More U.S. Business Programs Add Specialized Degrees, but Whom Does It Benefit?

Melissa Korn:

U.S. business schools are trying to master a new corner of the market: specialized master's degrees.

The courses in topics such as management, accounting and analytics, generally lasting one year and aimed mainly at college graduates with little or no work experience, have a decadeslong history at many European and other international schools.

But the programs have gained particular traction in the U.S. recently, more than doubling student enrollment to 52,014 in the 2010-2011 academic year, compared with the 2006-2007 year, according to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. (Demand is still higher outside the U.S., where member schools enrolled 84,134 in the 2010-2011 year.)

The benefit for schools is obvious--more tuition revenue and a critical mass of students to entice recruiters when interest in traditional M.B.A. programs is declining. But the long-term value for students remains unclear, as graduates' salaries and job titles often look very similar to those assigned to new hires coming straight from undergraduate schools.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at July 9, 2012 2:06 AM
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