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As much as I like State (NCSU), I think that they are a little too cosy with business for the good of their students. Something about the difference between education for the long term versus training for the short. This, presumably, is one difference between a university and a tech school. Sometimes it seems that State is mainly in the business of advancing the institutional interests of State, whereas some of the other schools mentioned above are at least a little more attuned to advancing the interests of their students.
More generally, needs come and go, businesses come and go, whole industries come and go, sometimes with fairly short cycles. For example, I can envision somebody from IBM advising State on whatever skills IBM claims to need at the moment, all the while planning to send the jobs supposedly requiring these skills to India, China, or Brazil as quickly as possible.
Last edited by Hamish Forbes; 09-07-2012 at 05:10 AM..
As much as I like State (NCSU), I think that they are a little too cosy with business for the good of their students.
Since this is about MBA programs, I would think being "cozy with business" would be a very good thing!
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Something about the difference between education for the long term versus training for the short. This, presumably, is one difference between a university and a tech school. Sometimes it seems that State is mainly in the business of advancing the institutional interests of State,
I don't think you can generalize like that about any university--more precisely, I think you can find instances in every university that could fit that generalization. Right now, with education being cut, grants down, and a dismal job market facing students, there is a lot more of "we will train you to get a job" than in "we will hel you advance your mind and be an educated citizen" because the students are being told from every direction to avoid the more "soft" programs that, when you get down to it, are one of the features differentiating a "university from a tech school".
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whereas some of the other schools mentioned above are at least a little more attuned to advancing the interests of their students.
My point is that right now, this IS in the interests of their students, because the students don't want to be unemployed Liberal Arts majors when they graduate (says he who spent several years as an underemployed Liberal Arts major, back in the day).
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More generally, needs come and go, businesses come and go, whole industries come and go, sometimes with fairly short cycles. For example, I can envision somebody from IBM advising State on whatever skills IBM claims to need at the moment, all the while planning to send the jobs supposedly requiring these skills to India, China, or Brazil as quickly as possible.
I would strongly suspect that this kind of thing (listening to corporate "advice") is true of almost any Business School/MBA program right now. Funding has to come from somewhere, and if businesses are sponsoring classes or programs, the universities in many cases will be happy to take the money. But again, universities are going to tell their students what skills they believe will get them employed (whether misguided or not), and that's not by any means specific to NCSU.
Executive MBA at UNC
$74,300 for Evening -Includes tuition, texts, socials and immersion weekend accommodations
$91,225 for Weekend MBA -Includes tuition, texts, socials, overnight accommodations and most meals
I hope they include a guaranteed job that will pay off that student loan bill at the end of it all for that price tag.
ncstate has an mba program? anyway op is your employer paying for anything? if they are you have a lot more options. if not i agree you need to shoot for the best program you can get into.
Since this is about MBA programs, I would think being "cozy with business" would be a very good thing!
My point is that right now, this IS in the interests of their students, because the students don't want to be unemployed Liberal Arts majors when they graduate (says he who spent several years as an underemployed Liberal Arts major, back in the day).
I would strongly suspect that this kind of thing (listening to corporate "advice") is true of almost any Business School/MBA program right now. Funding has to come from somewhere, and if businesses are sponsoring classes or programs, the universities in many cases will be happy to take the money. But again, universities are going to tell their students what skills they believe will get them employed (whether misguided or not), and that's not by any means specific to NCSU.
Francois, based on my own experience over the course of a forty-year career which included a faculty stint and saw a lot of short-term thinking, I believe that you are exactly wrong. But only time will tell . . .
Edit -- as you likely know, this area is saturated with MBA programs, which was undoubtedly taken into account when State sought permission to initiate its relatively new offering. I am guessing (and I have no inside information) that State needed to distinguish its proposed program from those already extant at UNC and Duke. As a result, the approach that State has come up with is geeky, and requires a mildly geeky background to enter. It was an outgrowth of State's uniquely geeky MSM. But geeks don't need more geekery in an MBA; rather, they need a broader base of study such as that offered by UNC or Duke. Ah, but there's the rub -- no duplication. Again, this is just my speculation, as I have no inside information. But to see what a corporate takeover of a university looks like, have a tour of Centennial Campus.
Last edited by Hamish Forbes; 09-07-2012 at 04:59 PM..
An MBA can help your career. It helped mine. But different programs have different strengths. For instance, some MBA programs are especially known for their Finance track or for their Marketing track, etc. I'd do some research before getting serious. An MBA program should work well with your own experience. Just getting an MBA from a "good" school may or may not help.
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