The Top Online MBA Programs
Covid-19 has dramatically impacted MBA programs in 2020 especially the educational delivery for current students. If you are considering an MBA right now, it is important to know that many of the in-person programs have transitioned to either a fully virtual learning environment or a hybrid learning environment. As the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19’s impact on higher education continues, there is no guarantee that these programs will move back to their traditional in-person format. The 2020 Top 5 Online MBA Programs in the U.S. should be considered for applicants.
As you review your MBA options, it is clear that five U.S. online MBA programs stand out above the rest of the uber-competitive market. According to 2020 rankings published by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, those programs are Kelley Direct Online, MBA@UNC, the University of Florida Online MBA, the USC Marshall Online MBA, and the Tepper School of Business Online MBA.
Why Choose a 2020 Top 5 Online MBA Programs in the U.S.
- Online programs excel at delivering a high-quality virtual education: The top online programs are already accustomed to providing virtual learning, career services and resources. If you are considering an in-person program, keep in mind these programs may struggle with the new virtual format. You have to consider that you might not receive the same value from those programs that you would expect for the original online MBA programs.
- Ultimate Flexibility: Fully online programs offer the most flexibility for working individuals and families. Also, if you were to attend an in-person program or even a hybrid format, you may have to change your work/life balance if classes were to ultimately return to in-person classroom learning. Keeping COVID-19 in mind, you also eliminate traveling or being in a classroom setting which may increase your risk of contracting the disease.
- Better prepare for the virtual workplace: It won’t be a surprise if companies provide employees with greater workplace flexibility in the future due to COVID-19. Companies are finding that with the right tools in place, employees can function at the same capacity virtually. An online MBA can help develop your virtual communication, leadership, and team-building skills as you complete your program.
Top Southwest Real Estate MBA Programs
A career in real estate is not a common choice for MBA graduates. In fact, a relatively small number of MBA students pursue careers in real estate, but that makes choosing the right business school all the more critical.
Real estate is a highly specialized field, so it’s essential that MBA students have access to the appropriate certifications, majors, centers, professors, and courses. If you’re interested in a career selling, buying, managing, developing, or speculating in real estate, you need to head to a premier MBA program that will help guide you and make the connections required to fuel your success.
School v. School: Arizona State v. USC
California or Arizona? Los Angeles or Phoenix? Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business of USC Marshall Business School?
It’s not so easy deciding where you should go to school for your MBA degree. There are many elements to consider including the location, cost of attendance, school rankings, post-graduation opportunities, and type of programs available. To help simplify the process for you, our School vs. School series takes a look at two similar top b-schools to compare and contrast what they offer.
Today, we’re taking a look at ASU vs. USC to see which is best for you. Continue reading…
Use These Key MBA Networking Strategies Before and After Graduation
In a competitive job market, current MBA students and recent graduates need to figure out how to stand out among their peers and make themselves attractive to potential employers. One of the most fundamental ways MBAs can maximize employment prospects, is to improve their networking skills.
Networking may be more than just a good employment strategy—it is actually a vital tool. According to Mark Brostoff, Assistant Dean and Director of Graduate Career Services at USC Marshall, “A successful job search begins and ends with successful networking. Networking should be one of the primary job search tools when pursuing a career,” he told MetroMBA.
With the advent of social media, networking is now an everyday part of our lives. Your internet presence is now a huge part of your job search. Brostoff highlights the unique value of maintaining the right kind of web profile: “Networking these days are [sic] both personal, as well as online, so maintaining a professional online appearance is extremely important before, during and after graduation.” Always keep in mind that while social media is a great way to communicate with friends and family, your online accounts are also a way of presenting yourself to potential employers.
The idea of MBA networking strategies may seem mystifying at first but as Terra Saltzman-Baker, the Director of Career Connections at UCSD’s Rady School of Management, assures, the idea is more ingrained within us than it may seem. “Quite simply, it means connecting with people. The more people that know you’re looking for a new job, or are changing your career focus, the more those around you may be able to assist.”
Successful MBA networking strategies are not only about reaching out to employers. An equally important move, and the first step in the process, is to inform those around you about career plans and ambitions. You never know how those in your social circle may be able to connect you to your ideal job. As Saltzman-Baker puts it, “it’s not just about the person you’re talking with, but those in their circle that they may think to connect you to.”
While it is a sensible move to use all of the online tools at your disposal, remember not to rely solely on the online communication that those platforms provide. Networking is all about building real relationships with others. At the heart of networking means valuing the quality of connections over quantity. Furthermore, connecting with others is not about simply finding those who can help you in your job search. Rather, the best networks benefit everyone involved. “Never mistake activity for progress,” says Dr. Janis Moore Campbell, Ph.D., the Director of Graduate Professional Development at Temple’s Fox School of Business.
“The best networking happens when people gather to learn from one another or to help one another,” she continues.
Stephanie Johnson, the Director of MBA/MS Career Services at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, also stresses that both parties must work together in order for the relationship to have any value. “Remember that networking is a reciprocal relationship, whenever possible, build mutually useful relationships where you aim to give before you expect something in return. In other words: “those who have given also receive.”
Stephanie Johnson, Director, MBA/MS Career Services – Photo via Drexel.edu
Perhaps one of the best MBA networking strategies is that it is never too early to start. The most successful networks are built before an MBA candidate begins their program, and then continue to evolve during and after school. Saltzman-Baker frames it simply: “The key is to start early. Don’t wait until you’re looking to make a change to use this strategy, but instead keep this up on a regular basis—you never know what may happen!”
Southern California Wild Fires Cause UCLA Anderson Campus Closure
As wildfires rage in Southern California, UCLA Anderson School of Management has been forced to cancel classes for the past two days. The Skirball Fire, named for the Skirball Cultural Center near where the fire is believed to have originated, broke out early Wednesday morning. It also caused the closure of the famed Getty Center and Museum. The fire is just one of four blazes currently burning in areas around Los Angeles as powerful Santa Ana winds combine dangerously with extremely dry conditions.
All classes since yesterday, December 6, were cancelled across the entire UCLA campus, including at the business school. While the campus itself was reported to be safe, difficult traffic conditions related to the fire prevented many students, faculty, and staff from reaching the school, leading to the decision to cancel classes. The fire caused a complete closure of the 405 Freeway, a main artery in the congested Los Angeles region.
The official UCLA twitter account announced today’s cancellations late last night:
UCLA cancels all Thursday classes given the uncertainties caused by the fire near campus. https://t.co/fT8T32lGsk
— UCLA Newsroom (@UCLAnewsroom) December 7, 2017
For periods Wednesday, UCLA was forced to operate on internal power only, required that power be cut to non-essential buildings. The UCLA Department of Recreation also cancelled all outdoor recreation for the remainder of the day and recommended that members of the community avoid outdoor activity and strenuous indoor activity due to air quality concerns.
USC Marshall School of Business, located 13 miles east of UCLA closer to downtown Los Angeles, was unaffected by the blaze, though it retweeted a message of support from the larger University of Southern California for any students affected by the wildfires and encouraging affected students and their families to take advantage of student counseling services.
Stay tuned to MetroMBA and Clear Admit for more updates on the wildfire as it is revealed.
This article has been edited, updated, and republished on our sister site, Clear Admit.
Getting Paid: Highest MBA Salaries in Los Angeles
The transmissions Los Angeles sends back out into the ether are those culled from the desires of its inhabitants but also from the people who romanticize it from the outside. As Joan Didion once wrote, “The city burning is Los Angeles’s deepest image of itself.”
Los Angeles is, admittedly, polarizing. While some may find the not-so-authentic atmosphere of Hollywood to be a downtrodden, morose landscape, the city’s expansive diversity and subtle natural wonder is enthralling in its own right. In a way, it feels alien and utterly familiar all at once.
It’s this kind of uncertainty that makes Los Angeles an ideal place to pursue a business degree for a prospective MBA open to a bit of ambiguity. While Silicon Valley up north has traditionally been romanticized as a place where we can re-write the rules, LA has been catching up recently—and fast. Los Angeles has embraced the tech boom in a big way, with many Valley bigwigs and new startups alike moving their operations to Silicon Beach on the West Side. With that in mind, the new era of LA innovation is creating some lofty starting salaries, particularly for MBA graduates.
The Highest Los Angeles MBA Salaries
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Recent UCLA Anderson graduates earned an average starting salary of $121,250 with a $25,000 signing bonus, according to statistics released by the school. Over 92 percent of Anderson MBAs received job offers within three months of graduation. The top five industries to employ Anderson MBAs are in tech (30.6 percent); financial services (21.6 percent); consumer products (13.4 percent); and consulting services (13.4 percent). Top employers for Anderson graduates include: Amazon, Deloitte, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Amgen, BCG, EY, Mattel, McKinsey & Company, Nike, PwC, Apple, AT&T, Autodesk, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Epson, Goldman Sachs, Intel, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Disney, among others
UC Irvine Merage School of Business
MBA graduates from the UC Irivine Paul Merage School of Business posted record employment numbers for the school. Over 90 percent of recent MBAs received job offers within three months of graduation. The most popular industries to attract Merage graduates were in technology (33 percent), finance (31 percent), consulting (24 percent), and marketing/sales (27 percent). Merage graduates with tech industry positions earned starting salaries of $105,000; consulting, $100,000; consumer products, $85,000; and financial services, $100,000. Top employers included: Amazon, AT&T, Bank of America, Cisco, Dell, Deloitte, Gap, Hulu, Hyundai, IBM, Mattel, NBC Universal, Taco Bell, Twitter, and Volcom.
USC Marshall School of Business
According to employment statistics surveying the most recent USC Marshall School of Business MBA class, the average starting salary for Marshall graduates is $115,309 with a $23,431 signing bonus. The top three industries that employ Marshall graduates are within consulting (34 percent), where MBAs start at $132,000; marketing/sales (27 percent), where MBAs start at $99,497; and financial services (18 percent), where MBAs start at $112,087. Top employers of Marshall’s 2016 class include: Adobe, AT&T, Apple, Citigroup, Deloitte, Disney, Facebook, Film Roman, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Morgan Stanley, Johnson & Johnson, Samsung, Taco Bell, Warner Bros, Starbucks, PwC, Sony Pictures, Nestle, and PepsiCo, among others.
USC Marshall grad salaries, broken down by industry.
Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business and Management
Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business and Management graduates earned an average starting salary of $120,000, according to school statistics. Around 82 percent of Graziadio MBAs accepted job offers within three months of graduation.
Financial services, entertainment, technology, and consulting were the top industries to employ Graziadio MBAs.
For more information on the best Los Angeles MBA programs, check out our guide to the city. As well, learn more about which LA schools do not require GMAT or GRE scores here.
