MBA in OB/HR

[Arsene Lupin]

Greetings Stacy

Do you guys know of any top 20 school that specializes in those fields (Organizational Behavior and Human Resources) ? Most seem to focus on either marketing or finance.

I appreciate your help.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Arsene,

OB and HR are not the usual fields most MBAs choose to enter, so they are usually not the functional areas highlighted in school literature. However, if you look at the curriculum and elective offerings of many schools, you will find that you do have the opportunity to take enough coursework to focus on one/both of these areas. A solid general management curriculum will provide you a strong foundation for OB and HR as well. For the best elective offerings, you might look at schools that also offer a MS in HR or other HR master's degree. In many cases, these schools will allow you to take these electives towards your MBA.

Good luck,
Lisa

[Arsene Lupin]

I'm interested in learning how to manage people, how to motivate them and how to improve the work environment as a whole.

I believe the general management is more fitting for me than the pure HR master degree. The MBA would be a better foundation for me especially since I don't have a business degree.

Do you see any top 20 school fitting me more than others? Or they are all almost similar when it comes to general management?

Also if you don't mind, would you kindly rate my chances with the following schools?

Here is a quick view of my profile (based on admission in 2011):

- 28 years old male from Saudi Arabia
- GMAT: 690 (Hopefully 720+ after the retake)
- GPA: 3.5 (Computer Science from University of Kansas on a fully paid scholarship)
- Ranked 1st in my high school (is this too old to be mentioned?)
- 5 years of government IT experience.
- Made couple of major work environment improvements to the organization as whole, even though I'm simply a programmer.
- EC Activities: Normal, mostly organizing social meetings.

I got in mind three schools so far:

- Harvard (I must try, you never know )
- Yale
- Cornell

What do you think my chances for these schools?

Also would you kindly point me to two other schools as safe nets?

I deeply appreciate your help Lisa!

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Arsene,

Only you can determine whether or not you are a "fit" at any school. You need to determine what you seek in a program and then measure potential schools against your criteria. The sticky on school selection might have some helpful tips for you as well.

Generally, you are a competitive applicant for a program where your GPA and GMAT are at or above the average. Since decisions are made on more than the numbers, your professional work experience, recommendations, essays and interview will also play a critical role in the decision. Thus identifying schools where you are in a competitive range in terms of GPA/GMAT is the quickest way to identify potential options, but being high on those two measures does not guarantee admission. Safety options would be schools where your GMAT is quite a bit above the average GMAT and are a good match for your post-MBA career goals.

Yes, anything prior to college is too old to mention.

Regards,
Lisa