Because the MBA program at Arizona State University was not a top ranked program, I was a little concerned at first. However, I've found that the faculty and the facilities at ASU are top rate. I feel very prepared to re-enter the workforce as a well educated business professional and would recommend the program to anyone looking to become a business professional. -- Marketing
For the money, compared with other schools in the top 40 rankings, I received a lot of "bang for my buck." Also, the ASU full-time program provides the ability to obtain two masters in two years, which is what I did. The program also provided great opportunities to for memberships in wonderful clubs, such as the Graduate Women in Business and Masters Consulting Group (a non-profit consulting firm run solely by masters students). Why [do] I rate [it] a nine instead of a 10? Because you do not have all the community connections that do come with the top 10 ranked schools, such as Harvard. -- Accounting
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at ASU. It was competitive, but not cutthroat; demanding, but not exhausting; and ultimately served to be effectively enlightening without being overly pedagogical. I would recommend it to every one of my friends and colleagues, excepting those who want a shot on Wall Street. I would probably steer them towards an Ivy League school. -- Marketing
I would definitely urge my friends to attend ASU, but if they could get into a top 15 school, I would suggest they go there. I would put ASU up against any school, but lack of recognition makes an ASU degree worth little outside the select companies that have a relationship with ASU. -- Marketing
The value of the ASU MBA is one of the best deals going. I obtained just as good of a job that I would have gotten at a Top 20 school for a quarter of the price. -- Consulting
[Do you feel you could have learned as much from a distance-learning MBA program?] The educational experience at ASU included more than sitting in classes. It involved a great deal of teamwork, class discussion, and interaction with professors and contact with professionals provided by the school. I believe I've learned an incredible amount about how to work in and manage teams of people despite having considerable experience in doing so prior to business school. The atmosphere of working together with peers in a learning environment was a great way to practice your team management skills that isn't really feasible in a work environment or possible in a distance program. Also, the ability to understand and clarify points in class was important. If I had questions after class, I could talk with my professors to discuss topics with them after class or at another time. This greatly enhanced the learning experience. Also, the program did a great job of bringing in speakers from VC firms, Fortune 500 companies, and smaller companies to create a real learning experience. I think it would be very hard to create that type of environment in a distance program. Finally, there is just seriousness about the ASU MBA program that they are dedicated to creating a top ranked program. They make you feel like you are part of that coming success and treat you like a future professional; which really helps instill confidence that you are going somewhere. It seems near impossible to create this kind of experience in a distance program. -- Marketing
ASU is an excellent school, but unfortunately when the economy takes a dive, schools such as ASU are more so affected, in terms of recruiting, than Ivy league schools. Consequently, my experience has been enriching, but the expected dividends upon graduation have not been met. -- Finance
The MBA experience was more and less than I imagined it would be. I anticipated ridiculous hours, backstabbing classmates, and perhaps to acquire some panacea for all of the business-world ills. Instead, I found the workload to be manageable, the people to be (almost) always helpful and amicable, and that there are multiple, well-reasoned approaches to long-standing problems, but rarely any magic potions. Collectively, it was one of the best experiences of my life, and I would not have chosen to do anything differently. -- Marketing
Overall a great experience but the B-school environment can be cut throat at times. International students have a harder time since it is not always easy to integrate into the extra curricular groups where a lot of the networking is going on. -- Finance
I realize the job market affected all MBA programs this year and although I was disappointed in the assistance and the overall placement program for my specific concentration, I know that most of the other concentrations were solid and that ASU is in the process of changing the staff in career placement. As far as usefulness of classes, my specialization was excellent and I learned things from teachers that I have not learned anywhere else, including readings, real life business applications, etc. I was extremely pleased with the value and what a great education I received for such a comparatively small amount of tuition. -- Marketing
ASU MBA is designed for persons with less experience (like me) than those at top schools. I obtained a lot of stuff from basic business knowledge to hands-on experience of business applications. If you pursue real knowledge and skills, instead of human network or fancy resume, I recommend you to go to ASU. -- Information Technology
[ASU] superbly integrated the coursework into a toolkit that was, and is, very valuable. -- Investment Banking
Arizona State University is an up and coming MBA school. Over the couple years that I have been here I have noticed improvements in faculty quality, focus, and resources available to students. Supply Chain is one of the school's strengths and why a lot of recruiters come to campus. Services Marketing has just come into its own with a lot of companies following IBM Global Services strategy. The Information Management track has been well recognized for producing IT project managers and consultants with both the technical know-how and critical soft skills. -- Marketing
ASU has a quality MBA program with some exceptional teachers and technology. However, there are also some poor teachers and some curriculum areas that can stand to be fixed/changed. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone seeking an MBA. -- Anonymous
The ASU experience allows you to get out what you generally put in. There are areas that definitely need attention but the program as a whole is trying to take the actions needed to become tier 1. The problem lies in the lack of funding from the state and the small (but loud) group of students who seem to be there to complain and not take action. In order for the program to reach the next level, it is going to have to do a better job of recruiting more talented students. -- Finance
One of the great values to the ASU MBA program was "The Executive is In" program. All students were able to schedule a one-on-one appointment with retired Fortune 500 CEOs. This was for career advice or any other personal development advice. I think this aspect of ASU's program is very undersold. Also, I believe that for its value the Finance concentration is very undersold and unkown. Our core courses were required and built on prior finance courses to develop a high level of financial understanding. Many better known finance MBA programs have such a plethora of finance electives it would seem impossible to reach the same level of understanding as professors would have to deal with students at varying levels of knowledge. -- Finance
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