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The Emergence of Online MBA: Snake Oil or a Real Alternative to Traditional MBA Education


There is no doubting the fact that online education is gaining popularity by the day; and while the purists may scoff at the idea that the online versions are as good as the traditional offerings, it is true that certain disciplines are doing roaring business in the online sphere. One such subject is the MBA, the degree that straddles a large number of professions and is a useful tool to climb to the top of almost any career when combined with a bachelor's degree that is related to the career of your choice.

Business schools are going great guns, and since not everyone can get into a Harvard or a Wharton or afford the time and/or the money to do a regular MBA, many settle for the online alternative. Besides, online education lets one continue working and studying at the same time - not everyone can afford to pay for continuing education and take two years off work. The crucial question to ask is whether online MBA programs are genuine alternatives to traditional MBA programs or whether they are just snake oil substitutes disguised as the real thing?

First, let us see what online MBA program have going for them:

  • They allow you to earn and learn simultaneously.
  • They have flexible timings that suit busy professionals who also have a family to consider.
  • They don't have fixed time frames in which they must be completed.

But on the downside:

  • Not many employers take them seriously or accept them as equivalents to the " real deal".
  • You could slip up and end up enrolled in a school or course that is not accredited; so your degree is in essence worthless.
  • If you're not capable of managing your time effectively, you could end up being swamped with more than you can handle - your work starts to suffer and you lag behind in your lessons as well, making the whole exercise a complete disaster.

These are some of the aspects of MBA programs that lend themselves to qualitative analysis. However, the true value of an MBA program, whether traditional or online, can only be determined by the quality of a host of factors:

  • The reputation of the institution that offers it
  • The credibility of the accrediting agency
  • The effectiveness of the staff who handle classes
  • The relevance of the course material (courses that are updated regularly and tailored according to changing conditions in the business world are the best)
  • The willingness of the learner to give it his/her all and work towards gaining additional knowledge and skills, besides the lessons that are taught in class.

While all online institutions may not be equal to the traditional ones in terms of reputation and staff, there are a few good ones that are accredited and which offer quality MBA programs. So if your aim is to get the best possible online MBA degree, you must do your research well and work hard towards augmenting your knowledge in any possible way - check out the course material and talk to alumni of the institution if possible, and enhance your learning with material and information from the Internet and other sources. At the end of the day, it all boils down to what your MBA has taught you and how much better it has made you at the workplace, not  just where you earned it.

So yes, if you choose the right school and the right course and are willing to work hard to boost your skills and knowledge, an online MBA degree is a happy compromise. 


This guest post is contributed by Carrie Oakley, who writes on the topic of online college. Carrie welcomes your comments at her email id: carrie.oakley1983(AT)gmail(DOT)com.


About Gurome

Gurome offers GMAT Test Prep courses, a free GMAT test, MBA admissions consulting services, and a lot more.


Posted by kalyani at Oct 13, 2010 12:30:26 PM
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