I was just wondering what your thoughts on the program, Im not sure if I would be looking to do the full time program or an night school type program. But I was wondering how hard it was to get into and your thoughts in general.

Thanks

My sister (A&M class of '89) graduated from SMU's EMBA program a few years ago, and loved it. They traveled to a couple of different countries in Europe for case studies as part of the curriculum, and she made some lasting business relationships with her classmates that have paid dividends for her.

If you shoot me your e-mail address, I can pass it along if you have any specific questions.

I'd say that most of the graduates from the program I've encountered, are pretty cocky about it.
For instance, one person bad mouthing the CEO of our company, and saying he doesn't merit it because he got his MBA from UT-Dallas.
Another guy explicitly saying he should be promoted to management just because he got his MBA from there. Ignore the fact that he has no ability to deal with people.

Nonreg - What company has a UTD CEO?

Just interested, because that is where I am doing my graduate and MBA work.

'04 graduate of PMBA program meaning I worked I full-time and attended at night and on weekends. Strictly my opinion and experience but I thought it was total whip. Extremely stressful due to time management and not necessarily due to difficulty of content but it definitely wasn't a cakewalk.

I've received several promotions since graduating although I'm probably single-handedly bringing down the average salary for my class due to the industry I'm in.

Frankly, I thought it sucked but I met some great, lifelong friends via the program and the networking is second to none. The networking is more key than the experience, frankly, especially if you are staying in DFW.

I have classmates who loved the experience. I just wasn't one of those that was gung-ho about it though. I just wanted to get the degree and get the hell out.

I was really wanting to go to UTD but at the time they didn't offer a professional program. It was all full-time. Not sure if that has changed.

UTD does now have a PMBA program. I got mine there a couple of years back. They also have the #1 ranked EMBA program in the state.

DANG,
I choose not to answer that question, as there are some unscrupulous people around here that have gotten people reprimanded if not fired just because they were ticked about some post.

I am taking the cheap way out and getting my MBA from TAMU-Commerce. I realize it does not have the network/respect of SMU, but I think I have a better chance of recouping my investment on a $15,000 MBA than a $70,000 MBA (just guessing here, not exactly sure what SMU charges, but I'm sure it is exponentially more than TAMUC). Classes are held at night in Commerce, Rockwall, downtown Dallas, or the internet.

http://www7.tamu-commerce.edu/graduateprograms/programs/30HOUR.asp

[This message has been edited by slschultz02 (edited 6/9/2008 1:59p).]

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They also have the #1 ranked EMBA program in the state.

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Based on Financial Times magazine which weighs the value of the degree vs. the cost.... UT-Austin and A&M's "E" programs are still considered better overall degrees.... they just cost a lot more......

I graduated with an MBA from SMU in 2005. I loved it all. The classes, the faculty, the campus, classmates etc... Was a great experience. And I learned so much.

Ranking for UTD by US News - Top full time program in North Texas, fourth in State.

http://www.utdallas.edu/news/archive/2007/0501001.html

Why is UTD ranked so highly? GPAs? You can manage that. What about work experience? Networking? Average starting salaries of FT MBAs?

Our Fortune 100 company only recruits at UT and SMU in Texas but is considering Rice and TCU. The latter two would be to potentially pick off someone each year.

Why has UTD done better than UNT? UTD certainly has location advantages over UNT, but not SMU.

Here is how the US News comes to their rankings (from the posted article above).

The publication bases its rankings on both a survey of business school deans and recruiters and several statistical measures of quality, including acceptance rates, students’ grade point averages and GMAT scores. Also considered is the percentage of students employed at graduation, along with their average starting salary.

I knew nothing of UTD until I started to research part time MBA programs in the Dallas area. I looked at SMU, UTD and the University of Dallas. U of D is not accredited and had very low entrance restrictions, which turned me off. SMU presented itself the best and definately has the name, but the expense was a little over twice what UTD is. UTD also was a little more flexible and closer to my home in Plano. I certainly would not blame anyone going to SMU just for the name factor. They also have a mentoring program with corporate contacts thats value would be great (almost swayed me).

I have found UTD to be excellent and more impressive every day. I have already studied under two professors who studied at the University of Chicago, one who studied under 4 different Nobel Prize winners (economics). The staff seems very good. The majority of the students are full time foreign students or engineers from the telecom corridor. However, they have focuses on marketing, finance, project management etc.

UTD undergraduate consistently has some of the top incoming SAT scores in the state (above 1200 average) and some years has the highest.

The school is only around 35 years old (less for undergraduate), so there is little in the way of tradition and the school feels like a commuter school.

I have talked to one recruiter that finds the accounting program to be top notch.

Also, you will find other rankings that say SMU is the best program in the whole southwest. Different rankings value different things.

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Also considered is the percentage of students employed at graduation, along with their average starting salary.

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This is what would push them way up.... a lot of employers pay for some of their employees to get an MBA.... UTD is in the heart of the TeleCom Corridor, so a lot of these people attend UTD instead of a place like SMU because it's closer and a lot less expensive........

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Also, you will find other rankings that say SMU is the best program in the whole southwest. Different rankings value different things.

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This is true..... There was another ranking that came out recently that had A&M ahead of UT-Austin and Rice..........

Here are A&M's rankings..... pretty impressive!

http://mba.tamu.edu/why/rankings.shtml

[This message has been edited by chick79 (edited 6/10/2008 10:17a).]

I would place UTD's closeness to Telecom Corridor too highly anymore.

1. The telecom boom is over so the populous isn't as great there as it once was
2. In my tenure there I had very few classmates that were employed in that vicinity.

Cost, I think, is the biggest driver. Also, the ability to create your own track and the professional program were big attractions for me. The professors were definitely top notch.

My biggest complaints about the program are:

• There is a large concentration of foreign students so communication was sometimes a problem
  
• I think that required credits are up to 53 or so. I'm not sure why the hours keep creeping up when 35 years ago 36 hours was enough
  
• Professors seem to often feel a ridiculous need for group work even when it isn't warranted for the task or project
  
• WORST: No prior work experience is needed. This means that you have the Biology major straight out of undergrad that couldn't get a job in your Accounting class
  

[This message has been edited by breaker119 (edited 6/10/2008 11:26a).]

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The telecom boom is over so the populous isn't as great there as it once was

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Office occupancy rate in the Richardson Telecom Corridor is now over 90%.... about three years ago, it was 60%.........

Also, you will find other rankings that say SMU is the best program in the whole southwest. Different rankings value different things.

Ditto. You also have different rankings for different programs within one school. For example, Professional MBA programs have been ranked for a few years now and SMU's PMBA is a top 10-12 program every year. EMBA is usually top 15. Full-time is quite a bit lower.

I heard from a friend that the SMU MBA program said their average starting salary out of their program was $90K. That's not much of an average given the cost to get the degree.

I'm guessing it comes down to what you want out of your degree. I still haven't figured that out, so I still haven't started school again.