I've done a bit of research here and this question comes up from time to time, but I wonder if there's some up-to-date info somewhere on the best one year MBA programs in the US. I'm considering Cornell's Tech program in New York, as well as Babson's program and the one from Pittsburgh Katz. Curious about the following:

1. Do these programs compare favorably with their 2-year counterparts?

2. Are the post MBA job prospects decent with these programs? Especially for international students without a residency visa.

3. Is there a ranking somewhere of the best US one year MBA programs in the US?

I think the answers are no, no and no.

It's sort of an apples-to-oranges comparison. One-year MBA programs tend to be better for people who do not want to make substantial career transitions, or those who know exactly what they want to do after graduation. Two-year MBAs are better for people who are open in terms of post-MBA careers, or want to make shifts in their industry, function, or location. The latter is why two-year MBAs tend to be better for international students who want to land jobs in the US.

On the other hand, one-year programs might make sense for those groups of people because these programs often don't include robust internships or project components, and elective options tend to be more limited.

And also, there's much less time for networking, which is key -- especially for international students -- in terms of landing a job after graduation.

That said, the Cornell program is pretty new but from a high-caliber school and in a great location. I don't think that the Katz program is comparable. As far as I know, there's no specific ranking of 1-year MBA programs, but just look at other rankings to get a sense of a business school's strengths.

For instance, other top-ranked b-schools in the US offering one-year or equivalent MBA options include:

Kellogg
Columbia (January intake)
Notre Dame
Emory - Goizueta
USC - Marshall

There's a range of other, lower tier schools that offer one-year MBAs as well: Babson - Olin, Boston University, Florida - Hough, etc.

Thanks for all of this information. I'm not planning a huge career shift, I work in IT now and would like to continue to work in the field but move into more or a project planning or operations management capacity. However, I do plan to work in the US, and as I mentioned before I would be considered an international student. I suppose that a two year MBA would probably be better.

I suppose that a two year MBA would probably be better.

Thanks! I'll check out these schools.

Hey guys, what do you suppose will happen to the Thunderbird 1-year MBA program now that the school is being taken on by ASU? Do you think that ASU will try to revive it, or at least begin offering its own 1-year MBA program?

MBA provision will move to ASU: that is sure.