
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, August 17, 1995                   TAG: 9508170039
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Houston Chronicle
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

STUDENTS SHOW MBA STILL ALL THE RAGE

Despite layoffs that have wiped out whole layers of middle managers, business schools are awash this year with applications from people who want to rush into the ranks of management.

Applicants say they want the extra credential of a master of business administration degree during a time when job security is more tenuous than ever. The strong economy gives MBA applicants confidence they will find good jobs when they graduate.

``There's a recognition on the part of young men and women who have worked for three to five years that it's a different labor market,'' said Victor Arnold, dean of the graduate business program at the University of Texas in Austin.

People need as many skills as they can get to be competitive and adaptive, Arnold said. They hope an MBA will help them get ahead of the competition.

An MBA once was considered a guaranteed ticket to America's best jobs at Fortune 500 companies but fell out of favor a few years ago.

But now, many schools are getting a record number of applicants and turning down people they would have greeted with open arms in leaner times, said John A. Byrne, author of the Business Week Guide to the Best Business Schools. Byrne also covers business schools for Business Week.

by CNB