Finding the Best Business School for You : Looking Past the Rankings

by Dennis, Everette E.

• ISBN13: 9780275988203
• ISBN10: 0275988201
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-06-30
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

Ultimately, finding the best and most appropriate business school requires more than following trends and assessing rankings. Dennis and Smith offer an approach that is designed to help prospective MBA students cast their nets widely, thinking more expansively, creatively, and strategically, with both short- and long-term implications in mind. Discussing the pros and cons of a formal business education (in the context of evolving attitudes toward management and the role of the MBA in developing successful leaders), the authors help readers identify their underlying motivations for pursuing an MBA, learn how to read between the lines of the popular rankings, and utilize the concept of return on investment (ROI) to evaluate programs on the basis of their contribution to long-term professional and personal goals. At a time when one-fourth of all master's degrees conferred are in business, Finding the Best Business School for You offers practical insights for making wise decisions and getting the most out of the MBA experience.

Author Biography

Sharon P. Smith is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for National University and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the National University system. Everette E. Dennis is the Felix E. Larkin Distinguished Professor of Communication and Media Management at Fordham University.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
The Appeal of the MBA---Warranted or Not?	1	(10)
Why an MBA, Anyway?	11	(12)
It Wasn't Always So---from Best Practices to Best Strategies	23	(12)
The Career-Resilient Learner and the MBA	35	(10)
Quality Control---Grading MBA Programs	45	(10)
The Rankings---Consumer Guidance or Magazine Mischief?	55	(22)
Using the Rankings and Thinking beyond Them	77	(12)
Understanding Return on Investment for the MBA	89	(8)
Career Success and Personal Satisfaction	97	(12)
A Portfolio for the Future	109	(12)
Criteria for the Future	121	(18)
Remembering that the ``Real World'' Is Global	139	(14)
Finding the ``Best'' Business School	153	(18)
The New MBA---Enduring Ideas Meet Innovation	171	(14)
Notes	185	(12)
Resource Guide to MBA Programs	197	(4)
Index	201