Case Method Based MBA Programs

MBA
1

Hi friends, I have searched lots of sites, forums and blogs to find a list of all the case based MBA programs but of no use, so I decided to start a thread that should enlist and discuss case based MBA programs. So far best known case ba…

2

Hi friends,

I have searched lots of sites, forums and blogs to find a list of all the case based MBA programs but of no use, so I decided to start a thread that should enlist and discuss case based MBA programs.

So far best known case based b-schools are:


  1. Harvard
  2. INSEAD
  3. IVEY
  4. Kellogg



Please feel free to add to the list and share your experience/views regarding case method approach.

Thanks,
...kam
3

You may ant to add Darden to the list
Case method suits the person who has a good amt of exp to share. You cannot expect to gain from others exp with minimum contribution to case. Case is all about giving and taking. So if one feels comfortable with it.Case is the best method.
IMO case is not as well suited for finance/accounting related courses.If your major interest is finance..case may not be that good especially if you come from non finance background

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You may ant to add Darden to the list
Case method suits the person who has a good amt of exp to share. You cannot expect to gain from others exp with minimum contribution to case. Case is all about giving and taking. So if one feels comfortable with it.Case is the best method.
IMO case is not as well suited for finance/accounting related courses.If your major interest is finance..case may not be that good especially if you come from non finance background


Nishant,

I disagree with what you are saying on both those points -

a) every individual has something to contribute to the class, maybe not to every single case - but he/she will. If you are good enough to make a school like Darden chances are you will be able to contribute.

b) Regarding accounting/finance classes: I am a Non-Finance person who is being trained on financial concepts by my current manager - and every single time he tells me about a new financial ration my immediate question is - what is the business implication of this formula? We can all use excel/google to calculate formulae but what we need to understand is the real life applications behind them. And this is especially true of a non-finance person!
5
Nishant,

I disagree with what you are saying on both those points -

a) every individual has something to contribute to the class, maybe not to every single case - but he/she will. If you are good enough to make a school like Darden chances are you will be able to contribute. !

Of what i have interacted with students,Darden demands a lot from you to bring to class. So speaking for avg Indian IT fellow, that may not be easy to do


b) Regarding accounting/finance classes: I am a Non-Finance person who is being trained on financial concepts by my current manager - and every single time he tells me about a new financial ration my immediate question is - what is the business implication of this formula? We can all use excel/google to calculate formulae but what we need to understand is the real life applications behind them. And this is especially true of a non-finance person!

That was strictly my opinion. Maybe case teaches finance very well in realistic sense but then i always had this notion that you need lecture and book to do quantitative stuff. Though Case can be excellent methodology.As i have not got an opportunity to do case based study of subjects,maybe i may not be 100% right but i'm sure i'm atleast 60% right
6

You may add IESE Business School in Spain. It follows case based method of study too. How would you rate the various case method based MBA programs?

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Kellogg's teaching method is

30% - Case Study
30% - Team Projects
30% - Lecture
10% - Experimental Learning & Simulations

Source: Website
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As far as I remember, the programs that rely very heavily on case-study method are:

  1. Darden
  2. HBS
  3. IESE
  4. Rotman

I'm not sure about the application of case-study method in finance/accounting, but when I applied, I tried connecting with a few students at Darden and everyone of them strongly felt that it works well. (Google out Anand's blog, I think he wrote sth about it a year back.)
9

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on case method programs. So far the list stands as follow:

  1. Harvard
  2. INSEAD
  3. IVEY
  4. Kellogg
  5. Darden
  6. IESE
  7. Rotman


I believe case method is a very good form to share your own findings, knowledge and experience with others. But yes you should have something in your bag before you can put it on the table for others.

So if you believe you have a good load in your bag and want to fill the rest of your bag with other's experience then case method is the way to go.

In case method everyone will share their best experience related to the case/scenario being discussed in the class and believe it or not but someone's personal experience could teach you lot more than text books.

I believe you guys would agree with me.

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Kellogg and Rotman do not qualify as case based MBA schools. Yes, they involve the case study method ( 25 % for Rotman, 30% for Kellogg) but they do not use the case based methodology primarily or exclusively. I would categorize Rotman and Kellogg as having a balanced methodology. Almost every school uses case based method to an extent.
In my opinion there are only four schools which primarily or exclusively use the case study methodology and these are:

Harvard Business School
Darden
Richard Ivey
IESE

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Kellogg and Rotman do not qualify as case based MBA schools. Yes, they involve the case study method ( 25 % for Rotman, 30% for Kellogg) but they do not use the case based methodology primarily or exclusively. I would categorize Rotman and Kellogg as having a balanced methodology. Almost every school uses case based method to an extent.
In my opinion there are only four schools which primarily or exclusively use the case study methodology and these are:

Harvard Business School
Darden
Richard Ivey
IESE


I agree with you, Kellogg and Rotman are not full-flashed case method programs.