I actually just concluded my Executive MBA program at Loyola and it was by far the best decision I…read morehave ever made for myself. My program was based on 6 hours of class work each Saturday, and it was group based learning with teams of 4-5 experienced professionals.
What I Liked:
- A few of the professors were exceptional, in the sense that they completely changed the way I think through certain business decisions
- The facilities were great, with as many resources as a graduate student could need (from wi-fi to 24-hour study/work stations)
- Relevant variety of coursework, applicable to my personal work environment and role(s)
- Emphasis on experiential learning, traveled to South America (Chile and Argentina), as well as Gettysburg and NYC (got to interview traders on the NYSE floor)
- Professional peers complimented my learning experience, working alongside experts in different industries (institutional investment, energy management, information technology, etc.)
- All-inclusive price, costing $XYZ and nothing more, as priced from day 1 (remember, this was a 2.5 year program), making it easy to save and pay for
- Alumni network is very active and supportive, already being invited to events and establishing some new professional connections
- Dean Leggio has shaken my hand many times, as she is very present and available
Things I Didn't Like:
- Diversity was lacking from a gender perspective, but other MBA groupings had better balance; I'll assume it was an anomaly to be in an unbalanced classroom with only 2 women
- A handful of professors weren't comfortable or ready for graduate students (we tend to question concepts more critically, rather than blindly accept a professors ideas without healthy resistance), but they were still somewhat effective in the sense that they were introducing concepts I was ignorant to prior
Ultimately, since graduating I have had 3 interviews for positions I would have never been considered for without an MBA. All three of the interviewing organizations have a large Loyola degree population, or were opportunities introduced to me by someone within the Loyola network. Additionally, all of these jobs represented a possible 30-50% increase in pay compared to what I make now. I'm still in the process of 2nd interviews, so we will see how it goes.
Despite the various opinions about the quality and effectiveness of this program, education is like a sword. It's abilities are limited to whomever is holding it. For me, I can already see real evidence that I can carve some new opportunities for myself while enhancing my performance and earnings. I don't know of any other more appropriate way to measure the impact of an MBA degree from a leading university. It was a great school and Loyola did a strong job.