Research MBA Programs

Hi Folks:

I am looking for something not ridiculously expensive, but the school has to be well recognized. It has to be online because I cannot quit my day job. So far in my research I have come across these:

Indiana Uni (Kelley School of Biz)
Uni of Massachusetts (Isenberg school of Management)
University of Houston-Victoria

These are all schools that are ok with a GMAT score under 550 and the last 2 in the list are also relatively affordable. I will be paying for this myself. I don't wanna take out any loans for this. I am contemplating whether I would apply to Kelley or not bcuz I don't know if I'll get a good enough score plus the tuition is kinda high for my blood too.

What do you folks think of these. Do you recommend any others?

Thanks!

Dear bfman -

Online MBA programs are generally not well recognized. If you are truly interested in getting a business education and cannot quit your day job, I would recommend that you take business classes at night or on the weekend at a local community college (or university if the price is affordable).

In some ways, like with most things, you get what you pay for. If you are worried about costs you should look into scholarships or research loans. Education should be considered an investment, and, if you do it right, the money that you borrow will return much more (a higher salary, better job prospects, etc.).

But, as you make this decision, you need to think about what you are trying to get out of the experience. Are there skills that you are missing? Do you need the degree itself? (and, if so, why?). The knowledge can be gained many ways - you might want to consider joining local professional groups to bolster your networking skills, or a toastmaster group to improve public speaking. If you simply need to know the rules of accounting, buy yourself some textbooks - there are some subjects that you can teach yourself just as well as you would be taught online.

You need to think long and hard about what exactly you'd want to get and then consider what this knowledge is "worth" in terms of money and time.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you!

Thank you for your response Jessica; however, none of the institutions I have contacted have said that it says 'online' on the diploma if I were to enroll in their Online program. So Indiana's Kelley which is ranked as #13 business school (businessweek.com) would carry the same reputation for my Online MBA as well since employers don't necessarily need to know it was done online neither do they usually ask. From your response though, do you mean the quality of education itself? Both Indiana and UMass has told me that the same professors who teach fulltime classes teach the online ones. And I did a lot of courses online during my undergrad so I personally do not have a problem with the approach itself.

Thank you for your input. Please do let me know if I understood you wrong of if you have any other thoughts.

Thanks!

I still believe that you miss much of the "learning" that happens from interacting with your peers in small groups, on projects and in regular class discussions. I would also guess that the recruiting and career services are a bit different if you aren't actually on campus to partake. Your current employer will obviously know that you didn't get your degree at a school, and, if you are contemplating changing jobs, you may want to take into consideration the recruiting aspects, the networking and the internship opportunities that you would forgo with an online program.

However, I will also admit that I am a bit "old school" (attended Booth before it was "high tech") - I am sure that online degrees will become more popular and I am sure you can make a good argument for why this type of learning situation worked best for you (flexibility, need to keep your job, ability to self-teach, desire for the information more than the experience, etc.).

Are the admissions standards also the same for the online and "real" program? I'd be curious how a school like Kelley approaches this and I am a bit surprised to hear that it isn't reflected on your transcript.

I am still a big proponenet of full-time, on-campus programs because of all the intangibles, but, you need to do what works for you!

Hi Jessica: I understand where you're coming from. And I agree that you do lose that ability to interact with peers and professors directly. As far as Kelley goes, the recruiting services are same for full time, part time, and online. They happen on certain days where grads almost finished with or finished with their programs can attend them. I don't understand what you mean by my current employer will know that I don't have a degree. I do have an undergrad degree which I completed full time from a local university. But if you're asking whether my employer called the institute and verified it, then no. From where I am from, they rarely ever do that, if ever.

Admission standards, referring to Kelley, are almost the same with the exception of an interview which is required for the full time program but not for the online program. Yes, I have double verified that it does not say 'distance' or 'online' anywhere on the transcript or the diploma.

I definitely do require both, the knowledge, as well as the degree itself to make some sort of meaningful move in my occupation.

Thank you for your feedback, and I'm open to anything else you might have to add. I will also be looking for advice on admissions essays for MBA programs very soon

Just to clarify my earlier statement (that your current employer would know), what I meant was that if you intend to stay in your current job but just want a promotion, your current boss will obviously know that you didn't leave to go to school full-time and that you did an online program instead. But, if you plan to look for new opportunties, this is a moot point. And, if the recruiting opportunties are open to all students equally then I guess you just want to go to the school that is located where you live! (I assume you wouldn't be able to travel to a far away campus for company presentations and on campus interviewing, etc.).

Again, good luck to you! I'd be curious to hear from other experts as to their opinions regarding online programs!