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| University of Arizona Eller Graduate School of Management |
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1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics Graduates' Comments: The program was usually pretty responsive to student concerns. For example, I was involved in organizing a petition to get a new marketing class on the schedule, which was offered the second semester. --Marketing The strengths of the program are definitely its small size and cohesive environment, a well-integrated core curriculum, and excellent leadership and team-building opportunities. However, to advance to a "top tier" program it needs to improve on its placement and alumni relations activities. I strongly believe our MBA students have skills and education comparable to those in top tier programs. However, the Eller School is small and relatively unknown by the business community in general (except for the MIS and Entrepreneurship programs). The school, in general, needs to be more aggressive in its promotional efforts toward recruiters. --Unemployed The University of Arizona offered the most complete and well-rounded MBA of any of the other top schools I have run across. The facility is outstanding! More companies should explore this university. --Engineering Based on experience working alongside students from other top-tier schools and the remarks of instructors and local tutors familiar with top-tier schools, this program is undervalued by employers. --Consulting I think that the Eller School program has done a very good job of balancing theory with practical application. The courses have contained a suitable blend of cases with other types of studies. I am also particularly pleased with the emphasis not only on individual achievement but also with team performance. In today's job environment good leaders who can also function in a team environment are rare and highly valuable. Finally the business simulation, while highly exasperating, is a great learning tool. --Engineering The best part of the University of Arizona's MBA program is the individual attention given by professors and the MBA office support staff. The small class size facilitates more attention by the professors, but many times professors will go out of their way to help students learn and be successful. Professors answer their E-mail almost immediately and accommodate individual students' learning needs. For example, my first-year business statistics professor left a business school reception early to circulate among students studying for the next day statistics exam. She spent a half-hour answering questions that my study group had for her that night. --Marketing The UofA program is probably the best value for the dollar of any school in the country. Chris Puto is the perfect program director. The faculty is great, enthusiastic, and extremely approachable. The quality of students varies, but overall is getting better and better -- there are now many more students here with work experience. The students are not cutthroat in the least. They all work together and help each other. The environment and culture is very enjoyable and mutually productive. --No career path given One of the biggest concerns I had entering the program was the size of the program. However, after two years, I think that its smaller size is one of its biggest assets. First, I am able to walk down the hallways and personally know every individual in my class and at least 70% of the first-year class. Second, because of its size, the program tends to put out very loyal alumni thus creating a strong network. Finally, I was able to receive the personal attention I needed. --Consulting Because Arizona is a small program it lacks resources like money, staff, a huge range of electives, etc. That being the case, a strong core of professors have been assembled to teach. In my experience in working with my peers at other schools (Texas, UCLA, AZ State, Washington, Yale), I believe that our school has created an exceptional educational environment and community. All classes have less than 40-45 students (often 25 in the second year). Professors are highly available, and the Dean (Dr. Chris Puto) spends a lot of time communicating and working with students to constantly improve the program. In terms of community, we have a voluntary student association with about 90% membership that offers an incredible array of value-adds including professional activities, philanthropic endeavors, career interest groups, speakers, and social events. These activities are on par with what other programs do, and we only have a student base of about 180 students. --Consulting The MIS department is superb, with a good variety of leading-edge electives for MBA students. Dr. Puto is the driving-force behind transforming this program into a top-25 program, which it should be soon. He also instills a sense of leadership and ethics in the students. Almost every course had a team project, and many were real-world projects in conjunction with local companies. I was also impressed by the number and quality of companies recruiting on campus. --Information Technology There are many class projects which enable students to get "hands on" experience. Also, the program is small, compared to other schools, and as a result there is a close relationship with faculty and students. --Accounting As an international student, I felt welcome in a very nice environment. Professors, staff members, and students were all integrated to make this MBA very special. --Finance The program is generally outstanding with the exception of the fact that they admit people to the program with no prior work experience (i.e. straight out of undergraduate programs). This seems to diminish the quality of the program, for many of these students are not prepared for graduate level studies and often require the professors to lower their teaching standards in order to compensate for a less prepared individual. The efforts to enhance leadership and teamwork skills should be commended, as they are key to the success of the program. The elective courses are, far and away, better than the core. --Finance The Eller School MBA program exceeded my expectations by providing an outstanding environment for learning through doing. The extensive use of team projects and the Brandmaps business simulation allowed me to gain a hands-on feel for the interrelationship of marketing, accounting, operations, organizational behavior, and finance disciplines. In particular, the MBA Student Association's Consulting Group offered an opportunity to help clients in the community while gaining valuable analytical, teamwork, and project management skills. The faculty seem genuinely interested in helping the MBA students learn the skills needed to succeed in the workplace.--Information Technology From the beginning of the core course work, the program is very integrated in its curriculum and focuses on the practical nature of business. In my first year, I served as a paid consultant to IBM through the MBA student organization and advisor to local entrepreneurs in another program the school sponsored. The Eller school is unique because it incorporates a business simulation (called Brandmaps) throughout the two years of the program. This simulation gives very realistic scenarios in which students can apply theory to the actual operations of a business... The MIS program appears to be as good as any in the country, and the Finance program, although full of young professors, is up and coming. I have no regrets and would recommend the program to anyone. --Finance The new weekend MBA Program -- 60 units, for two years, and working full-time (40 hours per week) -- was difficult. The four-hour duration of each class allowed the instructors more flexibility. I had highly competitive classmates, many of whom had 10-plus years work experience. There was better integration of material when compared to my engineering classes. The Brandmaps business simulation was interesting and challenging when competing against classmates. --Information Technology Before entering this program I did not have the skills to create a financial, marketing, and strategic plan for a recently developed high-technology product. Now, I have the capacity to bring together all the relevant components to create a successful, fully funded, venture. In addition, this program has an outstanding MIS program. I had the opportunity to create a database for a non-profit organization in Tucson. This organization now has the ability to maintain over 10,000 members and has reduced processing time from weeks to days. There are numerous other examples of how I have improved organizations during this program, including a marketing strategy that increased a credit union's deposits by over $2 million. My classmates, from India to Thailand, have provided the experience and diversity to enhance the program quality equal to that of any program. --Information Technology Back to Top 1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics |
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