At the appearance of lots of MBA questions and the suggestion of veritas_libertas, this thread is hereby started for questions, answers and commentary regarding MBA degrees and various programs (mostly in the States, but a few elsewhere). I'm going to start with a couple thoughts, then y'all should dive in after me.
What's an MBA?
In case you've not heard it spelled out, it's a Master's degree in Business Administration.
Why an MBA?
For some techies, the very notion of taking piles of extra classes to learn about what they (those other people) do is abhorrent. Most of us prefer the bits 'n' bytes, some even to the point of preferring to be left alone with them. In the real world, though, most computing is driven by and deployed for business needs. Getting any business degree, especially an MBA, shows an individual is interested in how computing impacts the business and how an organization can derive value from it.
Additionally, an MBA shows that the IT person in question is a bit more well-rounded than the average stereotypical techie, and can contribute to the overall goals of the company.
When to get the MBA?
Although it seems more mid- and late- career folks pursue their MBAs after some work experience, it wouldn't necessarily hurt to get it early (or relatively so), especially if you're going to a pricey B&M degree program (see below).
Where to get the MBA?
Generally speaking, most folks are best served by obtaining MBAs from a locally recognized educational institution. This avoids the “who's that school?” factor when interviewing, and in many cases may improve/increase your opportunities. Unfortunately, tales abound of buddy-buddy management in some organizations where most, if not all, managers attended one particular institution. This is one of those unfortunate realities one must consider when picking their institution.
Aside from local colleges, where next? If the local B&M ("brick and mortar" school) is too expensive, there are plenty of choices online. A large percentage, possibly the majority, of B&M MBA programs also have an online program available.
Which of these other schools to choose from? Most folks will be best served by regionally accredited institutions, as regional accreditation agencies have much more exhaustive requirements than national accreditation agencies. Most local B&M institutions fall into this category. Regional accreditation becomes more important if you're looking to teach at some point in your career, work for government entities or large (e.g. Fortune 1000) organizations.
Even better than regionally accredited schools are AACSB accredited schools. AACSB stands for “Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business”, an accrediting agency for business schools. Schools with this accreditation have met exacting standards for their business programs over and above those of their local regional accrediting agency.
For individuals who are looking to advance within a small company, a nationally accredited institution may suffice-- some of the better known/regarded ones will be mentioned later in this thread.
OK, where more specifically to look for an MBA other than my local hoity-toity ivory tower?
All right, here goes. These are just some ideas to jump-start your search.
If you'd like to attend an AACSB-accredited school and want to save a few $$$, consider Jacksonville State University.
If you want regionally-accredited but AACSB isn't necessary, look at Chadron State College or Amberton University. Many folks on this board are enamored with Western Governors University, which has a relatively low price tag but is fairly new and not as well known.
If you're only looking to advance in a current role or work for small organizations and have a tight budget, a nationally-accredited institution such as Andrew Jackson University or Aspen University may be a good fit. Both of these institutions offer tution promotions occasionally-- Andrew Jackson had one recently where they dropped their application fee, and Aspen University has one (as of this writing in August 2010) where they're promoting pre-paid tuition of $3600 for their entire MBA program.
For the adventurous, there are some overseas (mostly European) programs that will accept students without a prior Bachelor's degree providing their application demonstrates significant business experience. These programs don't require accreditation from US agencies, and may or may not be a tough sell for your purpose depending on how well the school's name is recognized.
That should be enough to get us started.
