Best College for MBA around Dallas (schools, stats, move to)

[BigDGeek]

Can't go wrong with SMU, UTD, or UT-McCombs. Admission to all is competitive. Study for the GMAT.

[Texascrude]

Originally Posted by EDS_

You know people say that a lot. Do you have any objective data or just guesswork?

Purely objective data is hard to come by, because there are so many different factors to consider and prioritize but if you take a look at the stats behind any of the schools you'll start to notice a pretty big drop off in salaries after the low 20s.

Here is one Forbes recently put out (The Best Business Schools - Forbes)

The other issue with schools outside the top 20 or so is that they generally only have regional appeal. Sure, UTD degree will be alright if you're looking stay in Dallas, but if something comes up and you decide to make a move to NY, DC, Chicago or someplace outside of Texas you'll be at a significant disadvantage. On the flip side, a degree from Duke is going to be respected anywhere in the country.

One final item to consider is the field you'd want to go into. With UTD, you're going to be limited -- and that may be fine for you. Generally speaking though (exceptions apply), you're going to have a VERY difficult time breaking into a good consulting firm (Bain, BCG, McKinsey) or into banking / private equity / VC / etc. It can happen if you room with a dude who's dad makes the hiring decisions, but if you have to apply like most people you're not going to have a chance.

Now, whether the true cut off is top 15, top 20, top 25... it's a fuzzy line. Generally speaking though, the further you get down the list the fewer options you're going to have. Most schools will publish a list of companies that hired graduates, and a list of companies that recruits on campus regularly. Chances are you won't find Goldman Sachs, Bain, Apple, or Google on any of the lists UTD puts together. Once again, that may be fine for your situation but you only get one chance to do your MBA, so you better darn well know what you want to get out of it.

And don't even get me started on weekend programs.... you can't learn the same in 2 days a week while working a full time job as you can in 7 days a week learning full time. Just ain't gonna happen.

[dallasbred]

I don't agree with the top 20 thing. When a person has already started working for 4-7 years, which is the norm in MBA programs now, they often don't want to relocate. Probably a big reason you see SMU and UTD keep climbing the rankings. In Dallas, yes, the UT-McCombs program is the highest ranked; however, it does not compare with the cohorts, weekday round-tables with executives, and networking you receive at SMU. If you want to stay in Dallas, then I think it's a toss up and depends on what you want to get out of the degree.

My husband just went through all of this, and in my family, we have a degree from all 3 schools. My father-in-law and I both went to McCombs for our Master's, and my father went to UTD for his. Ultimately, my husband chose SMU because he is in someways changing fields. He looked into going to Austin, but we were already married and homeowners so it just didn't make sense. My father asked several business recruiters he has used which schools they look at and each one said SMU at the top. Also, UTD is actually much easier to get into. Their GMAT scores are about 90 points lower for admissions. As for rankings, they are only close to SMU in US News. All to say, if you are not switching careers, have a job lined up, or don't really need the networking, then SMU is definitely not worth the expense. From someone who was pushing heavily for UTD because of the cost, you'd be amazed at how much more impressive the program is at SMU.

[wallawallahoohoo]

Originally Posted by ur2cdanger

I am a Masters holder in Electrical Engineering from the University at Buffalo. Recently ( around 6 months ago ) , I moved to Dallas. IA career in Engineering doesn't interest me much and I want to shift to management side. I am planning to do MBA in Dallas. What are the best schools for MBA around Dallas ?

Perhaps you can go more into detail about what your career goals are after business school? That should be a huge factor since some jobs don't require a fancy school. Have you thought about part time or full time? For full time you don't necessarily have to stay in Dallas.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Texascrude

Purely objective data is hard to come by, because there are so many different factors to consider and prioritize but if you take a look at the stats behind any of the schools you'll start to notice a pretty big drop off in salaries after the low 20s.

Here is one Forbes recently put out (The Best Business Schools - Forbes)

The other issue with schools outside the top 20 or so is that they generally only have regional appeal. Sure, UTD degree will be alright if you're looking stay in Dallas, but if something comes up and you decide to make a move to NY, DC, Chicago or someplace outside of Texas you'll be at a significant disadvantage. On the flip side, a degree from Duke is going to be respected anywhere in the country.

One final item to consider is the field you'd want to go into. With UTD, you're going to be limited -- and that may be fine for you. Generally speaking though (exceptions apply), you're going to have a VERY difficult time breaking into a good consulting firm (Bain, BCG, McKinsey) or into banking / private equity / VC / etc. It can happen if you room with a dude who's dad makes the hiring decisions, but if you have to apply like most people you're not going to have a chance.

Now, whether the true cut off is top 15, top 20, top 25... it's a fuzzy line. Generally speaking though, the further you get down the list the fewer options you're going to have. Most schools will publish a list of companies that hired graduates, and a list of companies that recruits on campus regularly. Chances are you won't find Goldman Sachs, Bain, Apple, or Google on any of the lists UTD puts together. Once again, that may be fine for your situation but you only get one chance to do your MBA, so you better darn well know what you want to get out of it.

And don't even get me started on weekend programs.... you can't learn the same in 2 days a week while working a full time job as you can in 7 days a week learning full time. Just ain't gonna happen.

You make a number of good points. That said a friend's kid earned an MBA from A&M last year, he had two offers before graduation and both at well over $100K and he wasn't the only one and he didn't have to move out of Texas. The hot guys/gals in the consulting business right now are PhD. physicists, engineers and mathematicians.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by dallasbred

I don't agree with the top 20 thing. When a person has already started working for 4-7 years, which is the norm in MBA programs now, they often don't want to relocate. Probably a big reason you see SMU and UTD keep climbing the rankings. In Dallas, yes, the UT-McCombs program is the highest ranked; however, it does not compare with the cohorts, weekday round-tables with executives, and networking you receive at SMU. If you want to stay in Dallas, then I think it's a toss up and depends on what you want to get out of the degree.

My husband just went through all of this, and in my family, we have a degree from all 3 schools. My father-in-law and I both went to McCombs for our Master's, and my father went to UTD for his. Ultimately, my husband chose SMU because he is in someways changing fields. He looked into going to Austin, but we were already married and homeowners so it just didn't make sense. My father asked several business recruiters he has used which schools they look at and each one said SMU at the top. Also, UTD is actually much easier to get into. Their GMAT scores are about 90 points lower for admissions. As for rankings, they are only close to SMU in US News. All to say, if you are not switching careers, have a job lined up, or don't really need the networking, then SMU is definitely not worth the expense. From someone who was pushing heavily for UTD because of the cost, you'd be amazed at how much more impressive the program is at SMU.

SMU's "reach" or brand if you prefer, be it MBA, Executive MBA or Law, here in town cannot be overstated.

[TX75007]

Originally Posted by EDS_

SMU's "reach" or brand if you prefer, be it MBA, Executive MBA or Law, here in town cannot be overstated.

I have an MBA from SMU and wife has hers from UTD.

I have 13 years since I graduated and she has 10. Neither degree is a factor now in job search. Just that we have it.

Your earning power is more a function of how many varied assignments you take on as you move up and a bit of luck.

The main thing is to have a very good GPA out of the blocks. My wife had a 3.89 and this really opened the doors and set her apart.

[wallawallahoohoo]

Originally Posted by EDS_

SMU's "reach" or brand if you prefer, be it MBA, Executive MBA or Law, here in town cannot be overstated.

Within Dallas, SMU will have brand pull. But once you step into Houston (Rice), Austin (UT), and San Antonio, the SMU brand diminishes greatly. Even more so out of state. When I worked in Houston, I have not met one SMU grad while there despite the fact I was in state. I met plenty of UT, A&M, and Rice grads. Maybe someone else who worked in Houston can chime in if they had a different experience.

If you want to stay in Dallas, SMU should be one of your options. If not, I would open yourself up to other better ranked and more affordable schools.

[Method_Man]

Originally Posted by wallawallahoohoo

Within Dallas, SMU will have brand pull. But once you step into Houston (Rice), Austin (UT), and San Antonio, the SMU brand diminishes greatly. Even more so out of state. When I worked in Houston, I have not met one SMU grad while there despite the fact I was in state. I met plenty of UT, A&M, and Rice grads. Maybe someone else who worked in Houston can chime in if they had a different experience.

If you want to stay in Dallas, SMU should be one of your options. If not, I would open yourself up to other better ranked and more affordable schools.

So, we're just supposed to believe you?

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by TX75007

I have an MBA from SMU and wife has hers from UTD.

I have 13 years since I graduated and she has 10. Neither degree is a factor now in job search. Just that we have it.

Your earning power is more a function of how many varied assignments you take on as you move up and a bit of luck.

The main thing is to have a very good GPA out of the blocks. My wife had a 3.89 and this really opened the doors and set her apart.

That does not surprise me at all. The further away one gets from earning an MBA the more it becomes a check mark.