Univ selection for higher edu admin & joint MBA

[Scheacc]

Hello

I must appreciate that GradCafe has been really useful to me for many suggestions and exploring the paths.

I am on the verge of preparing my applications and hence, I seek help from all of you!

Programme I am applying to: MA/ MEd/ MS in higher education administration.

Preference to: Joint Course with MBA

What kind of help do I need?

I am not from US/UK. Hence, I need to know

• What kind of accreditation is most useful while selecting a university programme?
  • Are there any 'real' or 'close' rankings of university programmes with respect to 'placements' ?
    • If 3 programmes are very similar except for the degree- MS / MEd / MA : what is influential ?

    It would be great if, you can tell me additionally about:

    [*]Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, Michigan universities are very famous in my country. Are they really the top-class ones for placements?

    [*]How does a good US student select university for the above mentioned programme?

    I guess I've earned enough education, experience and funding opportunities. So what really matters to me is 'a good placement' probability ahead.

    Even if you have 'some' idea or can 'direct' me to some source, you're welcome!

[Scheacc]

please reply!

[Scheacc]

Have I asked an extremely difficult question or the obviously stupid one?

[Reinventing]

It is a somewhat strange question.

Most people would not do both a Master's in Higher Ed and an MBA. It does not make much sense, and I have never seen a top-tier, dual-degree program combining these. You would have to do them separately, and so most people choose to do one or the other. If employment stats and salary are the primary concern, a top-tier MBA might fit the bill. If you want to work in a university, a degree in higher ed is usually the best choice, unless you want to work in a business or finance role/program, and then an MBA could be an asset.

Rankings on top-tier MBA programs are easy to find, and generally are released each spring through US News, Businessweek, FT, etc. Master's-level education programs do not track employment statistics like MBA programs do.

AACSB is the organization that accredits MBA programs. All good schools will have this. For education, CACREP accredits some programs; but if you go to a reputable school (state school or Ivy), you don't need to worry too much about accreditation unless you want to do counseling work. Those jobs do seem to request CACREP or other accreditation.

As for MS, MEd, and MA, there's usually very little distinction. I think most programs for higher education are MEd programs, and in some cases there are reasons why a program is classified as an MS or MA program (MS sometimes means more stats/tech classes, MA sometimes fewer stats classes; but there's no hard-and-fast rule).

No one will tell you what your likelihood of getting a job is based on a bunch of statistics. No school can promise to employ you after you graduate. Students at top schools may have an easier time getting jobs, and may have access to different types of roles, but your ability to get a job depends greatly on a number of factors, including your career interests, work experience, education, fit with the jobs you apply for, and the level of effort you put into networking and your job search.

Most people select a program based on things like reputation of the school, reputation (and content) of the program, faculty research areas, research opportunities, fit/community, strong alumni network, cost, location, etc. But no one can come up with a list of the best schools for you to apply to. You could just pick the top 10 from the US News rankings if you want to make it really easy, or go through the spreadsheet and pick those with the top 10 highest employment figures, but you'll be ignoring whether the program is really a good fit for you. I wouldn't leave the decision up to statistics, if I were you. You have to do the research.