Long-Distance Commute for MBA

BusinessWeek surveys show 20% of part-time MBA students travel more than 150 miles to their programs. What’s the significance of this statistic? It means an increasing number of MBA students are choosing schools based on the quality of the program, not location.

Many of those who select content over convenience, says BusinessWeek, are entrepreneurs, career-changers and small-business owners. Typically, they have more flexible schedules and the increased motivation to pay the higher travel costs. One such student mentioned in the BusinessWeek article was Brian Keegan, ’05, a small-business owner from Nashville. According to the article, the commute to Chicago GSB “was irrelevant” to Keegan. He wanted a program that fit his needs.

At Chicago GSB, 6% of the students in the Evening MBA Program reside outside of Illinois. For the Weekend MBA Program that figure is 70%. The Executive MBA program has 60 students who commute from outside of Illinois.

To learn more, read “Going the Extra Mile for an MBA” in the October 24, 2005 issue of BusinessWeek.