master’s of arts at 1.07, or law at 1.0. 

Medical professionals incur the most average debt at  $191,200, followed by law graduates at $139,900 (see below table). The average debt for an MBA was $89.900.

The analysis, moreover, tends to underestimate the MBA’s value: the stated first-year income for MBAs of $127,200 is substantially below the actual figures for graduates of the top schools. Last year, the median total compensation package—including sign-on bonuses and other guaranteed pay— for MBAs at two dozen of the most highly ranked institutions exceeded the reported average in the study. In fact, the total pay for MBAs at Stanford, Harvard, NYU, the University of Virginia, and the University of Michigan topped $150,000, with Stanford GSB grads making a record $163,827.

The analysis also understates the value of an MBA because employment rates out of business school tend to be substantially higher than they are for law school grads and many other master degree holders. Finally, leading business schools tend to be far more generous with scholarship aid than many other graduate schools. At Harvard Business School, for example, roughly half of the school’s MBA students currently receive fellowships, which now cover more half the cost of the annual tuition of $61,225. Last year, HBS gave $34 million in scholarship aid to not much more than 950 students. While this generosity would lower the debt burdens in Priceonomics calculations, the study wouldn’t capture graduates with full rides or substantial awards who wouldn’t need to borrow any money at all for their education.

A study commissioned by Poets&Quants, for example, showed that over a 20-year career a Harvard MBA made $3,233,000 in income, while a Stanford MBA pulled down $3,011,000. At Wharton, the total was $2,989,000 and at UC-Berkeley’s Haas School graduates earned $2,858,000. The higher ranked the school, the more career income MBAs made. Median total compensation for an MBA from the top three schools was $3,011,000 versus $2,759,500 at a top ten, $2,266,000 for a top 50, or $1,771,000 for all MBA degree holders.

School Reputation Matters 

Degrees from the most highly selective schools come with tangible financial benefits. For all disciplines except medicine, graduates of top-100 programs enjoy lower debt relative to their income upon graduation. This trend continues after graduation, with the exception of engineering graduate students, where students from less prestigious schools have more favorable debt to income ratios six years after graduation than their counterparts from higher ranked schools.

The average MBA makes six figures after spending one or two years in graduate school. They typically take on around $90,000 in debt, but consistently enjoy a low debt-to-income ratio. This is doubly true for graduates of top-100 business programs, who enjoy the high income that comes with access to a high-powered alumni network.

For more information, please see Poets & Quants

世界MBAランキング2016 トップ7を独占するアメリカと苦戦するアジア

ビジネスシーンでよく耳にするMBA。MBAとは、Master of Business Administrationの略で経営学修士を表すものだが、就職後のタイミングで取得するビジネスマンが多い印象があるのではないだろうか。そんなMBAトップ校ランキングの2016年版がエコノミストによって発表された。このランキングは、MBAの中でもフルタイムMBAのみを調査対象としている。

2016年は第1位から第7位まで全てアメリカの学校が独占しており、第1位はシカゴ大学ブース校、第2位はノースウェスタン大学ケロッグ校、第3位はバージニア大学ダーデン校となっている。昨年に比べ第1位のシカゴ大学以外は順位の変動が激しいが、トップ20に入る大学の顔ぶれに違いは一切なかった。

トップ2校の概要を簡単に説明すると、2年連続第1位についたシカゴ大学ブース校はカリキュラムの柔軟性が特徴的であり、リーダーシップ育成プログラムのLEADのみ全員必修となっている。柔軟性を活かし、様々なバックグラウンドや角度から考え、アイデアを創出することに重きを置いているプログラムである。次席のノースウェスタン大学ケロッグ校は、特にマーケティングの分野において秀でていることで有名なビジネススクールであり、傾向としてチームワークや協働を重視するようだ。マッキンゼー・アンド・カンパニーなどトップコンサルティングファームへの輩出人数の多さも特徴的である。

2016年にトップ10入りしたアメリカ以外の学校は3校で、第8位にスペインのナバラ大学、第9位にフランスのHEC、第10位にオーストラリアのクイーンズランド大学ビジネススクールがランクインした。トップ20で見ても、アメリカ、フランス、スペイン、イギリス、オーストラリアと欧米諸国の学校が圧倒的プレゼンスを持っている。トップ100になると、アジア圏の大学は6校ランクインしているが、日本の大学で調査対象になったのは新潟県にある国際大学1校のみに留まり、トップ100のランク外であった。

　エコノミストのMBAランキングでは、生徒に自身の所属するビジネススクールを幾つかの要因について評価してもらう。また、それぞれの要因をどれだけ生徒自身が重視しているかでその要因の比重が決められており、新しいキャリアへの機会が35%、自己成長・教育体験が同じく35%、収入の増加が20%、人的ネットワークの潜在性が10%で構成されている。

日本で知名度の高いMBA校のハーバード・ビジネス・スクールは4位、スタンフォード大学は5位と、トップ3を逃した。2016年度のランキングでは、ハーバード大学もスタンフォード大学も卒業生の幅の広さ、MBA取得前と比較した収入増加の割合で特にランキングが80-90位台と低く、スタンフォード大学はそれに加えてキャリアサービスを通じて就職した人の割合も97位と低かったことが影響しているようだ。

最後に2016年のトップ10のフルタイムMBAランキングを紹介する。

1. シカゴ大学ブース・スクール・オブ・ビジネス（アメリカ）
2. ノースウェスタン大学ケロッグ・スクール・オブ・マネジメント（アメリカ）
3. バージニア大学ダーデンビジネススクール（アメリカ）
4. ハーバード・ビジネス・スクール（アメリカ）
5. スタンフォード大学経営大学院（アメリカ）
6. ダートマス大学タック・スクール・オブ・ビジネス（アメリカ）
7. カリフォルニア大学バークレー校ハース・スクール・オブ・ビジネス（アメリカ）
8. ナバーラ大学イエセビジネススクール（スペイン）
9. HEC経営大学院（フランス）
10. クイーンズランド大学ビジネススクール（オーストラリア）


Blogosから

中国のトップMBAスクール、中欧国際工商学院（CEIBS）アドバイザーに出井伸之氏が就任

中国のトップMBAスクール、中欧国際工商学院（CEIBS）アドバイザーに出井伸之氏が就任。

7年連続世界トップ20位入りしているアジアのトップMBAスクール、中欧国際工商学院（CEIBS： China Europe International Business School）のインターナショナルアドバイザリーボードに元ソニー社長で現クオンタムリープ株式会社・代表取締役／ファウンダー＆CEOの出井伸之氏が就任した。

出井氏は2017年4月19日より3年間就任の予定。

CEIBSは今後の中国にとって日本を重要な国とみなしており、日本人学生の受入れ強化に力を入れている。

トランプ政権誕生で広がった米ＭＢＡ留学離れ

トランプ米大統領は企業寄りの政策課題を掲げているにもかかわらず、外国の学生の間では、同政権の発足を受けて米国の経営学修士（ＭＢＡ）に対する見方が悪化している。

１日、ホワイトハウスでの金融関係者との会合に出席したトランプ米大統領。同氏のビジネス寄りの姿勢にもかかわらず、米国でＭＢＡ取得を目指す外国人学生は減っている＝ロイター

１日、ホワイトハウスでの金融関係者との会合に出席したトランプ米大統領。同氏のビジネス寄りの姿勢にもかかわらず、米国でＭＢＡ取得を目指す外国人学生は減っている＝ロイター
　経営大学院（ビジネススクール）の入学適性試験「ＧＭＡＴ」を運営する米ＧＭＡＣによると、出願期間の半分が経過した今年度の募集状況では、米国のビジネススクールの64％で国外からの出願が減っている。

　米国発祥のＭＢＡコースを持つエリート校の過半で国外からの出願が減るのは、十数年ぶりのことだ。

　調査対象となった324のＭＢＡコースのうち、今年３月までの６カ月間の外国の学生からの出願数が前年同期を上回ったのは31％にとどまった。これは過去12年で最も低い水準だ。昨年の同時期に、その数字は39％だった。

　ＧＭＡＣは、海外からのＭＢＡ出願数の減少をトランプ氏の大統領就任と関連づけている。米大統領選があった昨年11月のＧＭＡＣの調査では、非米国人のビジネススクール志願者の35％が、大統領選の結果を受けて米国への留学出願の可能性が薄れたと答えた。今年２月までに、その数字は43％に上昇している。

■課程終了後の就労ビザ規制に不安

　特に米国のビジネススクールにとって重要な市場であるインドで、課程修了後の就労ビザの規制をトランプ氏が強めるのではないかとの不安が出願の減少につながっている。ＧＭＡＣの調査では、留学を希望するインド人学生の80％以上が留学先で就職できることが「とても重要」だと答えている。

　フィナンシャル・タイムズによる今年のＭＢＡコース・ランキングでトップ100に名を連ねる米国のビジネススクール51校では、学生の39％が外国からの留学生だ。

　ＧＭＡＣのサンギート・チョウフラ社長兼最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）によると、米国を避ける学生は、カナダやオーストラリア、欧州など米国よりも歓迎されそうな留学先に変更するか、国内のＭＢＡコースを選んだり、決定を先送りしたりしているという。

Nikkei 

米スタンフォード大、ＭＢＡ取得者の年収首位－ＢＷ誌経営大学院番付

米スタンフォード大学のビジネススクール（経営大学院）は、一代で財を成した億万長者や現役の最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）を輩出している名門校だ。だが、卒業生の中には、週最大４日、午前２時前後に起きてトイレ清掃をするロス・ペダーセンさん（2016年卒）のような人もいる。

　　２月初めまでペダーセンさん（25）は、ダラスのヘッジファンド、ベルダ・アドバイザーズのバイスプレジデントとして、投資銘柄・企業の選別を行っていた。在学中にパートタイムで雇用され、卒業の約１週間後にフルタイムで入社。約５万5000ドル（現行レートで約610万円）の学生ローンを抱えたペダーセンさんに、６桁の年間報酬パッケージが提示された。だが入社してわずか数カ月で公共の利益になる仕事をしたいという思いが「くすぶる」ようになったため、米陸軍に加わって州兵になる準備のため上司の理解を得て１年間の休暇を取得した。

　　ペダーセンさんの例は、スタンフォードの経営学修士（ＭＢＡ）取得者がその他ＭＢＡ取得者より収入が多い理由を説明する一助になる。彼の元クラスメートの多くはコンサルティングやプライベートエクイティー（ＰＥ、未公開株）投資会社など６桁報酬の職に就職した。ブルームバーグ・ビジネスウィーク（ＢＷ）誌の米経営大学院ランキングで、ＭＢＡプログラムでハーバードに次ぐ２位にランクしたスタンフォードでは、典型的な仕事に落ち着くよりも自らの情熱を追い求めることが奨励されている。

　　ＢＷ誌の調査結果によると、スタンフォードＭＢＡ取得者が卒業から１年後に手にする報酬は、ハーバード大学の経営大学院とペンシルベニア大学ウォートン校を抑えてトップ。 近年のスタンフォードＭＢＡ取得者の卒業後６－８年後の年収は28万5000ドル（約3200万円）と、ハーバードと並んで最高だった。

　　スタンフォードＭＢＡ取得者やその他の関係者らは、スタンフォード大が誇る名声やサンフランシスコ湾岸地帯（ベイエリア）の生活費の高さ、米グーグルやフェイスブックといったシリコンバレー企業との距離の近さが全て高報酬をもたらしていると話している。また、スタンフォードのウェブサイトによれば、18年の入学が認められたのは志願者数のわずか5.1％。ハーバード（9.6％）やウォートン（12.7％）よりも競争率が高いことと、比較的少人数制であることも卒業後の収入を押し上げているとの指摘もある。

　　ＢＷ誌の調査では、ＭＢＡプログラム上位50位のうち、卒業生による起業率はスタンフォードが最も高かった。近年のＭＢＡ取得者全体の平均的な起業率は３％程度だが、スタンフォード大キャリアセンターのディレクター、メーブ・リチャード氏によるとスタンフォードでは約16％で、水準はここ５年ほど比較的落ち着いている。

　　スタンフォードの名声がいつまで持続するかは不明だが、コンサルティング会社チャレンジャー・グレイ・アンド・クリスマスのジョン・チャレンジャーＣＥＯは「シリコンバレーが光輝き続ける限り、スタンフォードの卒業生もその輝きの一部を反映するだろう」と話した。

Bloomberg

Average GRE Scores At The Top Business Schools

The GRE cis becoming the preferred test for an increasing number of students, and an increasing number of candidates are getting into business schools by submitting GRE scores rather than — or in addition to — scores from the traditionally preferred Graduate Management Admission Test.

• 8 schools surpass 30% in admits with GRE scores.
• 11 schools saw a drop in GRE admits between 2015 and 2016, though of those declines, six were of just 1 percentage point. 
• 24 schools saw increases, ranging from 1 percentage point to 24 points in a single year. 
• 9 schools continue to have GRE admits in the single-digit percentages
• 18 have eclipsed 20% and eight have surpassed 30%, led by Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, where a remarkable 42% of the 2016 intake were admitted with GRE scores.

Other notable schools: 

1. Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School (39%, up from 15% in 2015)
2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Business (36%)
3. Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business (35%, up from 12% in 2015),
4. Washington University’s Olin Business School (34%)
5. Georgia’sTerry School of Business (31%). 

The previous year’s high-level mark for GRE scores was owned by Yale School of Management, with 23%.

At Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, the percentage of admits with GRE scores tripled in the three years from 2013 to 2015, from 4% to 12%. Last year it dipped to 11%, but according to Anneli Richter, assistant dean of admissions, that may be an aberration.

Rise Of The GRE

Over the last several years, an increasing number of business school applicants have been admitted with Graduate Record Exam scores in place of Graduate Management Admission Test scores. The trend shows no signs of letting up, with a handful of schools seeing double-figure jumps between 2015 and 2016.

Percentage Of Incoming Class With GRE Scores

Percentage Of Incoming Class With GRE Scores

Rise Of The GRE

Stanford Scores Best — Again

Just as it did the previous year, Stanford GSB in 2016 edged out Yale SOM in overall average GRE score with 329 to Yale's 328, though Yale topped Stanford in Verbal scores, 165-164. In 2015, Stanford was the top school for average GRE with 328, better than Yale by 2 points.

Business Schools Dispute MBA Rankings

A number of universities are pushing back against annual business school rankings. Academics from more than 20 business schools participated in a research paper to be published this month in the journal Decision Sciences that questions the methodology and purpose of numerical ranking systems employed by several publications.

Deans and faculty from USC Marshall School of Business, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, and OSU Fisher College of Business are among those protesting the approaches used by media outlets to aggregate multiple factors into a single ordinal rank—and they are airing their grievances in the form of a research paper scheduled for publication in the May issue of Decision Sciences Journal.

Bloomberg Businessweek, for example, has ranked full-time MBA programs in the U.S. since 1988. The current methodology focuses on "how well the programs prepare their graduates for job success" and is comprised of five elements: employer survey (35 percent), alumni survey (30 percent), student survey (15 percent), job placement rate (10 percent), and starting salary (10 percent).

The 2016 survey, published in November, ranked Harvard the top MBA program, followed by Stanford, Duke and the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management was ranked No. 9.

Some argue that surveys that focus on average base salary at graduation unfairly reward schools that place graduates in the financial sector. Others argue that the  best universities are the ones that provide the most value added to their students. Further, schools that do not cooperate are left out of rankings.

For more information please see the WSJ

NYU Stern Launches: Tech and Fashion & Luxury One-Year MBAs

The traditional path of MBA students toward careers in investment banking and consulting have been based on a model of internships as a hiring tool.  But in the tech and fashion and luxury, hiring is not predicated on the internship model. Reflecting this, Stern has established two new one-year MBA programs to create a different avenue to respond to the hanging nature of the job market, but also to the changing nature of the skill requirements of certain parts of the economy.

Over the summer, students in the new programs will complete a foundational business core with courses in subjects like finance, accounting, marketing, economics, and strategy. Most students in both one-year programs will sit together for the business core. In the fall, they complete a specialty core. 

For Tech MBA students, there will be a choice of three master’s level computer sciences courses such as software engineering, tech product management, and emerging technologies. 

Fashion & Luxury MBA students choose from courses like retail strategy, retail analytics, and luxury management. Electives will fill the spring semester. A fourth core of the new program will be an experiential learning component, putting students to work on real problems for real companies.

Stern Solution: A Branded Approach to Experiential Learning

Through a range of industry-specific immersions, courses, and projects, Stern’s approach has been to match students with faculty to work with companies ranging from the Union Square Hospitality Group to Jet Blue to ABC News. Student participation in these types of projects has increased by more than 130 percent in the past two years.

Once students have completed the summer semester business core, they work on two company projects, one in the fall and one in the spring. Working as part of three- to five-member teams, students help companies address a business issue over the course of each semester, meaning the experience functions similarly to traditional summer internships in two-year MBA programs. Unlike summer internships, though, students in the Stern program will receive academic credit for these experiential learning stints—not pay. Each will count as a regular three-credit course.

In addition, students in each program will participate in two, intense week-long immersions. For the Tech MBA program, the first one will take place in New York in August and the second, in Silicon Valley in January. Featuring classes in the morning and company visits in the afternoon. For the Fashion & Luxury MBA, the first immersion week will be in New York. The location of the second has not yet been finalized but will be either Paris or Milan.

Tech is already Stern's third largest area of placement, behind consulting and finance. One in every 10 Stern grads went into tech last year, up from just six percent two years earlier. That is less than many top business schools—HBS last year sent 19 percent, Stanford sent 33 percent, and Berkeley’s Haas School sent 39 percent—but it is more than uptown neighbor Columbia Business School’s seven percent. Stern hopes this new degree will only increase the school’s ability to place graduates in tech jobs. It also plays to one of Stern’s strengths. Though best known for its finance faculty, Stern has one of the largest collections of computer science and data scientists of any leading business school. The Tech MBA was preceded by the launch of a fintech MBA specialization last fall, likewise intended to leverage existing faculty strength and Silicon Alley proximity.

Where fashion and luxury is concerned, the new program also builds on the 2009-launched luxury marketing specialization for two-year MBA students. The NYU Stern Fashion Lab, a central hub for industry-related projects and networking, is now being created to serve all Stern students. The school currently sends between three and four percent of its two-year MBA grads into the industry, and the fashion and luxury page on its website is among its most often visited. 

The Fashion & Luxury MBA is the first of its kind in the United States—and, especially amid technological disruption, those in the industry have increasingly viewed adding business-savvy professionals to their creative staff as a competitive advantage.

The application form that is similar to the two-year MBA program’s. The profile of students they will be looking for is similar in many ways to the two-year program, with a few key differences. Work experience, average age, competitive GPA and GMAT scores all will be the same, but applicants to the Tech MBA must demonstrate a substantial technological background. 

If not computer science majors, applicants can be STEM majors with a decent coding background. The curriculum, developed in partnership with NYU’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, is designed to prepare students to propel their careers in product management, fintech, and tech entrepreneurship.

The application process will begin with Round 1 applications due by September 15th. A second round will likely carry a mid-November deadline, and there may or may not be a third round.

Learn more about NYU Stern’s new one-year Tech MBA and Fashion & Luxury MBA. 

Babson College Helping Empower Women

Women remain underrepresented in MBA classrooms and don’t participate in the global economy to the same extent as men. Many business schools and foundations are working to address by demonstrating successful female leadership and implementing programs to empower women in business. 

Babson College and the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business recently announced that Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf would address their undergraduate and graduate students during its commencement ceremonies. 

About President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Sirleaf is a Nobel Laureate and the first female president of an African country. Internationally known as Africa’s “Iron Lady,” President Sirleaf is a leader in peace, justice and democratic rule. During her term as Africa’s first democratically elected female president, she has led Liberia toward freedom and peace while implementing economic, social and political change since her election in 2006.

Sirleaf is seen as a global leader for women’s empowerment. In 2007 she was awarded the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom for her personal courage and commitment to expanding freedom and improving African lives. Just four years later, near the time of her re-election, she was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in securing women’s rights.

Sirleaf’s journey is detailed in her memoir This Child Will Be Great, and an overview of her accomplishments can be found on the official Babson website.

Babson Women MBA Students

Babson offers a wide range of scholarships including the Women’s Leadership Scholarships and Forté Fellowships. These scholarships are key, considering that 38 percent of women cite financial issues as the key reason for not attending graduate school, compared to 20 percent of men.

In addition, Babson women have an opportunity to participate in a variety of forums, coaching workshops and conferences throughout the year. 

The Babson Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) offers speakers, mentorship and co-curricular learning opportunities to all members of the school’s community. There’s also the Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab, which provides women entrepreneurs with a network designed to help launch or transform their businesses. For MBA students specifically, there’s the Babson Association of Women MBAs (BAWMBA), a student-run group that organizes networking, coaching, and personal and professional development opportunities.

How Babson Helps Empower Women Entrepreneurs

The Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab assembled a group of top female executives and leaders to share their advice and insight with an audience of aspiring women entrepreneurs. The school's CWEL and BAWMBA resources contribute to a culture where women are encouraged to speak their minds and develop an entrepreneurial mindset within a challenging and supportive community.

For more information, see the MetroMBA article 

10 MBA Programs With Early-Career Students

At these programs, the average full-time MBA student had fewer than two years of work experience, U.S. News data show.

Most MBA students arrive at business school with several years of work experience. But some MBA programs cater to early-career students.

At the 10 business schools with the lowest average total number of years and months of work experience among full-time MBA students, early-career students make up a significant chunk of the student population, with nearly 14 months of work experience on average.

In contrast, among the 126 ranked business schools that reported work experience data to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average full-time MBA student has four years and two months of work experience.

The business school where full-time MBA students have the least work experience is the Massey Graduate School of Business at Belmont University, where the average student has no post-college work experience, U.S. News data show.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts has the highest average amount of work experience among its full-time MBA students: seven years and 10 months.

Below is a list of the 10 business schools with the lowest average amount of work experience among full-time MBA students who enrolled in fall 2016. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered.

U.S. News surveyed 471 schools for our 2016 survey of business programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Business Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data comes from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The work experience data above are correct as of May 9, 2017.

For more information see the US News & World Report article 

Comparing an MBA with Other Management Graduate Degrees

US News and World Report has recently performed a comparison between the MBA and other similar professional business-related masters programs. A specialized management program may be a better fit than an MBA for students with precise career goals.

There's the MBA. A Master of Public Administration. A Master of Health Administration. Master's degrees in management, arts administration and project management. The choice for those who want to lead companies, nonprofits or government agencies might be overwhelming.

Graduate students interested in management should use their personal career goals to decide what type of graduate degree in management to pursue: it's really important to know how strict your career goals are. 

The versatility of an MBA degree is a very important if you don't want to get locked into a particular career track and want to move between the public and private sectors.

Two questions prospective graduate students should ask themselves to determine whether to pursue an MBA or another type of management program.

1. Where do you see yourself in the next five years? Experts say students who are uncertain about their professional goals should strongly consider an MBA degree.

2. Do you want general or specialized management training? 

A specialized management program can help students learn how to confront formidable management challenges, such as judging how well an organization is fulfilling its mission. For instance, students in Carnegie Mellon's information systems management and data analytics programs analyzed social media data and open crime records to gauge community sentiment about police in multiple cities. The project involved data mining skills that could be applied at public and private sector organizations that want to measure and improve their performance.

A specialized management degree such as a degree in project management can help a student stand out in the job market, since these less-common degrees demonstrate technical expertise.

MBA programs are everywhere, and MBA graduates quite literally are a dime a dozen. So a given job posting might generate 50 or 60 job applicants that are MBAs but it might only generate one or two that have a degree in organizational change, and therefore, those types of resumes tend to float to the top of the pile. 

For more information see the US News article. 

Financial Times Standout performances in the 2017 executive education rankings

IESE was the FT's top-ranked school and came in the top 10 of all 15 criteria except one, “growth”, for which it is ranked 35th. IESE was ranked first for the diversity of its faculty and its international clients. The school has five global campuses and two executive education centres. It also belongs to an international network of 15 schools.

Harvard: back in the top 10

Harvard Business School was in the top 10 of the custom programme ranking for the first time since 2011. It reached its lowest position of 18 in 2014 and 2015. However, it moved up to 14 last year and has now jumped nine places to fifth. The ratings from its corporate clients have improved significantly and it is now top for the quality of its teaching and the relevance in the workplace of the skills they gained.

Cass: new entrant

Cass Business School at City University in London entered the custom programme ranking for the first time in 60th place. The school performed notably better for the effectiveness of follow-up after participants return to their workplace, for which it is ranked 13th. “Our client director is outstanding and consistently goes the extra mile,” commented one of its corporate clients. It is also ranked 15th for the international reach of its customised programmes.

IMD: top school for open-enrolment programmes

It is the sixth year at the top for IMD. Despite the strong Swiss franc, students say the Lausanne school offers good value for money. “What is being delivered is worth every penny,” said a Polish manager on the High Performance Leadership course. IMD is top for the preparation and selection of its participants. Its online Global Leader Index allows students to assess their strengths and training needs.

Sloan: Quality of participants

MIT Sloan Business School is top for the quality of its participants for the first time in the open-enrolment ranking. Sloan’s students have been in the top 10 for this measure since 2005 and it achieved second place in 2016. Nearly half of its participants last year had an MBA, double the average for all ranked schools. Nearly two-thirds of students worked at partner level or higher compared with an average of 36 per cent.

Wharton: Most participants

The Wharton school at the University of Pennsylvania remains on an upward trend. It climbed three places to 14th in the open-enrolment ranking, having fallen to a low of 23rd in 2015. Wharton is unique for its number of participants, having delivered 26 online programmes in 2016 to more than 52,000 students on topics such as business analytics, digital marketing or entrepreneurship. Some 35,000 of these participants live outside the US.

IESE top in faculty diversity

Top overall in the combined ranking, IESE in Barcelona was also best for faculty diversity. A third of the school’s full-time faculty engaged in custom education are women and more than 80 per cent are from outside Europe.

IMD: highest rate of satisfaction

Students on IMD’s open-enrolment executive education courses report the highest rate of satisfaction, with 85 per cent ranking them at least nine out of 10 for the criterion.

Stanford GSB: best host

Stanford GSB ranked top in the open executive education ranking for the quality of food and accommodation. “The facilities, location and climate could not be better,” said one participant surveyed by the FT.

Queen’s University: Smith is best in revenue

Queen’s University: Smith comes second for “growth” in the custom ranking, with revenue in 2016 up by more than 40 per cent on 2015. The school had 37 corporate clients in 2016, 12 more than the year before.

Harvard Business School: skillful performance

Harvard Business School was rated best for new skills imparted to the executives of its corporate customers — a rise of 17 places compared with 2016.

ESMT joins the elite

The Berlin school, headed by Jörg Rocholl makes the top 10 of the combined ranking for the first time. The school dropped to a low of 27 in 2014 but has since moved up significantly in both open and custom rankings.

Antai: new to the table

Antai, in Shanghai, is in the combined ranking for the first time at 15, after entering the open ranking at 32. It is the third year that the school features in the customised programme ranking.

Thunderbird: female friendly

More than 70 per cent of Thunderbird’s students on open programmes are women. Its DreamBuilder programme targets women looking to set up businesses.

For more information, see the original FT article