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| Arizona State University College of Business |
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1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics Graduates' Comments: I am truly amazed and pleased at the level of intelligence and diversity of my peers at Arizona State University. I believe that the quality of students is equally important as the quality of education (in terms of academics). The network and access to resources that I have gained here at ASU are impressive -- and they will continue far beyond these two years. ASU has done an excellent job of responding to our feedback, requests, and input into the program planning process. Many times when we have expressed an interest in a particular field of study, the faculty have been extremely receptive and have often made adaptations to our curriculum mid-trimester. --Management Consultant My experience would have been more meaningful if students had more substantial work experience prior to the program; a few were not very sophisticated, despite large degrees or success in prior endeavors. ASU has a good finance program, but it's hampered by location -- too distant from New York and San Francisco. I found it tough to get securities industry positions. But the low tuition makes this program worthwhile. The dual-degree programs require much more work than the straight MBA program. --Financial Analyst Hats off to the accounting department as their professors managed to cram a lot into a short trimester and do a good job of it. I was very impressed with how current almost all the faculty were, using examples straight out of the most current quarterly reports and business news sources. The ability of the program to keep up with current technology was astounding. The labs were outfitted with a plentiful quantity of the latest hardware and software as soon as it hit the market. --No career path given More global and cultural diversity is needed in the curriculum. Most of the professors don't seem to have international experience, though many are obviously leaders in their functional expertise. Career Management was a disaster when we arrived but got significantly better in the second year (at which time I was already at Thunderbird) with a major staffing increase. It seems, however, that all the focus is on the Supply Chain and Information Management track students. Supply Chain is the hallmark track of the program and Info Mgmt is... well... in obvious high demand. --No career path given One services marketing student remarked to me that most of the Supply Chain students received more job offers than Services Marketing students received interviews. The caliber of the program is better than its reputation. Unfortunately, this also means it is better than the caliber of the students it is able to recruit. The result is a high degree of inconsistency within student teams as they are composed of average students, immature students, and highly experienced students who recognized the great value of the program for the dollar (Can't beat $4,500 tuition for an entire, quality MBA degree!). --Entrepreneurship The redeeming factor in the ASU MBA program is the finance track. Marketing, managerial (i.e. ""watered-down"") economics, ethics, and most of the other courses mandatory in first year were extremely poor, out of date, and of no significant value. Finance courses, on the other hand, were extremely educational, giving students knowledge they can actually use in the marketplace. An elective macroeconomics course taken in second year was also extremely up to date and refreshing. --Entrepreneurship ASU is unbeatable when taking into consideration tuition and opportunities for graduate assistance. Out-of-state tuition is waived with a graduate assistantship and they are abundant. The cost of my MBA was about $5,000 total. --Finance The school spends too much time and effort pandering to the rankings game. This effort would be better spent recruiting better professors and making other enhancements to the format of the program. For example, during the first two trimesters of the first year, there was very little coordination between professors of different courses. This naturally resulted in duplication of the material taught. Furthermore, some professors were very good, but two spring to mind who were abysmal. --No career path given There is little choice of electives. Everyone takes essentially the same courses within their track. The program coordinator (the person who was responsible for helping students with their needs and organizing various events) did an outstanding job. She was a wealth of information. I only had two accounting professors, both of whom were outstanding. My impression from other students leads me to believe that the other two accounting professors were also very good. There was a great deal of camaraderie among the students of my class, especially in the first year. --Finance The faculty and staff are very committed to the students. There are courses (Practicum course and Customer Satisfaction) that have projects with companies in the Phoenix area. It is very helpful to work with actual companies on projects. --Marketing Arizona State is the ultimate up-and-coming MBA program, and any kinks that exist are quickly being ironed out. Specifically, the Services Marketing & Mangaement track is innovative and stands to become a huge draw for ASU, assuming some current curriculum-related problems are worked out. Also, the school's strong MIS and Supply Chain Management departments are excellent, and clearly drawing the attention of top-notch recruiters. Overall, an outstanding value, and definitely worth the two years off. --Marketing Overall, I am extremely satisfied with my MBA experience. The ASU MBA Program isn't a top 10 program -- YET. But I am confident that the program will continue to receive accolades and recognition for graduating outstanding, well-rounded people. Both Dean Penley and Dean McPheters have been very responsive to student concerns and issues and, as a result, have made significant changes to the program (for the better). Two people must be recognized in our program for outstanding contribution: the Program Coordinator, Arrion Smith, and Jim Clayton, the Assistant Director of the Career Management Office. Finally, the Supply Chain Management program has been very fulfilling! While the overall ASU MBA program may not be a top ten program, the SCM track, in my opinion, is in the top 3 in the nation --Operations Back to Top 1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics |
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