Applying to US Universities » Business Education

Universities for MS in MIS / Information Systems

app2usadvisor — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:51:30 +0000

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Many top Business schools at US universities offer a unique degree program: an MS in the area of Management Information Systems. Although not exactly the case, but you can think of it as a degree with certian aspects of MS in Computer Science and those of an MBA program. It could be an excellent choice for those who have interest and background in computers but seek to learn beyond the theory and algorithms of computer science. Since the degree is typically offered by a B-School, students can expect to learn a lot about the real life applications of technology to business. Students can also take advantage of B-School networking – an aspect missing in more geeky CS departments.

Most MIS prograns accept either the GRE General Test or the GMAT score. The MS in MIS degree is significantly different as compared to MS in Computer Science. While a degree in CS prepares you for a job in Software development, an MIS degree equips you with both technical and business skills. Students in the area of MIS can expect to work in the consulting companies like Deloitte – in the area of technology consulting.

Here are some of the leading Universities that offer MS programs in the area of MIS/IS:
Carnegie Mellon University (Heinz school): Master of Information Systems Management (MISM)
University of Maryland, College Park (Smith): MS in Business: Information Systems
Purdue University (Krannert): MS in MIS
University of Arizona (Eller): MS in MIS
Texas A & M University (Mays): MS in MIS
Cornell University
University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign
The George Washington University
The University of Texas at Dallas
University at Buffalo – SUNY
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of Florida
University of Michigan
Rochester Institute of Technology
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of Texas at Arlington
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
University of Denver

For those who wish to understand more about the importance of technology to businesses, this is a good suggested reading. Digital Intelligence: What Every Smart Manager Must Have for Success in an Information Age

For deeper understanding of related issues and some common questions that the applicants to MIS have, app2us.com shall publish an interview next week with the author of this book, Dr. Sunil Mithas, associate professor at Smith Shool of Business, University of Maryland, College Park. You can email your questions to feedback AT app2us.com, we shall include some of the interesting questions by our readers.

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PhD in Business – a great option for Engineers

app2usadvisor — Sat, 14 May 2011 09:10:18 +0000

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A high number of students apply to MS and PhD programs in their own fields of education. If one has completed a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, then the same field for MS or PhD makes a lot of sense. It is familiar to navigate and easiest to get into. But there could be scenarios where one wants to pursue new interests or has become disinterested in the prior field. Most applicants in this category opt for MBA programs, simply because they know hundreds of people who have done that or at least thought about that. But most people are not even aware about the PhD option at Business schools. In case of MBA you pay thousands of dollars, but in case of PhD the same business school will pay you.

The PhD programs at business schools are very flexible in the type of applicants they admit. Applicants could have Science, Engineering, Business, Economics or other degrees. Candidates with better mathematical background and high quant scores are preferred. A high percentage of doctoral students at B schools PhD programs have science, mathematics or engineering background. Engineers are very well suited for Finance, Accounting, Info and Supply Chain Management specialization. Some programs accept GRE, some accept GMAT and some accept both. TOEFL is required for international applicants. Like other PhD programs at US universities, one can apply directly after Bachelor’s degree. MBA degree is neither required nor preferred. Unlike MBA, work experience is not required.

It is difficult to pursue any path if you do not know who has traveled on that path before. Chances are high that you do not know anyone who has done a PhD in business, but that should not deter you. Reading the profiles of current business school students at top business schools is a good starting point. Then lookup the websites of the business school professors for further knowledge and inspiration. One of the shining examples Engineer turned business professor is the dean of Harvard Business School, Dr. Nitin Nohria who decided right after his B. Tech. to pursue a Business school PhD at MIT. When asked by app2us.com during an interview “After obtaining your B Tech degree in chemical engineering at IIT Bombay, how did you decide to pursue a PhD in Management and why did you choose MIT? “ he replied , “IIT Bombay was an extraordinary experience for me…<full reply here>.

Before we proceed any further, let us make one thing very clear. Doing a PhD from a low ranked university does not make sense in any field, but it is more true in case of business school doctoral programs. One should aim for top 30 programs or drop the idea. If you do not find any PhD rankings, then just go with the average of any two leading rankings of MBA programs.

A PhD in business can be most interesting option if you are looking beyond your field and want to learn something new. The programs at top Business schools are intellectually stimulating, challenging and lead to a good career in academia or industry. Most of the business school PhDs teach at Business schools in USA or at other countries. There is a very high demand of Finance PhDs in the industry and the salaries can be very high.

Almost all of the top 30 business schools (even lower ones) have well developed PhD programs. Most of the schools offer PhD admissions in all major areas, finance, accounting, Marketing, Management, Supply Chain, Information Management. There are variations in nomenclature, scope and specializations. You should explore the websites of each business schools for the specifics.

Business schools have no problems of funding, have many professors and relatively fewer PhD students. So the PhD students are well funded and have guaranteed funding for four or five years. Inspired? Hopefully yes.

Here are the links to top PhD programs in Business:

Stanford GSB
Harvard Business School
MIT Sloan
Wharton
Kellogg

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MS in Financial Engineering

app2usadvisor — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:54:10 +0000

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Financial Engineering is a multidisciplinary field involving financial theory, engineering fundamentals, mathematics and computer programming. Students of Financial Engineering learn to employ finance and computer modeling skills to make pricing, hedging, trading and portfolio management decisions. Graduates of the Master’s in Financial Engineering can pursue careers in Investment Banking, Corporate Strategy, Risk Analysis, Portfolio Management and Securities Trading.

If you have high mathematical aptitude, an undergraduate degree in Mathematics or Engineering, and interest in Finance, it is an option worth exploring. Both GRE and GMAT are accepted, check with individual programs. TOEFL is required for international applicants.

Some of the top programs in Financial Engineering include:

You can Chat Online with officials of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business for a Q & A about MFE Program, on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 from 10:30AM-12:00PM PT .

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US News MBA rankings – 2009

app2usadvisor — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:43:32 +0000

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The 2009 US News Business Rankings (ranked in 2008) are now available. The premium login for $14.95 will allow you to compare schools and see extensive profiles.

Here are the top 25 Business Schools:

1 Harvard University Boston, MA
1 Stanford University Stanford, CA
3 U Penn (Wharton) Philadelphia, PA
4 MIT(Sloan) Cambridge, MA
4 Northwestern University (Kellogg) Evanston, IL
4 University of Chicago Chicago, IL
7 Dartmouth College (Tuck) Hanover, NH
7 University of California–Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, CA
9 Columbia University New York, NY
10 New York University (Stern) New York, NY

11 UCLA (Anderson) Los Angeles, CA
12 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross) Ann Arbor, MI
13 Yale University New Haven, CT
14 Cornell University (Johnson) Ithaca, NY
14 Duke University (Fuqua) Durham, NC
14 University of Virginia (Darden) Charlottesville, VA
17 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) Pittsburgh, PA
18 University of Texas–Austin (McCombs) Austin, TX
19 Univ of North Carolina–(Kenan-Flagler) Chapel Hill, NC
20 Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley) Bloomington, IN
21 Univ of Southern California (Marshall) Los Angeles, CA
22 Arizona State University (Carey) Tempe, AZ
22 Georgetown University (McDonough) Washington, DC
24 Emory University (Goizueta) Atlanta, GA
25 University of Rochester (Simon) Rochester, NY

Source: www.usnews.com

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Chicago MBA at Singapore

app2usadvisor — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:55:51 +0000

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Now you can get a prestigious Chicago GSB Executive MBA at Singapore. The Executive MBA is a 21 month program. The program begins in June and runs for 21 months. In each quarter 2 courses are offered and face to face classes are conducted for 2 weeks during a quarter. The faculty at Singapore comes from the main Chicago campus. The MBA degree is awarded by the University of Chicago.

Neither GRE nor GMAT is required but those with insufficient academic preparation may be asked to take GMAT. TOEFL is not normally required but you can be required to take TOEFL if you fail to demonstrate basic English proficiency.

It is not required to be a resident of Singapore for enrolment to the Singapore campus. Many students fly from other countries to attend this program. Some of the companies that recruit at the Singapore campus include GE Money, Deloitte Consulting, Lehman Brothers, Cargill, ABN Amro, Microsoft, Motorola, and many more.

Website of the Chicago GSB Executive MBA Singapore campus.

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MS in Accounting and CPA

app2usadvisor — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:53:03 +0000

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150 hours of coursework is required for the CPA exam. For international students from many countries, the undergraduate degree is equivalent to 120 hours. Working towards an MS degree in Accounting is a good way to complete the 150 hours requirement. And if you want to work in the USA as a professional accountant, CPA certification is essential. Only a few top business schools offer an MS program in Accounting. Mays Business School is one such example.

The application process for the CPA exam is the same for international candidates. Prospective candidates must select the U.S. jurisdiction to which they will apply, contact the Board of Accountancy (or its agent) in that jurisdiction to obtain application materials, submit completed applications and required fees as instructed, and once deemed qualified, schedule the examination. The 54 U.S. jurisdictions include the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

The CPA exam is administered in English language only. Prospective candidates who are undecided about the jurisdiction to which they should apply may wish to review the requirements of several Boards of Accountancy before making their decisions. Contact information for all boards is available at www.nasba.org

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PhD in Finance

app2usadvisor — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:11:20 +0000

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PhD program in Finance equips students with knowledge in the theoretical and empirical tools of finance. The degree prepares students for careers in research and teaching or for the corporate world in the areas of Corporate Finance, International Finance, Portfolio Management, etc. Candidates with a PhD in Finance are much sought after both in industry and academia and are highly paid.

All leading business schools offer a PhD program in Finance. An MBA degree is not a requirement, but is helpful if you have one. The candidate should have an undergraduate degree in a quantitative field or other wise demonstrate high quantitative aptitude. According to Wharton website, “Candidates with undergraduate training in economics, mathematics, engineering, statistics, and other quantitative disciplines have an ideal background for doctoral studies in this field”. Either GRE or GMAT is accepted, but it is always good to check the website of your target program. Relevant work experience may add value but is not required.
Some of the reputable PhD in Finance programs are offered by the following Business Schools:

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MS in Finance

app2usadvisor — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:20:29 +0000

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The MS in Finance program is offered by some of the large Business Schools. The degree is designed for students who may want to specialize in Finance but do not want to go through the hassles and expenditures of an MBA program.
The courses provide detailed knowledge of the policies, principles, and techniques involved in financial decisions made by professionals in corporations, financial institutions, securities firms, and pension fund and mutual fund organizations. The M.S. program in Finance consists of 10 to 15 courses and is more flexible than the MBA, in terms of what courses one wants to take. It may be completed in one year.
The main advantage is that you save time and money and you learn more of Finance than a typical MBA graduate. The disadvantage is that you will be considered for niche jobs and may not have the brand name recognition that of an MBA degree.
Some of the reputable MS in Finance programs, are offered by:

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