Part 2 (1/2)

There are sothe ”Will they pay for it?” question, including the size of the coanization, and the a there

Will They Work with You?”Because our jobs are so de for full-time employees, not part-time employees However, there are some exceptions If an individual who has worked full-ti a part-time schedule, the firm usually works with theood track record All regular full-tiible for a tuition reiraer of e is your company?

If you are employed at a small company that does not have a tuition reimbursement policy, size can work to your benefit Perhaps they can be more flexible with their rules, ive you an additional ”bonus” to assist in the payment of your expenses Remember that any nonreimbursed work-related expenses can be claimed on your income taxes Ask your tax accountant for more information

Where do you fit in within the coreat deal of interaction and group projects, or are you a ”solo” worker? If you have constant contact with others, ask around and see if anyone has obtained a degree on a part-ti on your work environment, you may want to discuss these matters outside the office (at lunch or over a drink, perhaps) Your colleague iving you insight if you're at an offsite location

How long have you been employed?

If you are a recent hire, it may be premature to discuss whether or not the company would financially support your MBA pursuit Even if this issue was discussed in your interview, don't be surprised if your boss is taken aback if you suggest that you are ready to start your application process when the first paycheck hasn't cleared yet!

No one is indispensable, but

Maybe you are lucky enough to be in a bargaining position at work If this is the case, even if your firm does not offer tuition rei to make an exception-just this once

Once you have evaluated your e:Read your policy and procedure manual or human resources booklet that describes your benefits Is their ible? Inforues and casually broach the subject Talk to friends and family who are currently employed in similar industries What is their company's policy? Prepare a formal letter of request to your boss, with a copy for human resources In this letter, explain why you wish to obtain an MBA degree, detail the progra, and identify the tiree If you have a close relationshi+p with your boss, go to him or her first Show that you have done your research, and explain your tiame plan Remember, it is ht out Ask for his or her advice regarding the next step Have your written request on hand should it be requested If you do not feel co your boss, ask for a confidential appointment with your personnel director A word of caution: If your company does not offer a tuition reimbursement plan, do not expect any flexibility on behalf of the human resources team They are required to enforce the rules of the co an exception to be o directly to the people ee the rule or exempt you froues, and boss are behind you as you eree Now you must start your search for the perfect fit The next section will help you choose the right school and prograh the brochures and literature you will need to filter through If you do your research properly, the desirable program is out there for you The lesson to be learned is that there are as rams as there are schools

Remember that most schools will permit you to waive a course if you have taken it within the last 5 years and have received a ”B” or better This is not a universal rule, but a general guideline Check with your school

PART TWO

Selecting the Right School and Progra Business Schools

Now that you are quite detere into business school, it's ti the right school and program for you

HOW TO FIND OUT ABOUT SCHOOLS

Since you are applying to a part-tiram, your selection of schools to attend will be limited by your location and current job restrictions But how is the best way to start your research?

Friends, Family, or Work It's possible that a fah the process If this is the case, pick his or her brain; ask what helped him or her determine which school to attend Keep an open mind, and re or best friend-doesn't necessarily work for you

As far as work is concerned, unless you are setting a precedent, someone must have led the way before you Perhaps your e of schools for which they authorize tuition reimbursement Check your human resources manual or ask to speak confidentially with someone in the personnel office If you are the first in your office to break this new ground, congratulations-you've achieved quite a bit already! Be sure to check out the next two points, as your B-school investigation will most likely be based on reputation and/or pure research

Reputation/Word of Mouth Depending on where you live, you may have only a few options Unless you reside in a vacuum, you are most likely aware of the universities in your city or town Which ones are perceived as the best?

Research In the back of this book, you'll find a geographical listing of all schools offering Part-Tirareat place to kick off your B-school search Also, you can do a little browsing on the Internet There are several sites out there (for exa schools with MBA prograh thee a book by its cover The school with the nicest brochure and the snazziest website is not always the best selection for you!

Internet InfoCheck out raet the email address to correspond with schools and obtain feedback on 2,500 MBA prograraduates

HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT SCHOOL

As a part-time B-school candidate, who, more likely than not, will continue to work on a full-ti which schools to apply to, your decision will probably be based on several factors, including institutional and professional accreditation, location, progra, faculty, and facilities offered

Accreditation An iram and school is whether or not the institution is accredited Currently, there are so es and universities-12 in all!-that the pertinent question to ask is whether the Council on Postsecondary Education (COPA), the authorized entity that recognizes the accreditation agencies, accredits theanization remains the same, COPA has since been dissolved in lieu of the Conition of Postsecondary Accreditation (CORPA), which, in turn, has been replaced by a new agency called the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

What MattersGreg Gomez, Director of Admissions at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, identifies thea school: Travel and location Schedule of classes Transferability of undergraduate courses Company tuition rei or weekend options Size of class and teaching ies Accessibility of the faculty Adinally approved six regional accreditation agencies: the New England association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the Middle States association of Schools and Colleges (MSASC), the Northwest association of Schools and Colleges (NASC), the North Central association of Schools and Colleges (NCASC), the Southern association of Schools and Colleges (SASC), and the Western association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Although the six regional agencies are separate and distinct, they retain essentially the same standards A prospective student should understand that the regional accreditation bodies sanction the whole institution and not just some individual parts of the university What this means is, the university as a whole whole is accredited, and not the MBA prograram specifically

The Professional World Chimes In The Professional World Chiional accreditation bestowed upon an entire institution, professional accreditations exist that look solely at the quality within a particular discipline There are two organizations in the United States that accredit business schools One is the Aiate Schools of Business (AACSB) This not-for-profit membershi+p company, established in 1916 and located in St Louis, is the organization originally sanctioned by COPA to accredit bachelor's, raement As of surams ide The AACSB membershi+p consists of over 660 US educational institutions, over 140 international educational institutions, and approxianizations AACSB has bestowed accreditation to only a s inclusion Standards for AACSB professional accreditation include faculty quality, student quality, curriculu support staff, library holdings, and co AACSB accreditation, refer to their website at aacsbedu

How Irams in the United States are professionally accredited by the AACSB Don't cross a school off your list just because it is not accredited There is no way for you to know if the school lacks accreditation because the prograible, because the school did not seek it, or because the program did not fulfill the required standards

A second accrediting organization is the association of Collegiate Business Schools and Prograanization was established in 1988 to meet the needs of the smaller schools Its mission is to promote and iranition by the US Departibility for recognition froher Education Accreditation (CHEA) You

Although regional accreditation is necessary for an institution to participate in the federal student aid programs and thus may be very important for you, professional accreditation rams may not even be able to obtain such accreditation because of the unorthodoxy of their curricula, even if they are of very high quality

Location It's a fact: Unless you are opting for the Distance Learning or Online progra froain Therefore, you'll need to carefully consider how much time and effort you want to expend on this commute Do you want a school close to your office or close to your ho by car, ill traffic be like during rush hour? Is parking available? Even if you will be taking advantage of public transportation, you estion

If you're like everyone else, chances are, nine tiet to class on time Of course, you won't plan for this to happen, but sos can't be avoided and the telephone doesn't know to stop ringing at 5 PM You want to arrive at school in a calm and composed frame of mind so that you are able to concentrate on the subject at hand (instead of sweating and stressing over coht now, but re to school two or three ti after Work?

Many schools offer students an opportunity to earn their MBA on the weekend The weekend MBA is particularly appropriate for working professionals whothe week, or who live and work in locations thathours Universities with B-schools that offer Weekend MBA's include: Bowling Green State University Duke University Florida Atlantic University Iowa State University Michigan State University Seattle University University of California-Berkeley University of Chicago University of Miami University of South Florida Contact the school for ram inforree opportunities

Available Programs Since you have opted to stay eram to fit with your schedule:Traditional Part-Tira or online MBA progra developed that emphasize flexibility,are very invested in their part-ti questions: Can full-ti courses? Will you be co or weekend class? How many sections of the class are offered (ie, is the sahts)?

Are the Classes Limited in Size?You want to make sure that you are not ”shut out”-especially if the class you want is a prerequisite for another one you have planned to register for in the following se/Reputation Which schools will uide to the reputation and quality of the schools and their prograh When you read ”The 10 Best B-Schools in the Northeast,” you probably can't help but wonder what the operational definition of ”best” is Best social life? Best placement statistics? Best library (hest GMAT scores)? Best food on ca sole accepted ranking systeh the recent rankings in US News and World Report, Business Week, US News and World Report, Business Week, and others, it's hard to ignore that the sa up, so look for a consensus and others, it's hard to ignore that the sa up, so look for a consensus

You are not alone in reading these articles-your employers (or future es and reputation are appropriate guidelines if your e you for a tuition reie, reputation, andof the schools are important to you and your es seriously

Who Does the Ranking?In US newsstands you will find rankings in the following publications: Business Week Business Week (includes EMBA ranking) (includes EMBA ranking)US News and World Report US News and World Report (including Part-Ti)Which MBA? Which MBA? (includes Part-Ti, as well as sos) (includes Part-Ti, as well as sos)The Insiders Guide to the Top 10 MBA's The Insiders Guide to the Top 10 MBA's The MBA Advantage The MBA Advantage Other rankings: Other rankings: association of MBA's (a British association founded in 1967) Capital Another important statistic to factor in is the school's placee once you have obtained your degree Most schools will provide you with a listing of eree The return on investment of your MBA education should be taken into account when selecting a school and prograes for their graduates-look on their website or brochure With this inforure out how many years it will take to you recoup your investHere's your first accounting lesson: Understand how to read a number For exae a to the nearest dollar, and ten cents can keep you at your desk for hours on end when your balance sheet is out of balance The lesson is this: Be very wary in how you interpret the nu

Quality of the Faculty The quality of a school's faculty is iram's reputation Nonetheless, there are several important questions to ask Since faculty reputation is typically based on research output, how adept are the facultyresearch and theory to usable infor? Is teaching an activity in which all the faculty er are succeeding researchers? What proportion of the classes is taught by full-tined to adjunct part-time instructors who et to take classes with the school's marquis professors? With a proliferation of executive education prograned to teach executive education students instead of the MBA's If one of your priram is to take classes from specific professors, make sure you'll have that opportunity

School Facilities If you decide to attend a brick andconcern Apart froroup sessions, you probably will not spend too much time on campus Despite this, you should consider what additional facilities are available to the part-time students