I've recently been accepted at 3 solid programs, and I am struggling trying to decide which one to attend. The three programs are the MBA@UNC program (newly formed Kenan-Flagler online program), the Wake Forest evening MBA progam in Charlotte, NC, and IU (Kelly Direct online program). The first issue I am struggling with is whether an online degree is truly the same as attending a traditional "brick and mortor" program. Will there be a stigma associated with an online degree? The second issue I am struggling with is whether the cost of attending UNC ($89K) is a good investment versus Kelly or Wake which both cost significantly less (~$50K). My top choice would be attending the MBA@UNC program since I currently live and work in Charlotte, NC, so having a Kenan-Flagler MBA on my resume would not seem strange, and future employers would most likely not be able to tell it was the online program. However, again I am struggling justifying the significantly higher cost. After UNC, IU and Wake are pretty even in my mind. Obviously IU has a better reputation and a higher ranking, but again the online aspect makes me nervous down the road. It would be quite apparent that I did the online program since my resume would show I received an MBA from IU while working in Charlotte. Wake is still a good option, but obviously it is not has highly regarded, and I am about to start a family in the near future, so attending class two nights a week could be tough. Sorry for the long post, but I have to make a decision in two weeks, so any insight would be grealy appreciated. Thanks!
mattk884, CONGRATULATIONS! You should be proud to have made it into three programs this year.
In our opinion, the UNC option sounds the best for you, not only because it's more local to where you're at, and thus will give you significantly better opportunities in recruiting, and even hopefully some options for on-campus recruiting even though it's an online MBA; but also because of this list of three, in our opinion, it's the "better" school. Of course, that's just our opinion, and this is highly subjective.
On your question about the merits or possible stigma of an online program: it's good that you're asking this question, however we're guessing that -- as you also suspected -- there will be no way for future employers to know that it was an online MBA or a traditional butt-in-seat 2-year program. An MBA is an MBA is an MBA, and it's highly likely that the fancy diploma you'll receive will just say "MBA" on it; no one will know the difference. This is a question you might want to pose to the schools, of course, but this is how it's done at other universities that have various "flavors" of MBA (P/T, F/T, etc.). So down the road, you'll have the degree listed on your resume just like anyone else would.
It's hard to know whether one program is "worth more" than another in terms of $$ so we're going to leave that piece untouched here. These are all good schools, but as you have already indicated, maybe UNC makes more sense for you personally.
Do you know whether you could participate in any on-campus recruiting at UNC while going through the online program? If so, that could tip the scale pretty significantly, depending on what you want to do when you graduate.
Either way, congrats on the admits, and good luck with your bschool adventure!
EssaySnark
