The MBA Guidebook

The Authoritative Guide to MBA Programs

by Martin Schatz, Ph.D.

1997 Edition

Contents

• About the Author
• Preface
• Introduction
• A Guide to Selecting An MBA Program
  • Every School is Ranked in Someone's Top Twenty
  • Isn't Everybody Accredited?
  • Who's Who?
  • Peas in a Pod?
  • Are MBAs Human?
  • But Can They Teach?
  • How Much?
  • The Difference Between a Snow Shovel and a Snowplow
  • In Summation
• Database of MBA Programs
• What's Wrong With MBA Ranking Surveys? (article from Management Research News)
• The MBA Guidebook Software on the World Wide Web

About the Author

Dr. Martin Schatz is Dean Emeritus and Professor of Management at the Roy E. Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. During his twenty-five years of experience in the dean's office at the business schools of NYU, Adelphi, SUNY, and Rollins he has counseled thousands of students about which MBA program they should enter. Dr. Schatz learned about matching students and schools from the "inside" while serving as MBA admissions director, assistant dean, associate dean, and dean at these schools.

Professor Schatz now teaches courses in Organizational Behavior, Leadership, and Business Policy. He earned his undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of Alabama, his MBA from the University of Florida, and the Ph.D. in business from NYU. Interspersed with his education he worked as a research metallurgist, a business analyst in the aerospace industry, and a member of the project management staff of the Mayor of the City of New York.

During his twelve years as dean of the Crummer School, the school became nationally respected for its innovations, including the mentor program for full-time students, the use of laptop computers in the classroom, and the integration of technology in the curriculum. Under his leadership the school became known for having the most prolific textbook writing faculty of any business school. Many schools have asked Dr. Schatz to consult with them about various aspects of their MBA programs, and he has given numerous presentations at national and regional meetings.

Preface

Each year more than 200,000 people take the Graduate Management Admission Test with the hope of entering an MBA program. Some of these men and women spend a great deal of time investigating the MBA programs at schools that match their individual interests before they submit an application for admission. Others often base their decision on the convenience of the school's location, or they select a school without knowing the criteria by which to assess its MBA program.

The purpose of this guidebook is to help you compare schools on the factors that you consider important. If you are already in the process of gathering information, this book should help structure the data and make comparisons more valid. If you are just starting to think about choosing a school, it should help you decide which factors are important.

Not every school is for every person. Based upon academic qualifications, areas of interest, size and location of school, and other factors discussed in this guidebook, most students have the option of several schools from which to choose. Certain schools have very good reputations in their local area, but are almost unknown elsewhere. Attending a well respected local school can give a graduate a competitive edge in that particular geographic area, but it can limit the graduate's future job mobility. This is something to keep in mind when selecting a school.

The information in this guidebook is not intended to duplicate descriptions of the schools that are available elsewhere. Instead, it supplements that information. After consulting this guidebook you should be able to make a more informed decision about selecting the business school that best fulfills your needs.

Gratitude is given to the many deans and their staffs who contributed the data, and appreciation to those many past and current MBA students who have helped to shape the questions that are so critical in making one of the more important decisions of your life.

Introduction

Selecting a school from which to obtain an MBA degree can be as confusing as choosing a personal computer. MBA programs are similar to one another in design, and most of them offer approximately the same general courses. However, there are subtle differences that can be critical in determining compatibility. This guide suggests which factors to compare when considering prospective schools and offers ways to make comparisons between the schools on the prospect list.

Information about all 255 MBA programs in the United States that are accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is included. Most of the information was collected exclusively for The MBA Guidebook, and additional information was taken from the schools' catalogs and from other published sources. A total of 191 schools participated in the original survey.

Of the 255 schools listed in this guidebook, 145 offer day-time classes for full-time students. Many of these schools also have evening programs for part-time students, and 110 schools have only evening programs.

This Guidebook includes listings of the top fifty day-time programs rank-ordered for each of sixteen different attributes. The computer disk available with this guidebook lists all schools by rank order for each of eighteen attributes. Because some schools did not supply all of the pertinent information, however, not all 145 schools are included in each ranking.

It is important to note that although some of the rankings may be consistent with the "national rankings," The MBA Guidebook does not necessarily agree with the notion that the highly ranked schools are the "best" MBA programs. It is the author's firm conviction that no school is best for everyone, and that every accredited school is best for someone.

A Guide To Selecting An MBA Program

Like many prospective MBA students, you may already have a good idea which MBA program you would like to attend. At the same time, you know that you have to apply to more than one program, because the school of your choice may not be able to admit every applicant. As you select alternative schools, you want to make the selection wisely, and you can do so best if you understand the characteristics and features of the many available choices.

By sharing with you the many years of experience in the dean's office of business schools, I hope to provide you with an insider's view of MBA programs that will enable you to choose the program that best suits your needs.

In the following pages, you will learn about the strengths and weaknesses of business schools and the advantages and drawbacks of various attributes of MBA programs. You will gain an understanding of many features of MBA programs that most students discover only after they have enrolled in a school, often with the realization that if they had known better, they might have selected a different program.

Every School is Ranked in Someone's Top Twenty

First, you should understand that there is no accepted ranking based on the quality of business schools. Occasionally one reads that a group of employers ranked the top twenty schools and a newspaper or magazine conducted a survey that yielded another ranking. The exact order in which the schools are ranked is rather unimportant. The same schools are usually included in most top twenty ratings except for numbers 18, 19, and 20. These schools often include the home town favorites. The net result is that there are probably a dozen schools that claim to be in the top five, twenty schools that claim to be in the top ten, and one-hundred schools that claim to be in the top twenty. In comparing schools, there could very well be a larger difference between those ranked 3 and 18, than between those ranked 18 and 218.

Upon close examination, it becomes apparent that the published rankings of top schools include only schools accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Accreditation means that the school has met quality standards established by the AACSB. These standards specify the criteria that must be satisfied by a school's faculty, student body, curriculum, library, and facilities.

Of the 742 AACSB member schools, 255 are accredited at the MBA level, but only 18 of the accredited schools specialize in graduate education. The schools from this latter group usually dominate any list of rankings. This was true for recent rankings published in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Insiders Guide to the Top Ten Business Schools, and The Gourman Report.

Isn't Everybody Accredited?

There are so many different agencies authorized to accredit schools, it sometimes is meaningless to ask whether or not a college or university is accredited, unless it is followed with the question "by whom?" The Council on Post Secondary Education (COPA) is the body authorized by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to recognize accreditation agencies. In other words, COPA is the accreditor of accreditation agencies. In total, COPA recognizes twelve different agencies that offer accreditation to colleges and universities.

Although there are special accreditation agencies for bible schools, proprietary schools, independent schools, and many other organizations, just about every college and university with high academic standards is accredited by one of the six regional accreditation agencies approved by COPA. Depending on where a school is located, it comes under the jurisdiction of one of the following regions: New England, Middle States, Southern, North Central, Northwest, Western. These regional agencies have approximately the same standards, and there is no quality distinction in being accredited by one rather than another.

A prospective student should understand that the regional accreditation bodies sanction the whole institution, and not just some individual parts of the university. A university may have an exceptional medical school, but if the rest of the schools and colleges within the university do not meet the standards, the university itself will not receive regional accreditation.

In addition to regional accreditation, which is bestowed on the entire college or university, there is also professional accreditation granted by organizations of professional schools, such as medicine, law, education, nursing, engineering, and business. The American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is the organization sanctioned by COPA to accredit schools that are AACSB members.

The fact that the AACSB has bestowed accreditation only on 255 of its 742 members speaks highly about its standards. AACSB accreditation is even more impressive when you understand that just to be a member of the association, the business school must first be located within a college or university that has already met the standards of one of the six regional accrediting agencies.

The first attribute reported about each business school is, therefore, the geographic location in which the college or university has received its regional accreditation.

Who's Who?

At least three factors determine how much someone will learn from any course: motivation of the individual, skill of the teacher, and quality of the other students in the class. Students who enter an MBA program with mature expectations of hard work are certainly going to expect the same from their classmates. In general, students who have been in the work place before entering an MBA program have a better "internalization" of the course material than those who arrive directly from college.

A diverse student body exposes MBA students to a variety of viewpoints and experiences. The more diverse the class in its undergraduate preparation, and the larger the geographic distribution from where the school draws its student body, the more likely that students will have differing perceptions that contribute to the educational process. Other factors usually related to the academic quality of the student body are the average score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and the undergraduate grade point average (GPA).

The background and credentials of students who attend a school say something about the standards of that school and also may influence the learning environment. These concerns lead to the first set of criteria: Who are the other students?

Undergraduate to MBA student ratio: Most colleges and universities that have MBA programs also have undergraduate programs in business. The undergraduate programs are usually much larger than the MBA programs and, therefore, the relative sizes might have a bearing on the resources and attention paid to the MBA program. In general, a small ratio is preferable to a large ratio. A school with a ratio of 10:1 has ten times as many undergraduate as graduate students, one with aratio of 1:1 has the same number, and one with a ratio of 0:1 is a school that specializes in graduate education.

Size of the entering class: There are clearly trade-offs that come with school size. On the one hand, a certain critical mass of students is necessary to support the faculty, resources, and facilities that make the school competitive; on the other hand, a school that is too large often becomes a bureaucracy of student processing, where everyone is a stranger. The judgement of what is the "right" size is a personal one.

Percent of students with undergraduate background in business: Originally, the MBA degree was designed primarily as a two-year course of study for students who studied "the more rigorous subjects" of science, engineering, and the liberal arts while in college, but needed to understand the practices of business when they entered a career in commerce. As the MBA became prestigious, however, students who already had studied business at the undergraduate level also wanted the status of having an MBA. Because of the added prestige and the fact that business is now by far the largest undergraduate major at many colleges, some MBA programs are designed as one-year extensions of undergraduate business programs.

In general, a higher percentage of MBA students who majored in business will tend to homogenize the backgrounds of the student body, whereas a lower percentage will add to the diversity of the MBA class.

Average age: Most business school faculty find it more interesting and challenging to teach students who have "real world" work experience. Discussions among students, and especially within study groups, is often as important as what transpires in class. Thus, it is often said that at a good school, students learn as much from one another as they do from their teachers. Generally, older students with more work experience have more to teach.

Student diversity: Every accredited MBA program requires course work in organizational behavior. In this course, students learn that people approach problems with different perspectives based upon their own culture, background, and values. Appreciation for this diversity is important for managers, and one can learn about it directly from observations as well as from textbook materials. The inclusion of people from different undergraduate schools and different geographic areas, as well as representation by minorities, women, and international students, add diversity to the student body.

GMAT score: The average score on the Graduate Management Admission Test is probably the most widely used measure of student quality. As a tool for student selection, it is useful to admission officers because it is standardized. Standardization means that all people take the same test whether they live in Maine or California, and whether they went to a major university or a small college for their undergraduate work. Since the admissions officer cannot be familiar with the grading standards and education quality of each undergraduate college, the GMAT test "levels the playing field," and allows comparisons of competing candidates for admission. No one has been able to demonstrate a significant correlation between scores on the GMAT test and subsequent grades received in the MBA program. And there is no correlation between the test score and the likelihood of developing into a successful business executive.

Some of the literature suggests that there is a correlation between standardized test scores and I.Q., and this relationship suggests that there is probably some minimum sore that is necessary for a student to complete successfully a rigorous academic program. If so, that threshold may in fact be different for each school.

Average GMAT scores generally range from highs of 625-650 at the most selective schools to a low of 450 at less selective schools. Small differences between schools are probably not significant, and the range of GMAT scores at any school is usually a wide spread from the average.

Peas in A Pod?

The MBA curriculum criteria for accreditation are very specific, so the programs at most schools are quite similar. Because the textbooks used in courses are also fairly standardized, there is not a significant difference in the subject matter covered. It appears, therefore, that an MBA is an MBA, and it really does not matter from which school it is attained. In spite of the catalog descriptions that all look like peas in a pod, there are real differences in expectations of the outcome of the educational process. Some schools encourage students to become specialists or technicians, while others emphasize general management. Some emphasize quantitative methods and others use the case approach. Some use the computer as a tool, integrating its use into each class, while others offer specialized courses in programming and information systems. These criteria concern the teaching philosophy of the school.

Student/Faculty ratio: Not everyone agrees that the educational process is more effective when classes are smaller and there is close contact between individual students and faculty. Most people do agree however, that these factors make the educational process more personable and enjoyable. One measure that describes these two objectives is the student-to-faculty ratio. The most exclusive schools boast about ratios of 12:1 or 15:1, while at the other extreme some schools have a ratio of more than 30:1.

Class size: The student/faculty ratio by itself does not accurately describe the typical class size or the contact that students have with the faculty. Some institutions have faculty who spend the majority of their time performing research, so their faculty have greatly reduced teaching schedules. Some schools also permit a faculty member to teach one large class section instead of several smaller sections. While serving to lower the student/faculty ratio, these practices may actually raise the size of the average class, and possibly prevent students from having access to the best known instructors on the faculty. Additional concerns about student interaction with faculty are discussed in later sections of this guidebook.

Computer use: Two generations ago, the slide rule and mechanical calculator were the tools for those who wanted to calculate the mathematics of business. The tool of this past generation was the hand-held calculator, and the tool of the present is the personal computer. Every accredited MBA program must expose its students to basic computer use, but some go far beyond the requirement. As more faculty members become proficient with the capability of computers for problem solving and analysis, more schools are turning to the computer as a tool for "decision support." The degree to which the computer is used in the curriculum depends on whether it is used for just a particular course, in a number of courses, or whether it is integrated into almost all courses.

Quantitative curriculum: All MBA programs require a basic understanding of the quantitative methods used for analysis. Some programs stop at this exposure, while others incorporate quantitative methods throughout most of their courses, including marketing and organizational behavior, which at some schools are taught in a qualitative, rather than quantitative way.

Case or lecture: Some students prefer to learn by taking notes from a lecture by a noted scholar. Others prefer to be more actively involved in the learning process. The case method of instruction, using issues that have occurred in real companies, is the most often used method of student interaction. This criterion measures the degree to which the school uses the case method of instruction.

Theory or application: It was stated earlier that MBA programs were started for the purpose of teaching practical business skills to college graduates. In recent years, however, business schools have sought enhanced academic prestige, and have turned to the requirement of having their faculties perform and publish business research. Some schools, especially those that offer the doctorate in business, tend to emphasize this research mission and have programs that are highly theoretical in exposing students to the "state-of-the-art" in the field. Schools at the other end of the spectrum believe in the original mission of the MBA program and emphasize theory that can be applied to the solution of real problems. Naturally, most schools fall somewhere between these extremes.

Are MBAs Human?

When employers are surveyed about the strengths and weaknesses of the MBAs they hire, the response is almost universally the same: They talk about the need to "humanize" MBAs. According to their responses, MBAs can analyze and compute but they can't manage and communicate. They can understand accounting, finance, and marketing, but they are lost when dealing with corporate culture, accountability, and corporate values. They can generally solve problems, but they can't recognize when a problem exists.

It appears that business schools in general are doing a very good job in training technicians, but they are not doing as well in training managers. Some schools take these criticisms more seriously than others and have made changes in their curriculum to respond to the critics. These issues are addressed as criteria dealing with curricula supplements.

Personal skills: It has been said that the graduate of every accredited MBA program has the technical skills necessary to be a good manager. What so often makes the difference in management effectiveness, however, is the personal skills of the individual. In recent years, some schools have started to address this issue by supplementing the standard MBA curriculum with teaching of communication and presentation skills, leadership skills, and etiquette skills.

Relationship with business community: Some schools are situated miles from the mainstream of corporate America, while others are right in the middle of where the action is. The location itself may be less important than how the school capitalizes on its relationship with the business community, and how it may benefit students. Some schools use this relationship to expose students to the actual practice of management through the assignment of business executives as "mentors" for each student. In this situation, students are paired with their executive partners so they can observe the decision-making process in a real-world situation. Although the primary purpose of such relationships is educational, there is often the additional benefit of "networking" for the job search after graduation.

Everything for Everybody

Two types of schools offer MBA programs: those that specialize in graduate education, and those that offer both undergraduate and graduate programs. One of the major differences between these schools is their educational philosophy.

With some exceptions, the 240 schools that have both undergraduate and graduate accredited programs usually have an undergraduate enrollment of ten to twenty times that of their MBA program. This generally means that the same faculty teach in both programs and the MBA is sometimes viewed as an extension of the undergraduate business major. Some of these schools offer MBA degrees that can be completed in one year by students who already hold an undergraduate degree with a business major. This is because undergraduate courses are substituted for the "core" courses normally offered at the graduate level in 2-year MBA programs.

Contrasted with this educational model is the graduate school of business that seeks to attract incoming MBA candidates who do not have previous undergraduate courses in business. These schools prefer to admit students with a broad background in the liberal arts, science, or engineering. It is unusual for a student in these schools to graduate in less than two years. These graduate schools are also more likely to offer a structured program of general management that integrates the course material. There is no universal answer to which type of program is better, but you are more likely to determine which program is right for you by using the following criteria concerning curricula.

Advanced standing: Part of a school's educational philosophy can be understood by the rules established for granting advanced standing to entering students, and the length of the degree program. Schools that regard the MBA degree as an extension of a four-year undergraduate degree in business, also usually grant credit for undergraduate business courses taken at accredited colleges. In many cases, students who did their undergraduate work in business can complete the MBA in one year at these schools. At the other end of the spectrum are schools that view the MBA as a completely self-contained professional area of study that cannot be fully comprehended by those who have not matured through work experience after graduation from college. Although not necessarily penalizing undergraduate business majors in the admission process, these latter schools certainly discourage such students by making them take the basic core courses, even though they may already have some background from their undergraduate courses. These schools are faced with the need to make their courses challenging to business majors, while not losing students without a background in the subject matter. These latter schools generally require two-years of study for all students, and they include most of the truly prestigious schools.

First-year program: Schools that have two-year programs, are more likely to have a common first-year experience for all students. This is often done by assigning students to study groups and having them proceed through their classes with the same partners. This "lock-step" approach is not generally a feature of schools that have a one-year MBA program for students who have studied business at the undergraduate level.

Course integration: The educational philosophy of MBA programs is the study of general management, rather than the specialization in a particular field. This approach of "breadth" rather than "depth," sometimes leads to the problem of disorganization. Real business problems are not compartmentalized into marketing or production, finance or accounting, people skills or quantitative skills. Good managers must use all the tools at their disposal, and must also know when to use them. To accomplish this integration, all schools provide a course in business policy. Some schools go beyond this one method of integration, and try to provide linkages throughout all of the courses. This is called an integrated teaching approach instead of the traditional approach of free-standing courses.

But Can They Teach?

Most schools are eager to publicize the qualifications of their faculty by listing the degrees they have earned and the articles they have published. These credentials are important, but by themselves they tell more about the faculty's ability to perform and understand research than they do about the faculty's ability to teach. A highly qualified faculty should be oriented to both teaching and research. The faculties at most of the best schools prove that these skills are not mutually exclusive.

One way to determine the emphasis that a school places on teaching is to examine the school's policies that affect the hiring and evaluation of the faculty. At one end of the spectrum are schools that try to ensure teaching excellence by using only senior level faculty in the classroom, evaluating the faculty on their classroom performance, and measuring their production of teaching materials (textbooks and cases). At the other extreme are schools that have policies to use doctoral student "teaching assistants" or recent Ph.D. graduates who may have little teaching or practical experience, policies to promote and tenure faculty strictly on the basis of their research records, and policies that do not recognize the value of writing teaching materials. These schools may even discourage such writing.

The following criteria can help you determine if the school is teaching oriented, and if the faculty have the appropriate credentials and record of scholarly research.

Percentage of senior faculty: Faculty are categorized by the ranks of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and Instructor. Instructors are generally full-time teachers who do not have a doctorate, Assistant Professors are those who are hired after receiving the doctorate, Associate Professors have at least five years of experience and have met a university's requirements for promotion and tenure, and Professors have been reviewed by their peers to achieve the highest possible rank. Professors and Associate Professors are senior faculty members while Assistant Professors and Instructors are junior faculty members.

Percentage of faculty holding doctorate degrees: The accreditation standards of the AACSB require schools with only undergraduate students to have faculties with at least 40 percent holding doctorates. Those with MBA programs must have 75 percent of their faculties holding doctorates. Therefore, it seems appropriate to assume that the higher the percentage of doctorate faculty, the higher the quality of teaching.

Percentage of faculty having recent publications in scholarly journals: The publication of scholarly research assures that a faculty member is knowledgeable of the most current trends in the field.

Percentage of faculty that have published textbooks: Faculty spend a considerable amount of time and effort selecting textbooks that make learning for the student as easy as possible. Those who write textbooks spend a considerable amount of time and effort thinking about perfecting the learning and teaching process. It seems reasonable to assume that there is a relationship between the quality of teaching and the extent to which the faculty are engaged in the preparation of teaching material.

How Much?

Depending upon which newspaper report you read, MBAs are being offered unbelievably high-paying jobs upon graduation, or there is a glut of MBAs and those who are graduating can't find jobs. Which account do you believe? The fact is that both accounts are true. It just depends on where you go to school, where you decide to work, and what personal skills you have to offer to your employer.

Certain industries, notably investment banking and consulting, recruit their employees only from the most elite business schools. Not only do these industries pay top salaries, but the schools usually have graduates who were experienced before returning to school to earn the MBA. The result can easily be a salary that is twice as high as the average for other MBAs. But if you are not interested in those fields, the statistics could be very misleading.

Another factor affecting the salary that a graduate can expect is the school itself. The number of schools offering the MBA has increased dramatically during the last fifteen years and the number of degrees being awarded annually has soared. In addition to a tremendous increase in the quantity of degrees offered, many of the schools that have started awarding MBAs more recently do not have the same standards as the schools that were responsible for creating the demand for the degree. Some people have described the result of this anomaly as a two-tier or three-tier system of business schools. In other words, all MBAs are not created (or educated) equally.

Some schools offer services to help students and alumni find positions. These services begin with programs that introduce current students to practicing executives, involve the business community with the activities of the school, and establish relationships with companies that recruit on campus. They may also include an active alumni association that practices "networking" among alumni. This set of criteria deals with the factors that might determine the earning potential at graduation.

Average salaries for graduates with work experience: Many MBA students are mature individuals who had responsible jobs before returning to school to earn the degree. It may be highly publicized when an MBA receives a salary in excess of $75,000, but it is important to know if that individual is a physician, an attorney, or a 30-year old stock analyst who earned more than $50,000 before receiving the MBA.

Average salaries for graduates without work experience: Most the top business schools do not admit applicants without at least two years of work experience. Inexperienced applicants who go into an MBA program right after earning an undergraduate degree cannot expect the same salary as persons with experience.

The percentage of graduates employed within three months after graduation: If the average salary of all graduates is $50,000 per year but only 12 of 75 graduates are employed, there is a low probability of a graduate getting a good job. A potential student might prefer a school with an average salary of $35,000 if 65 of 75 graduates receive job offers upon graduation.

The Difference Between a Snow Shovel and a Snowplow

At times, the difference in the tools used to perform a job makes a difference in the efficiency with which the job is done, and in the way the work is completed. The facilities of a business school can be looked upon as part of the tools the school uses to educate students. These facilities include the size and condition of the physical building, the classroom design and equipment, the type and number of computers available, and the library collection and environment.

The business school building: All accredited business schools have the basic facilities necessary to provide a quality education. For most of them, this includes a separate building dedicated to the needs of the business program. A dedicated building is probably more likely to have the equipment and room configurations necessary for a business curriculum.

The teaching equipment: Computers are no longer a luxury for business schools. Most schools use them, and the number of classes that require their use is rapidly increasing. The ability of an instructor to demonstrate a "spreadsheet" application, or of a student to make a presentation using computer graphics is greatly enhanced when computer and video projectors are standard equipment in the classrooms.

The classrooms: Whatever the teaching philosophy of the school, it should be matched with the appropriate environment. Since most business schools indicate that they do some amount of "case" teaching, there should be a corresponding percentage of rooms equipped to accommodate case discussion. "Case" rooms are usually tiered, arranged in a semicircular or horseshoe shape, and equipped with swivel chairs so that students can see one another when debating an issue.

The library: Many people equate the size of the library collection with the availability of current literature. This relationship may not be as valid as once considered, however, with the advent of computer data bases that can be accessed from CD/ROM disks or on-line from an external data source. This book compares the size of the library collection to the number of students using the collection, in order to give some indication of the availability of research resources.

Computers: Resources need to be accessible to be useful. Personal computers can only be used by one person at a time. And it seems that students always want to use them at the same time. A convenient way to measure the availability of computers, therefore, is by the ratio of students to computers dedicated for use by MBA students.

In Summation

This guidebook is written for the person who has already decided to start an MBA program, but has not made a decision about what school to attend. It suggests questions that should be asked when comparing schools, and discusses some of the issues on which schools differ.

Surveys of leading executives indicate that innovation, creativity, and the solving of complex problems are some of the missing links in the education of MBAs. Innovation is implicit in each of the above criteria, but the teaching and practice of innovation is not found at all schools. How the school actually satisfies the criteria listed in this handbook, however, gives an indication of just how innovative the program is. From the information supplied by each school, you can compare the schools on the criteria that are most important to you.

About the Data

The information given about each school follows the format of this introduction, and falls into six different categories:

• The business school and the university
• The students and their credentials
• The classes and the curriculum
• The faculty and their credentials
• Placement information and statistics
• The quality and extent of the facilities

I think that you will find it easy to read and useful for comparing different MBA programs.