Slow times at MBA schools


During times of economic distress, it's common for people to go back to school. But when it comes to MBA programs, things may be still be gloomy.

Bear in mind that these programs rely heavily on endowments. And when the investment market was bubbly, the returns were lush -- and so were the MBA programs.

However, things have deteriorated over the past year (especially in Q4), even for big-time endowments like Harvard and Yale. As a result, many MBA programs are cutting back on staff and programs. At the same time, there's been reductions in executive programs (that is, corporations are pulling back on sponsorships).

Of course, the other problem is that the US is undergoing a big reduction in white-collar jobs, such as in the financial services sector. No doubt MBA programs relied on the gravy train of investment banks, hedge funds and private equity operators. Now this has mostly gone away, making it more difficulty to attract new students and putting even more pressure on MBA programs.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Streetsmart Guide to Short Selling: Techniques the Pros Use to Profit in Any Market. He is also the founder of BizEquity, a free online business valuation tool for small businesses.

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