Many schools well-known for producing quality MBA students serve as a pool for high profile employers to choose future employees. You can earn an MBA through all kinds of colleges, and even online, so because the MBA is so widely available and so popular, the only real way to differentiate yours is to earn it from one of the best schools. Not every school can specialize in every degree, so it’s important to do some research to find out what schools are the best for your particular degree.

Earning an MBA can not only help you get the edge on a particular job, it can make it much easier to climb the corporate ladder throughout your career. High level executives in Fortune 500 companies typically have an education from the best schools in the country. If you are looking for an MBA from a top school, consider the top ten schools to earn your MBA from, according to Suite 101:

1. Stanford University
2. University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
3. Harvard University
4. University of Chicago
5. University of Pennsylvania
6. Columbia University
7. Cornell University
8. Northwestern University
9. University of Virginia
10. Yale University

Every college is different and it is important to find one that suits your individual needs. Do your research and make the right choice for you and your education.

Also Read:

Business Administration Degree Profile

International Business Degree Profile

Business Scholarships

Forbes took a look at the return on investment five years after graduation (so for this list, 2004 graduates), and spoke with 17,000 business school alumni from 103 schools to gather its information.

For 2009, Stanford Graduate School of Business rose to the top of the list, and was named the best business school in America by Forbes. The median salary for these Stanford graduates five years later is $225,000, surpassing all other business school graduate salaries.

The rest of the top 10 looks like this:

2. Dartmouth (Tuck)
> Class of 2004 median salary: $205,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 712

3. Harvard
> Class of 2004 median salary: $215,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 720

4. Chicago (Booth)
> Class of 2004 median salary: $210,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 720

5. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
> Class of 2004 median salary: $200,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 715

6. Columbia
> Class of 2004 median salary: $182,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 710

7. Cornell (Johnson)
> Class of 2004 median salary: $168,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 700

8. Northwestern (Kellogg)
> Class of 2004 median salary: $165,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 710

9. Virgina (Darden)
> Class of 2004 median salary: $159,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 700

10. Yale
> Class of 2004 median salary: $160,000
> Class of 2010 median GMAT score: 720

via Forbes

Welch lead GE with a focus on efficiency, productivity, and talent development, that paid off for GE and its employees, as several went on to become CEOs themselves. He was also an early proponent of Six Sigma, a business management philosophy employed by corporations large and small. He had no time for being anything below number two, and applied that thinking to both firing illequipped managers or eliminating poor lines of business.

Now retired as GE’s chief and not one to sit back and watch the world roll by, he’s delving into an area of business that has grown increasingly popular in recent years (online education) and will help him to groom yet another generation of talented business leaders. Not to mention give the next generation an opportunity to learn from one of the greats.

With its official opening this week, The Jack Welch Management Institute has begun accepting applications, but won’t begin classes until fall. The MBA (Master’s in Business Administration) program will be administered solely online, granting access to more than just those in a commuter’s range. The Jack Welch MBA carries a price tag of about $20,000 (or $600/credit hour), whereas its brick-and-mortar competitors cost upwards of $100,000. By offering a price-conscious program in an accessible medium, Welch believes he’s striking business gold once again. “We think it will make the MBA more accessible to those who are hungry to play,” he says. “And they can keep their job while doing it.”

Welch touches on another important factor, aside from cost and proximity to the school’s location, professionals are rarely eager to leave behind their hard-earned careers and family stability for a two-year stint on campus. Welch’s students, like many others seeking degrees online, will be able to maintain their work and family lives while still attending school.

No one can describe the syllabus better than professor Welch himself:

“We’ll have all of the things the other schools have, only we’ll have what Jack Welch believes are things that work in business, in a real-time way,” he says. “Every week I will have an online streaming video of business today. For example, if I was teaching this week, I would be putting up the health-care plan. I’d be putting up the financial restructuring plan, talking about it, laying out the literature, what others are saying, and I’d be talking about it. I’ll be doing that every week.”

The curriculum, being designed by Welch and wife Suzy, will closely follow the blueprint of his teachings at Crotonville, GE’s managerial classes. He’ll introduce the traditional business philosophies being taught in MBA classes across the country, and then he’ll introduce his own, then encourage his students to debate the ideals and draw their own conclusions.

Jack Welch Management Institute (JWMI) has become a reality thanks in part to Michael Clifford, an educational entrepreneur who lead a group of investors to buy the troubled Myers University last year.

If you’re not in to earning your MBA from Welch, consider a fast-track course by reading any number of books by Welch, or his best-seller, Winning.

via BusinessWeek

1. Masters of Business Administration (MBA)
2. Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering
3. Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
4. Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies
5. Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology

You’re probably not surprised by the MBA, but did you know that associate degrees in paralegal studies and IT can really pay off–especially considering how little you’ll pay to earn these degrees?  Experienced professionals with these two year degrees average over $60,000 a year, and can potentially earn quite a bit more.  This is great news for students with these interests who aren’t crazy about the thought of going to school for years, and who want to get into the workplace now.  Two year degrees can really pay off.

So why isn’t the two year degree in nursing on the list?  If you’re interested in nursing, keep in mind that the four year nursing degree–which is #3 on this list–has really become the standard in the nursing field.  Two year degrees haven’t lost all their value, though– especially because you can get an associates degree in nursing, work for awhile, and then go back to finish a four year degree.

Of course, some associate degrees are more valuable than others, so if you’re interested in or attending a community college, talk to an advisor about the financial prospects of majors that interest you.  But don’t think that a four year degree is absolutely necessary to make yourself valuable in the marketplace.