Anonymous wrote:PP here - my goal was to have zero debt so “bang for the buck” was important to me. I have 15 years experience at this point.

If I were 25 doing an in person, I would have gone with the best possible school I could get into and taken out loans. HBS, Wharton, Tuck, Johnson, Kellogg, Booth - all worth it in your 20s…

Here is my breakdown:

William & Mary and Virginia Tech are around $60k total ; George Mason and James Madison About $50k; VCU $40l —which is pretty good compared to what in person/Exec would cost - to compare UVA doesn’t have fully online yet, but there EMBA is hybrid and Is $167K.

U of Maryland Smith online is $90k. University of Maryland Global Campus is $25K. University of Delaware $35K

Other local: GW - $105K; American - $90K; Georgetown and Johns Hopkins have hybrid models with in person and online classes so I didn’t count them.

Compare to out of DC options with recognizable names: top ranked: Carnegie Mellon Tepper Online -$140k; UNC $125K; Indiana Kelley - $75K; USC - $105K; Arizona $60K; Penn State $60k; Lehigh $40K; Villanova $60K; Pepperdine $105K; University of Illinois - Urbana $25k; Syracuse - $90K

There are some interesting online mba programs from schools like IE, HEC, etc. - but your run of the mill US employer won’t likely give it the weight it deserves.

My rationale is that if you live/work in the DC area that a degree from Virginia Tech or U of Maryland Smith will have enough local cache to pass the 3 second “eyeball” test. Good school, recognizable, sizable alumni base in area, degree completed - check. Whereas Carnegie Mellon,USC and Pepperdine are all great schools - it isn’t going to buy me any more in salary or recognition at this stage of experience than George Mason.

Maybe Finance, Consulting or tech are different, but for general business/management it seems to suffice.

Anonymous wrote:I did one. My company wouldn’t pay for the Exec MBA, so I
Made the financial choice to go online. As PP says, for me it was a strictly a check the box exercise.

But note: you must choose a “brand name university.” It doesn’t have to be Wharton, state school
Is fine. Just Don’t do Phoenix, Full Sail or Strayer - as a hiring manager I throw those resumes out.

I chose the most prestigious name with most affordable tuition. There was one well known private school I loved, but it was 3x price of state school flagship. For me, living in DC, the local name is just as valuable as the out of area private.

Anonymous wrote:I did one. My company wouldn’t pay for the Exec MBA, so I
Made the financial choice to go online. As PP says, for me it was a strictly a check the box exercise.

But note: you must choose a “brand name university.” It doesn’t have to be Wharton, state school
Is fine. Just Don’t do Phoenix, Full Sail or Strayer - as a hiring manager I throw those resumes out.

I chose the most prestigious name with most affordable tuition. There was one well known private school I loved, but it was 3x price of state school flagship. For me, living in DC, the local name is just as valuable as the out of area private.

Anonymous wrote:There a joke.

Anonymous wrote:How much are online MBAs? Same or less than in person programs? I can't imagine paying upwards of $100K for any online degree. Is there a more specialized master's degree that might be better for you?