How does choosing a nationally ranked MBA program vs a state school impact your career opportunities and potential?

2025-08-28T10:36:21-04:00

After about 20 years of service I am making the leap to the civilian world. I would like to jump into project management or consulting. However, I see that some conferences for employment only invite students from certain business schools. I found that my school is not one of them. I am considering transferring to a ranked school for my MBA. Has anyone really dealt with this as an job seeker or hiring director.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 28 at 2025 11:18 AM

2025-08-28T11:18:57-04:00

In Silicon Valley, we'd look for Stanford, Santa Clara, San Jose State and UC Berkeley MBAs. To an extent, geography helps w/curriculums being able to incorporate the needs of local companies and for sure networking when it comes time to interview. Needless to say, Harvard, Yale, Penn (Wharton) and MIT transcend boundaries. Without question, inclusion of a marquee school on a C.V. is impressive; however, it will fall flat if the rest of the text doesn't indicate one's ability to get the job done. At the end of the day, graduating from a top 10 school will typically ensure an interview; however, it is by no means the only way to score a career W!

Good luck and ---> Go Rutgers!

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Response by LTC Kevin B. made Aug 28 at 2025 11:48 AM

2025-08-28T11:48:56-04:00

I'm neither a job seeker nor a hiring director, but I gain lots of insight from those groups in my full-time role.

I see two issues at play. First, from a demand-side perspective, rankings serve as a proxy for quality, so rankings certainly matter to many (but not all) employers. Second, some employers have great experiences hiring graduates from schools, so they narrow their search to those schools as a means to reduce their search costs and to mitigate the risks of hiring someone who doesn't work out for them. Those two issue are probably the crux of the issue that you're facing (some rankings snobbery and some favoritism).

We can all debate the validity of the rankings, and no ranking methodology is perfect, but many employers and prospective students place great value in them. I direct a nationally ranked graduate program (that has joint-degree program option with our MBA), and rankings certainly do factor into the decisions of prospective students and the employers who hire our graduates. Since it's important to them, it needs to be important to me. Rankings typically correlate highly with the age of the program and the reputation of the institution. That correlation means being a graduate of a ranked program opens more doors for you and allows you to tap into a richer alumni pool (therefore providing more career opportunities).

My advice would be to go to the best MBA program you can (based on affordability, modality, ranking, focus, etc.) in order to maximize your opportunities.

Response by SPC Jeff Daley, PhD made Aug 28 at 2025 6:11 PM

2025-08-28T18:11:57-04:00

The role of a consultant is a broad subject and often works in firms (e.g., McKinsey, Deloitte or independently across industries like management, IT, Software, HR, Strategy, and Healthcare.

A career in Project Management links to the same industries and more. Both start ~ $100K and rise based on position and experience. At the top of the career pyramid is a $400K salary. Both are forecasted to be in high demand.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

No single university universally stands out as the absolute best for pursuing a career in project management, as success in this field depends on a combination of education, skills, certifications, and practical experience. However, certain universities offer strong project management programs that can enhance your career prospects, and there are specific steps you can take to increase your chances of landing an interview.

Selecting a university depends on factors like program accreditation, curriculum relevance, networking opportunities, and alignment with your career goals. Align the University with your career goals. In Project Management, Universities like Georgetown University (D.C.), USC in LA, ASU in Arizona, and several others offer internships, practical experience, affordability, and flexibility.

Increase your value to those hiring by getting your certifications. Some Universities offer the CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management as part of your curriculum. After gaining experience in the field, get your PMP (Project Management Professional), which will place you in high demand and a high-tier salary.

Recommendations for Education: Choose a PMI-accredited program like Penn State World Campus, SNHU, GWU, or ASU for flexibility and alignment with CAPM/PMP certifications. If you prefer in-person learning and networking, consider Georgetown or USC.

By combining a solid educational foundation with certifications, practical experience, and targeted interview preparation, you’ll significantly increase your chances of securing a project management interview, regardless of the university you choose.

I have worked in this field, and I hope my combined experiences will be of help in your quest.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Aug 28 at 2025 9:28 PM

2025-08-28T21:28:35-04:00

I can't compete with some of the outstanding responses here, but I can add that I spent a year as an executive recruiter after I left the Air Force. While not frequent, it was not at all uncommon for our clients to specify that we only send them candidates from certain schools or conversely not to send them candidates from certain schools. If it was a factor decades ago, and you're asking the question now, I'd suspect that it's still an issue with many hiring companies.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 29 at 2025 8:08 PM

2025-08-29T20:08:39-04:00

You gotta network, and nurture those relationships you make in your grad program. Otherwise the school pedigree is squandered.

The more time passes from Grad school the less your academic pedigree matters, and it will be your performance, roles and responsibilities, and networks that will leverage you forward.

Each step forward has to fully leverage the one behind it.

Response by CW3 Richard Doty made Aug 29 at 2025 10:23 PM

2025-08-29T22:23:14-04:00

Eric, the answer is, it depends. If you're shooting for a position in one of the very elite organizations that will use your degree, then a nationally-ranked school is the ticket. If you're looking for a job with one of the beltway bandits in the consulting arena in DC, then probably not so much. I got an MBA, and after all was said and done, I made my money on the technology side of the house. Before you spend the money, figure out exactly what you want to do, and how you will leverage that degree.

Response by MAJ Peter Eschbach made Sep 21 at 2025 7:59 PM

2025-09-21T19:59:08-04:00

I don’t believe the school name matters unless 1)the hiring manager went there, or 2) the company specifically recruits from designated schools.