Pick Your City: Should You Get an MBA in Seattle or Vancouver?
The U.S. vs. Canada? No, we’re not talking about hockey (this time)—we’re discussing MBA programs. Where should you earn your MBA if you have to choose between Seattle and Vancouver? What are the benefits of each city, how much will each location cost, what can you expect in terms of job opportunities, and what MBA programs are available in each city?
While at a glance, Seattle and Vancouver seem very comparable—offering similar big-city experiences for residents—when you dig a little deeper, the differences are striking.
In our “Pick Your City” series, we break down two similar locations to help you choose your best MBA program. Continue reading…
Pick Your City: Should You Get an MBA in Charlotte or Washington DC?
If you’re looking to live on the east coast, you have your pick of cities. You could choose to live in the Northeast in New York City or down in the south in Savannah, GA. But what if you’re looking for a location in between those two? For that, you have Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington DC.
Both Charlotte and Washington DC are great places to live. To help you “pick your city,” our latest series breaks down two similar locations to help you make the best decision for you when it comes to cost of living, culture, job opportunities, and MBA programs. Continue reading…
The Texas MBA Programs Guide: Houston vs. Dallas
If you’re looking to earn a Texas MBA, where should you go to school? Should you choose a top MBA program in Dallas or Houston? First, we need to take a look at the cities.
Living in Dallas vs. Houston
First, let’s take a look at the cost of living in Dallas vs. Houston. According to Numbeo, the world’s most extensive database containing user contributed data about cities, the overall cost of living is relatively similar: $4,242 in Houston compared to $4,000 in Dallas. Houston barely edges out Dallas with a slightly higher cost of living, and here’s how that’s broken down.
- Consumer Prices: 35 percent higher in Houston
- Rent Prices: 7.30 percent higher in Houston
- Restaurant Prices: 27 percent higher in Houston
- Groceries Cost: 95 percent higher in Houston
- Local Purchasing Power: 26 percent lower in Houston
Other things to consider when choosing between Dallas and Houston include:
- Industries
- Houston is known for being the oil capital and is an ideal location for jobs in the energy industry.
- Dallas, on the other hand, is known for real estate (Tramelle Crow is headquartered here), as well as hedge funds and asset management firms.
- Economic Development: According to Site Selection Magazine, Houston and Dallas are comparatively equal when it comes to economic development, ranking second and third respectively.
- Top Companies: Houston edges out Dallas for being home to more Fortune 500 companies. In fact, Houston is home to 27 top companies compared to 14 in Dallas. However, they rank second and third respectively.
However, according to Forbes, “while Houston and Dallas have decent amenities (and having better ones surely wouldn’t hurt), they aren’t places that offer a unique lifestyle brand, such as charming architecture or a cutting-edge arts scene.”
Texas MBA Programs
The next step is to compare the top three MBA programs in each city. In particular, we wanted to take a look at the tuition rates (two years), GMAT averages, and post-graduation salaries at each program in each city to get a well-rounded picture.
Overall, there are a few things to note right away.
- The top full-time MBA programs in both cities are ranked well. However, Houston programs tend to rank higher on major ranking sites such as The Economist and Bloomberg Businessweek.
- Houston tends to be more expensive regarding tuition ($93,052 vs. $69,191), but it also pays a higher salary ($110,000 vs. $92,000). This balances out with around a $25,000 difference in tuition and a $20,00 difference in post-graduation salary.
- Finally, GMAT averages for class profiles tend to be higher in Houston as well (688 vs. 660).
Here’s how it all breaks down per school.
Top 3 Houston MBA Programs
McCombs School of Business – University of Texas at Austin
The McCombs School of Business offers a full-time MBA, an Evening MBA, a Weekend MBA, and an Executive MBA program. And it’s considered one of the top business schools in the country, consistently ranking highly on various lists, including ranking 28 according to The Economist.
- Tuition Rates (two years): $91,000
- GMAT Averages: 703
- Post-Grad Salaries (Mean): $117,068
Rice University – Jones Graduate School of Business
The Jones Graduate School at Rice University offers a full-time MBA program, an MBA for Professionals (part-time), and an Executive MBA Program. The school’s full-time MBA program ranked 10th on the Bloomberg Businessweek list in 2017.
- Tuition Rates (two years): $116,000
- GMAT Averages: 711
- Post-Grad Salaries (Mean): $112,158
Mays Business School – Texas A&M University
The Mays Business School has both a full-time MBA program as well as a part-time Professional MBA program. In addition, the school offers an Executive MBA. In 2017, The full-time MBA program ranked 20th overall by Forbes, and 22nd overall by Bloomberg Businessweek.
- Tuition Rates (two years): $72,158
- GMAT Averages: 649
- Post-Grad Salaries (Mean): $103,299
Top 3 Dallas MBA Programs
Naveen Jindal School of Management – University of Texas at Dallas
The Naveen Jindal School offers a full-time MBA, part-time Professional MBA, Executive MBA, and Global Leadership Executive MBA program. The full-time MBA is well ranked according to the U.S. News & World Report, ranking 16th among public university programs in the U.S.
- Tuition Rates (two years): $27,603
- GMAT Averages: 678
- Post-Grad Salaries (Mean): $86,644
Cox School of Business – Southern Methodist University
The Cox School of Business at SMU offers a full-time MBA, Fast Track MBA, Professional MBA (part-time), and an Executive MBA program. Most recently, SMU Cox achieved its first Financial Times ranking at 91st.
- Tuition Rates (two years): $91,952
- GMAT Averages: 661
- Post-Grad Salaries (Mean): $96,587
Neeley School of Business – Texas Christian University
At the Neeley School of Business at TCU, MBA applicants can apply to the full-time MBA, Accelerated MBA, Professional MBA (part-time), Accelerated Professional MBA, or MBA for Energy Professionals program. The Economist ranked the Neeley School MBA ranks 61st overall on its most-recent ranking.
- Tuition Rates (two years): $88,020
- GMAT Averages: 640
- Post-Grad Salaries (Mean): $93,010
Dallas vs. Houston Breakdown in Charts
When breaking down the data between MBA programs in Dallas and Houston, here’s what it looks like:
Texas MBA Tuition
Texas MBA GMAT Averages
Texas MBA Post-Graduation Salaries
How Affordable are Baltimore MBA Programs Compared to DC?
A few years ago, the Baltimore Sun published a hilarious list outlining 100 reasons why Baltimore is a better city than Washington DC. Here are some of our favorite reasons:
- We don’t start conversations by asking, “What do you do?” or “Who do you work for.”
- It never takes us 45 minutes to go six miles.
- Our traffic doesn’t lead to clinical depression.
- D.C.’s happy hour is regular price to us.
- Our signature food is crab cakes and pit beef. D.C. has … yeah.
- We weren’t built on a swamp.
- Cal Ripken is 2,632 times better than any D.C. sports figure.
- The NATIONAL Aquarium: Not in the nation’s capital.
Yes, some of these reasons are very tongue-in-cheek, and the list aimed to be light-hearted and irreverent. But if you’re a prospective MBA in the DMV, there are some clear advantages to picking a business school in the Baltimore metro over the Washington DC metro, namely the affordability of programs.
Let’s take a deeper dive and see just how affordable Baltimore MBA Programs are compared to their DC counterparts.
Which MBAs Can You Earn in Baltimore and DC?
Both Baltimore and Washington DC are home to some of the country’s most prestigious business schools and MBA programs. Programs offered in the Baltimore metro include:
- Perdue School of Business – Salisbury University
- Carey Business School – Johns Hopkins University
- Sellinger School of Business – Loyola University Maryland
- University of Baltimore – Merrick School of Business
- University of Maryland R.H. Smith School of Business
Meanwhile, MBA programs offered in the Washington DC Metro include:
- George Mason University School of Business
- George Washington University School of Business
- Howard University School of Business
- Kogod School of Business – American University
- McDonough School of Business – Georgetown University
How Affordable are Baltimore’s Programs Compared to DC’s?
Yes, both metros boast and impressive programs that are sure to provide prospective MBAs with a high-quality business educations, but which city offers the more affordable options?
Here is the average cost per credit hour at business schools in Baltimore.
- Carey Business School Global MBA: $2,174 per credit hour
- Perdue School of Business Full-Time MBA: $392 per credit hour (in-state students), $703 per credit hour (out-of-state students)
- Sellinger School of Business Full-Time MBA: $1,238 per credit hour
- Merrick School of Business Flexible MBA: $824 per credit hour (in-state students), $1,149 per credit (out-of-state students)
- R.H. Smith School of Business Full-Time MBA: $1,658 per credit hour (in-state students), $1,998 per credit (out-of-state students)
Let’s compare these tuitions rates to the MBA offerings in the Washington DC area:
- George Mason University School of Business Full-Time MBA: $950 per credit hour (residents of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC), $1,751.50 per credit hour (out-of-state and international students)
- George Washington University School of Business Global MBA: $1,837 per credit hour
- Howard University School of Business Full-Time MBA: $1,259 per credit hour
- Kogod School of Business Full-Time MBA: $1,642 per credit hour
- McDonough School of Business Full-Time MBA: $1,880 per credit hour
When looking at tuition costs, Baltimore takes the cake. Even though Baltimore boasts the most expensive full-time program (Carey Business School Global MBA), the average cost per credit hour for both in-state and out-of-state students is about 16 percent lower in Charm City.
Washington DC vs. Baltimore MBA Cost
| Baltimore | Washington DC | |
|---|---|---|
| In-State Cost (per credit hour) | $1,257.20 | $1,513.60 |
| Out-of-State Cost (per credit hour) | $1,452.40 | $1,673.90 |
Additional Costs To Consider
Aside from tuition, business students living in the Baltimore area have a lower cost of living then their Washington DC counterparts. According to Numbeo, you would need around $4,541 in Baltimore to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with $6,100 in Washington DC, assuming you rent in both cities. This calculation uses the website’s Cost of Living Plus Rent Index to compare cost of living.
Here’s a closer look at how Numbeo creates its Cost of Living Indexes, and a breakdown of a few key stats to look at when comparing Baltimore to Washington DC:
- Consumer Prices in Baltimore, MD are 14.78 percent lower than in Washington DC
- Rent Prices in Baltimore, MD are 39.97 percent lower than in Washington DC
- Groceries Prices in Baltimore, MD are 15.70 percent lower than in Washington DC
- Local Purchasing Power in Baltimore, MD is 10.21 percent lower than in Washington DC
The case for Washington DC
So Baltimore’s MBA offerings are, on average, more affordable than Washington DCs. But what if money isn’t an issue, or you happen to get into a program in DC? Here are a few ways that the Capital City has the Monument CIty beat, according to Thrillist:
- Culinary Scene: DC is experience a craft beer renaissance with four breweries opening in recent years: DC Brau, 3 Stars Brewing, Chocolate City, and Bluejacket (soon). Meanwhile, notable restaurants such as minibar (Andres), Le Diplomate (Starr), Kapnos (Isabella), Range (Voltaggio), and Casa Luca (Trabocchi) have also opened. Baltimore isn’t really known as much of a foodie town.
- Public Transit: The Metro is one of the most efficient, most convenient, and cleanest public rail lines in the country. Baltimore’s metro runs East to West only, and doesn’t link up with either of the two other rail systems.
Oh, and remember that Baltimore Sun article we reference at the top of the page? Enjoy DC Inno’s slightly more punchy response.
