Hey readytolearn - love that handle BTW!
A little confused about where you're at in the process - did you already get accepted to these schools? Or are you at the beginning of the process and trying to decide where to apply?
Regardless, we can offer some input on the question.
First up: "ROI" in the context of an MBA can be a very individual calculation. Each person has different priorities for what they're seeking from an MBA, and different schools may address those priorities differently.
Our reaction to what you wrote though is pretty black-and-white: If you're saying that Booth/Kellogg are the "no-brainer" choice for a F/T MBA, then why would that be any different for a P/T program?
You graduate with the same MBA from the same school. You get access to the same network of amazing alumni. The one variation is that some schools offer different recruiting resources for the F/T students vs P/T (no on-campus recruiting for part-timers at some places) - but that's it.
You might even argue that the ROI on a part-time MBA is **greater** because you don't have the same opportunity cost of foregoing a paycheck for two years in pursuit of the degree. Of course, completing an MBA while holding down a job is not that easy. Quality of life should be factored into the decision-making process.
Here's an article from the EssaySnark blahg that relates to your question: "Will a P/T program give me what I need?"
https://essaysnark.com/2012/08/will-a-pa ... at-i-need/
The real question to ask is, what do you want to do with the MBA - specifically? Your username indicates you want to get an EDUCATION which is kinda cool (not everyone seems to have that focus!). From that perspective, you can't go wrong with any of these places - you're going to learn the same core skills of accounting and finance and marketing and all that jazz. A Booth accounting professor probably isn't THAT much better than one at Carlson (if at all). You need to look at what ELSE you want from it - from two angles:
- electives, concentrations, and specializations
- career opportunities
If you're just progressing in a tech field and not trying to swap out to something different like consulting or whatever, then maybe you don't need a marquee name. Maybe taking your Seattle job offer and going to Foster will do you just fine. There's plenty of tech companies hiring out of their MBA program all the time. If your new job will help pay for the MBA then that may trump everything.
If you want to do some specific kind of thing in technology though... you'll want to consider what each program offers. Kellogg has a special joint degree with their McCormick School called MMM - it's not available for part-timers but the relationship with that other great school means that you'd have resources at your disposal that are unique. Booth has a big focus on data and analytics in EVERYTHING they do, across the board in their MBA curriculum. If you want to take your tech career in a certain direction, then these opportunities should be considered.
If you're just asking, "Is ranking worth twice the price?", well... that's a very difficult question for a complete stranger to answer for you.
EssaySnark
