Perception of 1yr vs 2yr MBA programs?

micbain · Apr 6, 2011

Hi guys,

Hoping anyone with experience on this could chime in. What are the perceptions of 1yr MBA programs? There aren't too many that I can think of in N.America (Queens and Northwestern come to mind) but there are a fair number in Europe.

Pro's/Con's of the 1yr? Perception by potential employers?

The 1 yr program seems attractive mainly from a financial perspective (1 year less of tution and opportunity cost), and as I already have an undergrad in business, I don't know if I need 2 years of formal education.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

dhc905 · Apr 6, 2011

I went to the NU 1year sell week and I have to say, I wouldn't hire any of the apes in the 2yr, but the 1yr's were all top notch, both in background and in attitude. They're not there dicking around and hitting on 18 year old freshman, they're on the warpath to a higher paying job, simply put.

My outsider's perspective.

Also HBS used to have a 4Q program, which I guess they've done away with for one reason or another.

cchen · Apr 6, 2011

You may also want to consider columbia's j-term program, if you don't need an internship

Lord-Barrington · Apr 6, 2011

For obvious reasons they're bad for career switchers but I don't think the perception of them is any different than for 2 year MBAs. Most employers realize that people who go to 1 year programs have myriad reasons for choosing that particular path. I haven't heard of anyone from INSEAD, Kellogg, or Columbia's J-Term being frowned upon by employers (as long as they weren't career switchers!)

micbain · Apr 7, 2011

I'm not a career switcher...rather I'm hoping the MBA will accelerate my career. I work in the corporate finance group of a Big4 but would like to move into a position (either ibanking or corp dev) where I can work on larger transactions and have a chance of specializing. I really enjoy my job, but the firm tends to focus on "mid market" M&A transactions and most practioners at my firm are generalists.

scientific · Apr 7, 2011

well, it depends on who's doing the perceiving.

toslat · Apr 7, 2011

1yr is enough for the knowledge while 2yrs is required to instill the soft skills, mentality and attitude. Which program is right for you will depend on what your are missing.

micbain · Apr 7, 2011

Originally Posted by scientific

well, it depends on who's doing the perceiving.

Employers.

medtech_expat · Apr 7, 2011

Originally Posted by Lord-Barrington

For obvious reasons they're bad for career switchers but I don't think the perception of them is any different than for 2 year MBAs. Most employers realize that people who go to 1 year programs have myriad reasons for choosing that particular path. I haven't heard of anyone from INSEAD, Kellogg, or Columbia's J-Term being frowned upon by employers (as long as they weren't career switchers!)

Curious as to why you make an exception for career switchers? I changed industries myself from IMD, as did a number of my classmates.

Viktri · Apr 7, 2011

Originally Posted by micbain

Employers.

I would use career statistics as a measure of employer perception of the program (whether 1 or 2 yrs).

gdl203 · Apr 7, 2011

Most important is to ask yourself where your target employers recruit. You mentioned banking - the top investment banks in NA recruit from a speficic set of core schools and use the summer program as an important recruiting tool. All of the core schools are 2-year programs. So if that's your goal, here's your answer. If you go for a school that's not typically a core school, you'll be ina very large pool of applicants for very few spots and will fight a long uphill battle to get the job - particularly without a summer job to prove yourself.

INSEAD might be an exception, the brand, network and program strength opens a lot of doors.

That's my take

micbain · Apr 7, 2011

Originally Posted by gdl203

Most important is to ask yourself where your target employers recruit. You mentioned banking - the top investment banks in NA recruit from a speficic set of core schools and use the summer program as an important recruiting tool. All of the core schools are 2-year programs. So if that's your goal, here's your answer. If you go for a school that's not typically a core school, you'll be ina very large pool of applicants for very few spots and will fight a long uphill battle to get the job - particularly without a summer job to prove yourself.

INSEAD might be an exception, the brand, network and program strength opens a lot of doors.

That's my take

Thank you for your input!

So blunt question: Based on your experience, knowledge and industry hearsay, do new associate classes contain any meaningful % of 1yr MBA grads (Especially INSEAD, and other high end Euro schools?).

gdl203 · Apr 7, 2011

Based on my experience, in NYC, no. Very very few, if any at all. INSEAD probably being the only European business school that may place people on Wall Street. No other European school. Now, to get the same job in London, that's a completely different question.

micbain · Apr 7, 2011

Originally Posted by gdl203

Based on my experience, in NYC, no. Very very few, if any at all. INSEAD probably being the only European business school that may place people on Wall Street. No other European school. Now, to get the same job in London, that's a completely different question.

So essentially:
If I want a chance at a banking career in London: Go with a top 1 year Euro program
If I want a chance at a banking career in N.America: Go with a top 2 year US program

Also, in your experience, what is the average age of new associates recruited from MBA programs? Given the hours, I understand the preference is for younger candidates. All else being equal (grades, mba school, pre-mba experience, etc), is there an age where you begin to lose interest in the candidate?

Although a young man in biological years, I'm no longer a spring chicken in IB terms. I just turned 28, and realistically wouldn't be able to enter a MBA program until 29/30. I started thinking about the 1 year programs as a way to fight the age issue.

gdl203 · Apr 7, 2011

Age is not really an issue as long as the attitude is aligned with the associate role. I have often seen 1st yr associates in their early to mid thirties.

Perception of 1yr vs 2yr MBA programs?

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