Choosing an MBA Program

When picking an MBA program, it can be difficult to know what really matters. We suggest you take the following into consideration when selecting programs:

Placement/Salary Statistics:

• Out of all of the students seeking full-time work, how many found it?
  
• On average, BYU places 95 percent of its students within three months of graduation.
  
• How many students seeking internships found one?
  
• In 2008, BYU placed 98 percent of its first year students in paid internships.
  
• Which companies hire at the school, and does the company you want to work for hire there? If not, can the Career Center help you make contact with that company?
  
• For a list of recruiters hiring at BYU, click here.
• Where do hiring recruiters take students for get to know you events?
  
• BYU hiring recruiters tend to host on campus events, take students to restaurants, and on occasion, take students to sporting events.
  
• Look at the regions students are being placed in. Are you interested in living in those places?
  
• BYU places the majority of its students outside of Utah. For additional BYU placement statistics, click here.
• Is there a specialized field you want to be placed into? Are there companies hiring in that field at your selected school?
  


• How do starting salaries compare relative to the cost of the program? How do hiring locations and average starting salary relate? Are there bonuses offered?
  
• BYU's average starting salary, without bonuses, for 2008 was $90000; bonuses averaged $14000 per year.
  

Curriculum and Faculty

• Is there a particular field you want to study or a joint degree program you would like to pursue? Is it offered at your schools of choice?
  
• BYU's MBA program majors and joint programs include: finance, organizational behavior and HR management, supply chain/operations, marketing, product development (joint MS engineering and MBA), and a JD/MBA.
  
• If a specialized or joint program is offered, what does the curriculum consist of to make it specialized or joint?
  


• What type of hands-on learning opportunities are available?
  
• BYU offers hands-on learning in consulting, venture capital, investment banking, real estate, entrepreneurship, social enterprise, ethics, and global management.
  
• What type of experience can faculty share with students?
  
• The Marriott School has 145 full-time faculty members known nationally and internationally for their teaching expertise, business consulting, research, and publishing.

Program Size

• How large or small do you want your MBA class to be?
  
• BYU's overall class is about 165 students. The overall class is broken down into sections of about thirty to forty students. Those sections are then broken down into smaller teams of four to five students.
  
• What is the ratio of faculty to students? What type of involvement do the professors have with their students? Do they strictly do research or do they mentor students too?
  
• BYU's professors do extensive mentoring and work one-on-one with students or with student teams to help them reach their goals.
  

Cost and Financial Aid/ Scholarships

• How much does the program cost? What does it cost to live in the area?
  
• BYU has a very competitive cost compared to other well ranked MBA schools.
• Single student housing costs between $220-440 per month and married/family housing costs $450-$1,200 depending on the number of rooms needed.
  
• What type of aid is available? Does the aid provided require you to work as an assistant during your MBA? What type of pay back plans are available? Is there any form of loan forgiveness?
  
• BYU offers a variety of scholarships and costs less than most programs. Students can also apply for federal loans and Marriott School loans to help with the cost of their education.
  
• Students can apply for assistantships their second year. These assistantships do not receive tuition assistance, but they are paid an hourly rate.
  
• BYU's MBA program does not currently have any loan forgiveness programs.
  

Student Life and Location

• What is a typical schedule like? What days of the week are the busiest?
  
• Monday through Friday are busy days at BYU. Students are generally on campus in class and group meetings from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students tend to study on their own at home later in the evenings. Some groups meet on Saturdays, but groups do not meet on Sundays.
  
• What is it like living in the area?
  
• Utah is a place that experiences all four seasons. Known for having some of the best powder on earth, numerous MBA students take advantage of their free time to hit the slopes in the winter. During the early fall and spring, students are found hiking, camping, and fishing.
  
  Situated in a valley with nearly half a million people, Provo offers a small-city feel with a college-town charm.
  

Rankings and Reputation

• What is the school ranked overall? How is it ranked against other universities that are close to its size? Is there a certain major the program is better known for?
  
• U.S. News ranks BYU twenty-ninth among other schools in the United States, the Wall Street Journal ranks it first among schools with an entering class of less than 250 students, Business Week considers BYU as a tier one school and ranks it twenty second among other school within the United States, and BYU is ranked second in ethics by the Wall Street Journal and as the second most family friendly school by the Princeton Review.
  

Alumni Network

• What type of network can you develop? Is the program formatted so you start and end your education with the same classmates?
  
• MBA students at BYU are known for having strong morals, a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and strong work ethic. At BYU, you can develop friendships with other students who have similar standards and the same mission to learn and then go forth and serve.
  
• At BYU, students are given the opportunity to work constantly with classmates who entered during the same fall semester. MBA entering classes are broken up into groups of forty and those groups are mixed and rotated throughout the two years so students can get to know all of their classmates well. This structure helps students develop a strong network.
  

• What types of resources or activities are provided so that you can connect with alumni and classmates?
• Graduating BYU MBA students can become part of a local Management Society and are given access to an alumni database. Management Societies provide opportunities for BYU alumni and friends to interact on a consistent basis. Management Society members generally meet several times a year in their local area and then come to BYU on an annual basis to connect with Management Society members from around the world. Here they develop new ideas on how they can better serve both their local community and the world around them.
  
• There are several clubs and organizations students can participate in to further their understanding of a particular field, to connect with other peers who have similar interests, and to find ways to join together to serve the local community and other parts of the world.