Top Business School Stories of 2009

As 2009 draws to a close, let's go back and reminisce about the craziness the business school world encountered this year. As you could have guessed, the most popular business school headlines surrounded the economic recession and its affect on MBA applicants, students and graduates. A recent article in BusinessWeek highlights the top 10 business school stories of 2009. We'd like to summarize the top five of them for you here and point you to our dedicated shows on some of these topics.

1. The Job Market (dun dun dun!): The No. 1 concern this year for current MBAs, applicants, and recent grads was the job market. Students worried about finding internships and jobs after graduation, applicants wondered if joining the ranks of the unemployed to enroll in an MBA program was a good idea, and newly minted BBAs and MBAs wondered if their post-B-school jobs would hold up.

Our shows on this topic include:

• MBA Salaries in the Current Economic Climate
• MBA Admissions and the New World Order
• The Current Economic Environment: What it Means for MBA Applicants and Students

2. Loan Crisis: International students who planned to study at U.S. business schools had to scramble to find a student loan provider in 2009, when many of the loan programs they had used to fund their education disappeared.

For more on this, check out:

• Financing your MBA: Start Planning Now so You Can Live Easier When School Starts

3. MBA's: Public Enemy #1? Were B-schools responsible for the global economic crisis? It's a question that has consumed much of the B-school world for the better part of a year.

4. GRE vs. GMAT: For years, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) had a virtual monopoly over the admission testing arena at business schools. But now, there are approximately 285 business schools that allow students to submit the GRE in lieu of the GMAT exam.

For more about the GRE and GMAT, listen to:

• GMAT Not Required: Which B-Schools are Removing the GMAT Requirement from Admissions Criteria?

5. The Best Part-Time B-Schools: It was an interesting year to survey part-time and executive MBA students. For many prospective students, the thought of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a graduate business degree was frightening. For those already enrolled, fear of job loss and waning corporate support added stress to already intense business programs. When the economy rights itself, interest in part-time and executive MBA programs is expected to rebound.

For more about part-time programs, check out:

• Part Time vs. Full Time: Which Program is Right for You?
• Part Time MBA and Your Career
• The Executive MBA
• Real Life and an MBA

To read the rest of the top business school stories from 2009, check out the BusinessWeek article here. As we head into 2010, we'll be sure to blog about the hottest business school topics hitting the news stands. We will also continue to produce podcasts and videocasts on topics of business school interest in 2010. If there's a topic you are dying to know more about, tell us in the comments section!

Happy New Year!