Hi there,
I think certainly the caliber of the education regarding the high tech industry is very strong at Kellogg as well as the other schools you mentioned. I can't speak particularly to the part-time programs since I didn't investigate that option when I was applying to school but I can share my overall thoughts. Speaking specifically for Kellogg, we have a number of classes focusing on technology as well as extracurricular activities. For example, there is a popular Tech Marketing class that is taught by a professor that has consulted for many of the big high tech firms like Microsoft and others. Personally I am part of the MMM program at Kellogg, which is a dual MBA and Masters of Engineering Management (through the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern). The MEM side focuses on design and operations, which can certainly be applied to different industries but I felt those functions would certainly be a good foundation for my interest in high tech.
The High Tech Club, similar to other industry clubs at Kellogg, offers ways to learn about the industry as well as prepare for recruiting. The club puts on events like bringing in a variety of speakers, and we recently kicked off the 1st year interview prep groups for this year. These are groups of 4-5 1st years that are interested in the same industry (in this case, high tech) that are paired with a 2nd year who interviewed for that industry the previous year. The interview prep groups (IPGs) are ways that students can share industry trends, company research, and practice interviewing together. The club has also put together a wiki where students share notes of their experiences interviewing with and interning at different tech companies, as well as general news or trends within the industry.
Independent from the High Tech Club (but they partner closely), there are other high tech focused activities at Kellogg such as the High Tech Trek and Kellogg Technology Conference. Students organize a number of industry-specific treks where they will visit with a series of companies. For example, the Bay Area High Tech Trek will be taking place in a couple of weeks during our winter break. A group of 5 1st year students have set up 3 days of visits with various high tech firms in the bay area. In these visits, we learn more about the companies and get to ask our questions of employees, often Kellogg alumni. It's a great opportunity to not only visit the companies and learn more, but also express your interest for the industry/company through your participation. The Technology Conference takes place for one day in the spring and again is a very student-driven activity (students arrange industry speakers, company sponsors, manage logistics, etc.). This year will be the 16th year of the conference and the theme is the challenges of monetizing emerging technologies.
So I think overall Kellogg has no lack of resources to help you learn about the high tech industry and recruit for a job in the field. I think where Kellogg has a larger challenge compared to schools on the west coast is in on-campus recruiting for high tech firms. The large firms like Microsoft, Apple, Sony, Dell, RIM, Adobe, Amazon, Intel, etc. do come here for company presentations or networking nights, and often on-campus recruiting - but obviously firms in the bay area are more likely to visit the local schools. So there are some large firms that choose not to come on campus, and as you might expect, certainly many of the smaller firms don't come to campus either. However, I do want to be clear that many of these companies still very much appreciate Kellogg MBAs and hire them for internships and full-time positions, just more within off-campus recruiting. (Kellogg is still a top business school with considerable name recognition.) So this means more of applying on company websites versus the school career management system and likely phone interviews for first rounds. (It also means that learning about the company may be more up to you since they are not doing a company presentation on campus, so that's where events like the treks can really help out.) It's also worth noting that roughly 9% of each graduating class in the past few years has gone into the high tech industry, in a variety of functions, and there is a strong Kellogg alumni network at many of the major firms. High Tech is not one of the big two career paths from b school (e.g. consulting or investment banking) but there is still a strong community within Kellogg, and it's growing.
I'll probably have more to add once I get more into the recruiting process myself - which is going to ramp up pretty soon - but feel free to ask any additional questions you have!
Angela
MBA Student, Kellogg