Let's say you had an opportunity to attend one of these programs, which one would you select? Also, please chime in and share your experience if you have completed an MBA from one these three schools.

UT Austin(Dallas program)
Cost: ~ $95,000
US News Ranking: 17
Average starting salary: $107,272

UTD
Cost: ~$40,000
US News Ranking:33
Average starting salary:$80,000


SMU
Cost: ~$90,000
US News Ranking: 48
Average starting salary:$97,804

I have been weighing a similar decision. Honestly, all are very good options. I think the real difference is if you plan on staying in Texas?

I have an MBA from UTD but enough time has passed that I doubt my program experiences will have much relevance to the current program. There are a few points to make though.

It took 7 semesters to complete because I attended part-time since I had a full-time job. (The majority of the other students had the same situation.) As I recall most everyone had at least 5 years of work experience, some much more, some a little less.

Being exposed to the different perspectives and experiences of others was a key benefit for me. The negative was that trying to get organized and meet for the countless group projects was a bi***. It was pre-internet so I imagine things are easier now. (Also my guess is it didn't cost me the equivalent of $40k in real dollars.)

Going to class 3-4 nights a week for 3.5-4 hours a night after working all day was a challenge, especially with a spouse that worked and a kid below the age of 3. I just kept my nose down and took 6-8 hours a semester(including summers) and knocked it out.

I considered going to SMU but as I recall they only had the full-time program or the executive MBA. Also, cost was a huge issue.

Texker, do you feel your job opportunities and starting salary were limited due to attending a regional MBA program?

I plan to stay in Texas after graduation, but wouldn't mind moving to another state. I think I have narrowed it down to UT and UTD. I will have to do additional analysis to see if a UT degree is worth the additional $60k.

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Texker, do you feel your job opportunities and starting salary were limited due to attending a regional MBA program?

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On a national scale I'm guessing that's probably true but can't say for sure because I didn't conduct an external job search as I wasn't looking to move out of D/FW and liked the company I was working for at the time. Thus, I choose to stay with the same company and found an internal promotion. Staying with my current company delayed immediate financial rewards as it took some time to secure another position but it worked out very well in the long run.

Currently weighing all three as well however I am leaning away from UT-Austin (in Dallas) as it requires taking two weeks off work to attend seminars in Austin.

The salaries you pulled are from the full-time programs. It's erroneous to assume that part timers have the same starting salaries. Part timers are less likely to switch jobs, and don't have the same access to on-campus recruiting. It'd be interesting if they'd publish salaries for part time grads.

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The salaries you pulled are from the full-time programs. It's erroneous to assume that part timers have the same starting salaries. Part timers are less likely to switch jobs, and don't have the same access to on-campus recruiting. It'd be interesting if they'd publish salaries for part time grads.

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The numbers from UT were in line with what I heard from my classmates

Is it still worth getting an MBA if your salary is already near or at the salaries the OP posted? I'm highly considering getting an MBA, but those salaries don't entice me.

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Is it still worth getting an MBA if your salary is already near or at the salaries the OP posted? I'm highly considering getting an MBA, but those salaries don't entice me.

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You obviously don't care enough based off the lack of information you're putting into your question.

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Is it still worth getting an MBA if your salary is already near or at the salaries the OP posted? I'm highly considering getting an MBA, but those salaries don't entice me.

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Well keep in mind those are entry level positions.

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Is it still worth getting an MBA if your salary is already near or at the salaries the OP posted? I'm highly considering getting an MBA, but those salaries don't entice me.

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Well keep in mind those are entry level positions.

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Fortune 150 here with an MBA from SMU. In what world is $100k a starting salary? Most folks in business school at SMU (for example) are in the professional or executive program and have been in the work force for a while. Those salaries are not for entry level. It may include the full timers in that number who could be considered entry level but the salaries would be skewed upward by the professional and executive students.

If I had an MBA fresh out of school applying for one of my entry level positions wanting $100k I would laugh in their face and move on. Having said that, there is no doubt that salaries have inflated over the last few years, but why pay $100k for entry level (if true) when you can pay $50k for a bachelors and get the same quality.

Are you defining entry level as entry level for management/leadership?

Yeah I meant entry level on a new ladder and a new salary growth trajectory. not entry level in the first job out of school scenario.

Sorry if I wasn't clear

I've been working for 4 years, so I'm curious to see what the salary bump would be for someone after they get their MBA if they have already had decent work experience.

Sorry for not being clear.

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I've been working for 4 years, so I'm curious to see what the salary bump would be for someone after they get their MBA if they have already had decent work experience.

Sorry for not being clear.

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Depends on a lot of things, especially the tier of MBA you get. I went to McCombs full-time program and got approx. 150% bump. Could've been much higher but I chose to start a company with someone else, rather than go to the big guys which would've been over 200%.

An obviously it depends on where your pre-mba salary was.

A pete with 4 years and hired at the height of the boom wouldn't get nearly the bump than I am guessing someone like Malibu (a teacher) got.

I know we had several from the Dallas program that doubled because they came from low paying backgrounds and some that didn't even bother with OCR because there was no upside.

Also depends on industry and job type you end up taking.

t.u. Weekend MBA and A&M engineer degree, from the time I started my MBA until now (1 year out) I've increased by 37% on a probably higher salary than some the average. Since I was still working, it was a gradual climb over 3 years.