Business School and MBAs: What's Your Return?

If you're considering an MBA, two of the questions probably weighing on your mind are whether to go and what kind of value you'll receive. Here are answers from several key groups.

How do Employers View an MBA?

A study by Accountemps, a temporary staffing service for accounting professionals, revealed that 80 percent of executives who responded felt that a graduate degree in business is still important to reach senior management ranks within most companies.

How Much More Can MBAs Earn?

According Graduate Management Admissions Council's (GMAC) "Global MBA Survey 2002": "Overall, the typical graduate earned $48,000 before entering the MBA program and now expects to earn $75,000 in the first job after graduation--a 56% increase."

Do MBA Students Feel Their Degree is Valuable?

According to the Graduate Management Admissions Council, members of the graduating MBA class of 2004 were asked to rate the overall value of their MBA education as they approached graduation. To do so, they were asked to compare the total monetary cost of their MBA degree with the quality of the education they received. 58% of the students feel the value of their MBA is outstanding or excellent.

What Makes the Bigger Difference -- the Degree or the Person?

Talent makes a bigger difference on the job, degree or not, especially in creative roles such as advertising and marketing.

Secondly, the value of an MBA is often not the knowledge you get in a classroom as much as its

Connections you gain with professors.

Connections and networking possible with other graduates.

The value of your degree in the eyes of recruiters and future bosses.

The value of your chosen school's placement office.

Distance Learning MBA

An online mba program offers a number of strong advantages. It lets you keep your current family and job commitments. Because you can earn and learn at the same time, it removes one of the major drawbacks of a traditional MBA: losing your income while incurring substantial debt. Another distance learning advantage is that people in mid-career can get an online executive MBA while keeping their current jobs, and take the next step up.