dogbones Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Hi... Would an online MBA negatively impact admissions into an Econ PhD program? I want to learn the intersection of business, economics, and government, and think that an online MBA would be a great asset for me. I've just heard that it's not good for Econ PhD admissions. Is this true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startz Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 It certainly won't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbones Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share Posted July 2, 2019 It certainly won't help. As far as you can tell, though, it's not a clear unambiguous negative then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startz Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 My guess is that different folks will read it differently. Some may well be negative. (1) Very few online MBA programs have much academic credibility. Taking one may suggest you don't care about high academic standards. (2) PhD programs train specialists. Taking an online MBA suggests you want to be a generalist. In which case, you don't belong in an MBA program. Others may differ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbones Posted July 2, 2019 Author Share Posted July 2, 2019 My guess is that different folks will read it differently. Some may well be negative. (1) Very few online MBA programs have much academic credibility. Taking one may suggest you don't care about high academic standards. (2) PhD programs train specialists. Taking an online MBA suggests you want to be a generalist. In which case, you don't belong in an MBA program. Others may differ. Hi startz, I’m planning to get one slowly over the course of 4 years or so at the #3 best online mba program per the financial times... I see it as a supplement and complement to my specializations in economics. I’m also personally interested in having business competency. But I understand what you are saying in both (1) and (2), thank you for your insights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradoecon Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 If your goal is business competency or complement to economics, and you are going to be studying at University of Hawaii for your MA, just take courses at the business school (Shidler), it's a pretty good school from what I see. Top-20 in international business. But yes, as Startz has mentioned, an MBA has a different focus and purpose than does a PhD in Business than does a PhD in Economics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbones Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 If your goal is business competency or complement to economics, and you are going to be studying at University of Hawaii for your MA, just take courses at the business school (Shidler), it's a pretty good school from what I see. Top-20 in international business. But yes, as Startz has mentioned, an MBA has a different focus and purpose than does a PhD in Business than does a PhD in Economics. Hi coloradoecon, good to hear from you! I'm flattered that you've put the pieces together from my prior postings and know where I'll be doing my MA next fall! ;o> I'm looking specifically at UMass Amherst's Isenberg online MBA program because of it's quality, flexibility (Shidler doesn't have this as much as Isenberg, and is actually more expensive), and cross country "experience" (Massachusetts is geographically far from Hawaii but the online component with the same faculty bridge the gap and gives me something new and useful). And I suppose I have traits toward completionarism (if that's a word) so I wouldn't feel accomplished not getting a degree out of the on campus courses, particularly because business is multifarious (many subfields and lots to learn) and there's more to it than "MBA 101," although I found a really cool Amazon Prime video series called "An Entire MBA in 1 Course" which is free and has 49 episodes... I've watched the Episode 1 so far and am looking forward to watching more over the next two days because today was my "Friday" at work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 IMO, an online MBA from UMass Amherst is not a good signal for admissions to a top 50 econ PhD program. As others have noted, it suggests lack of focus or understanding of the demands and objectives of a PhD in economics. Moreover, UMass Amherst's online MBA is not well respected by most economists. Depending on your educational background, it seems likely that it can only lower the average quality of your previous academic preparation. Some unsolicited advice from someone who's seen a lot of students apply to graduate school: take things one step at a time. You've said that you are about to begin a master's degree in economics. Focus on that. Get outstanding grades, fill in any missing math classes, and develop constructive relationships with the faculty in your program. Seek out opportunities to do research with economists who are actively publishing in well-regarded journals. Take the advice of the people who know you and your academic background in real life. Realize that for the majority of students, the well-trod path to an economics PhD is indeed the most likely one, and looking for unusual add-ons like the MBA you propose is likely to be less productive than excelling along the standard dimensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbones Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 IMO, an online MBA from UMass Amherst is not a good signal for admissions to a top 50 econ PhD program. As others have noted, it suggests lack of focus or understanding of the demands and objectives of a PhD in economics. Moreover, UMass Amherst's online MBA is not well respected by most economists. Depending on your educational background, it seems likely that it can only lower the average quality of your previous academic preparation. Some unsolicited advice from someone who's seen a lot of students apply to graduate school: take things one step at a time. You've said that you are about to begin a master's degree in economics. Focus on that. Get outstanding grades, fill in any missing math classes, and develop constructive relationships with the faculty in your program. Seek out opportunities to do research with economists who are actively publishing in well-regarded journals. Take the advice of the people who know you and your academic background in real life. Realize that for the majority of students, the well-trod path to an economics PhD is indeed the most likely one, and looking for unusual add-ons like the MBA you propose is likely to be less productive than excelling along the standard dimensions. Hi, Prof! I appreciate your input... I understand that my online MBA really isn't for the Econ PhD, I just was uncertain about how *negative* it would be if the adcoms didn't know why I got one in the first place and they saw, like a few of you say, that I appear unfocused... I can probably explain that it was more for personal growth *alongside* everything else I do for the Econ PhD and beyond, and that it also supplements my research specializations within Economics and adds depth to my foundations of knowledge for better educated perspectives. The math classes I've already got planned out (beginning with 3 next summer before the MA in fall), I'm currently studying various parts of the graduate curriculum on my own, I know all of the faculty and most of the faculty know me from the workshops I attend on campus (during the school year) and from my BA degree courses, I'm trying to start some papers of my own and was invited to coauthor a paper once I learn Stata and do suggested background reading... speaking of which, what is the best way to learn Stata? I'm learning R right now and Dataquest.com is amazing with R, I think they teach Python too... it's a $30 monthly subscription but well worth it, at least for me! I'm so freaked out these days thinking about what ifs of not getting As in my MA courses, so I'm quite motivated to study hard now to reap those stellar grades once I officially start! Thank you for your feedback!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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