Choosing the right School | The Official GMAT Blog

An MBA Your Way: Part-Time Programs

Posted on July 17, 2012 by GMAC

If you’re looking for a way to earn an MBA without leaving your current job, consider a part-time program. Part-time MBA programs are structured to minimize schedule conflicts for working professionals. In testing year 2011 alone, more than 31,000 GMAT® examinees worldwide indicated they were looking to pursue a part-time MBA program. By all measures—increased earning potential, skill development, preparation for leadership roles, and improved job satisfaction—a part-time MBA can provide an invaluable boost up the career ladder. And even if you plan to transition to a new industry, part-time MBA programs can give you an opportunity to leverage your existing professional networks to change jobs or try a new field.

How Can a Part-Time MBA Advance Your Career?

A vast majority of part-time MBA alumni from the classes of 2000 to 2011 rated their programs highly in terms of the following career outcomes:

Preparation for leadership positions (91%)
Preparation for chosen career (88%)
Opportunities for quicker career advancement (83%)
Increased earning power (84%)
Improved job satisfaction (82%)
Development of a professional network (79%)

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Filed under: Choosing the right School, Infographic, Official GMAT, Part-Time MBA, School Selection, Work-Life Balance | 1 Comment »

Beyond the MBA: Other Types of Business Degrees May Be More Suitable for You

Posted on June 5, 2012 by GMAC

Spot the Difference

Choosing the right postgraduate program is a highly subjective process because everyone has different goals, ambitions, and circumstances. For example, in North America, many MBA programs accept graduates with less than three years of work experience (e.g. Harvard Business School’s MBA has no minimum work experience requirement). By contrast, many European business schools set a minimum career criteria of three to five year’s work experience for MBA candidates—meaning there’s a more significant gap in age between those pursuing an MBA and those pursuing a master’s.

Different Programs Attract Different Students

Applicant characteristics for the incoming 2011–2012 classes of graduate management education programs varied greatly among program types as reported by business school admissions professionals in 2011.

On average, MBA programs and specialized master’s programs tend to attract different types of prospective students. Most applicants to full-time MBA programs are between the ages of 26 and 30 and have three to six years of work experience. Individuals who applied to specialized master’s programs were overwhelmingly younger than applicants choosing to attend MBA programs. The majority of applicants to management (72%), accounting (75%), and finance (76%) master’s programs were 25 years old or younger and also had less work experience than MBA candidates. The average percentage of applicants with less than one year of work experience ranged from 56 percent of management program applicants to a high of 70 percent for accounting program applicants.

Below are examples of applicant profiles reported by admissions teams in 2011.
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Filed under: Business School, Choosing the right School, Masters of Accountancy, Masters of Finance, MBA, School Selection | Leave a Comment »

Hunting for the Right School

Posted on May 24, 2012 by GMAC

When it comes to searching for the business school or graduate management program that best matches your educational and career goals there is no such thing as ‘too much information.’ Resources for conducting your search are plentiful, as we discovered last year—when more than 16,000 people registered on mba.com told us how they search for a graduate management program and what criteria they use when looking at schools.

The top sources for information about business schools and programs were:

School websites (88%)
Friends and family—word-of-mouth (61%)
School admissions staff (50%)
School publications (47%)
mba.com—the Official GMAT website (48%)

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Filed under: Choosing the right School, School Selection | 1 Comment »

Money Talk: A Family Conversation

Posted on March 27, 2012 by GMAC

You are not alone in seeking advice from family and friends about your decision to pursue a graduate management education. More than half (61%) of the 16,000+ prospective b-school applicants GMAC researchers surveyed last year ranked family and friends as one of their top sources of information when it comes to planning for b-school.

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Filed under: Business School, Choosing the right School, Financial Aid, School Selection | Leave a Comment »