Saturday, June 20, 2009

Rating The Distance MBA

It’s been a couple years since I posted my ranking of the Top 25 Online MBA Schools, so I am having another look at business schools which offer the Online MBA, where most or all of the coursework necessary to earn a Masters degree in Business Administration. That is, now that I have completed my MBA from the University of Houston at Victoria, I am looking at the degree from the other side of the road and considering what it means to earn an MBA, to earn an online MBA, what sort of path should be chosen for different career conditions, and if you do decide to go after an online MBA, which schools are the best choice.

Not everyone should pursue an MBA, and not everyone who should earn an MBA will find the online course the best path to success. There are basically three ways to earn an MBA; full-time, part-time, or online. If your goal in life is to become the CEO or COO or a Fortune 500 corporation, a lot of people will tell you that you need to graduate from a top school, which in the case of the MBA means attending a prestigious and expensive school with a huge reputation, and you have to do it as a full-time student. Of course, doing so is no guarantee that you will win that much-desired CEO spot; work out the statistics and you will find that well over 90 percent of graduates of even the most prestigious business schools never end up as CEOs of major corporations. Have a look at the people in those roles and you will not only find people who did not go to the “top” schools, but some who never earned an MBA and a few who never even earned a college degree at all (you can do that if you found and build your own successful company). On the other hand, most top executives do earn MBAs, and most of them go to well-known universities as full-time students. So if you put in the time and expense to get accepted to a prestigious school as a full-time student, work yourself silly getting top grades, you should expect to have the best prospects in general of all the MBA graduates. That is, if you have the means to get into a top school, if you can afford to go to school full-time and not have to raise a family or work full-time, if you’re still in your early twenties, and if the economy doesn’t make that student loan a killer six months after you graduate. For a lot of working people, one or more of those conditions is not feasible. And for those people, other options need to be considered. If you’re not going to Harvard or the Wharton School or something along those lines, all you really need from your school is a name that will be recognizable, an education worth the time and money you put into it, and a whole lot of work on your part. In my case, I decided to go after the MBA when I was 45, with a family and a full-time job in management. The only possible way I could do it would be to get an online degree. That’s how I chose the University of Houston at Victoria.

UHV is part of the University of Houston system (duh), but not all UH campuses are created equal. Short version, the main campus and Downtown campus have all the students they want, so there is no pressure for those schools to offer online classes. The Victoria campus is another story; it’s far enough out there that the online students make a significant difference in the enrollment size and the school wanted the best faculty they could get, which could only be justified by having a decent number of students. Two things besides the convenience of UHV’s classes I liked were the low tuition and the AACSB accreditation of UHV. The school name is no embarrassment, and I earned my MBA without going into debt.

Now, I have to mention something very important about an online MBA. If the school is any good, the MBA will be just as hard to earn online as it would be any other way. While you can turn in assignments and go to the online library whenever you want, you still have deadlines, the standards and grade requirements are the same as face-to-face classes, and the participation is much stricter than face-to-face. After all, in a face-to-face class you can sometimes hide out in the back and avoid discussions when you are not prepared, but in an online class every comment you make (or the lack of meaningful discussion) is on the record, and a professor can easily tally up just how much you really did to advance the discussion. Also, professors talk with each other, and online students who are exceptionally good or bad will be known to the faculty just as well as those who attend class in person.

The online MBA, then, is for the most part the same as any other MBA, except that you will have to be organized and self-motivated to get the work done, the school will in most cases be a more common public school (most accredited private schools do not offer online degrees) which means your results will depend more on your resume and personal work history than how glamorous your school name is, and if you have planned it right you can get your MBA without a nervous breakdown or a second mortgage. In my opinion, the online MBA will become more popular and common as it works out well for students, universities, and businesses.

The next article on this topic will examine the AACSB-accredited business schools which offer online MBAs, and the 2009 ranking of the Top 25 schools for an Online MBA.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

whats the UHV mba program cost for texas residents.

In how many years did you complete the program.

Sam

DJ Drummond said...

Thanks Sam. I started at UHV in the Fall of 2006, but missed a semester treating my cancer. So it took me seven semesters of work to make it through seventeen courses. You should be aware that the capstone course is a lot more time-consuming than other courses and so you should not take more than two courses that semester if you want to do well. At present tuition rates, the tuition and fees minimum for Texas residents to earn an MBA at UHV would be $12,464 (the specific amount depends on how many hours a semester you are takng). Figure on about $2,400 for books and supplemental material, so a Texas resident can get an MBA at UHV for around $14,900. Loans, grants, and scholarships can cut that down, though at the graduate level there are not many grants and scholarships available, from my experience. Non-Texans would pay about $28,000 for tuition, fees, books, and supplies for an MBA at UHV. My review of online MBA schools will include the resident and non-resident tuition and fees for comparison.

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot.
Appreciate your quick response.

After doing some research..i finally narrowed it down to three schools

1. UHV - Strategic MBA
2. University of Nebraska -Lincoln Distance MBA program (costs around 20 K)
3. UH - Main campus - Part time MBA
( costs around 32 K)

I am still thinking which one to choose( most likely UHV..its the best value for Money..but i like class room experience...the discussions with your class mets..i may miss it..if i opt for this program)

I read all yours posts on your UHV MBA experience.

By the way..what do you have on your Diploma/Transcripts .. "STRATEGIC MBA" or "MBA"
Thanks
Sam

DJ Drummond said...

Heh, don't know yet Sam. The diploma arrives "four to six weeks" after graduation. The transcript, though, reads as follows:

Degree: Master of Business Administration
Confer Date: 2009-05-15
Degree GPA: 3.941
Plan: Business Administration
Sub-Plan: Accounting

Sure looks nice on that transcript (I printed mine out to see what I still need for the CPA educational qualifications).

Have a look at my ratings for the top 25 schools, but make sure you know all their requirements. I almost went to Colorado State until I found out they had a residency requirement that also applied to online students (minimum 2 weeks per year on-campus).

Good luck and thanks for reading!

Anonymous said...

Ok..I looked at your top 25 Programs.

I hope..the UHV Diploma doesnt have the word "ONLINE" on it.

UT diploma seems to have the word "online MBA" instead of MBA. I came to know about this from their FAQ page.

If i want to take a mix of online versus Face-to-Face classes..i think UHV is a better choice for me ..since i am in Houston area.


Did you enroll in any Face-to-Face class that are offered in either sugarland or the Katy campus.

I would like to take a couple of Face to Face classes whenever possible and mix it with some online classes. In that way..i will get the best of both.

I dont know..how easy it will be to do that.

I may have to talk to Admissions Advisor and find out.

by the way..I did my Masters in CS from UH main campus 3 years ago.I have been working full time since then.

Thanks
Sam

Anonymous said...

Thanks very much for this genuine and very helpful article.

Unknown said...

What is teh difference between the Global MBA and the Strategic anyways?

DJ Drummond said...

Updating ... the degree on my wall reads "Master of Business Administration", there is no reference to "online" anywhere.

The difference between the Strategic and the Global MBA, Justin, is that the Global MBA is intended for international business and includes a trip to a foreign country for 2-4 weeks. The Strategic MBA is for more nominal studies.

Anonymous said...

Could you explain a little more on this please - global vs. strategic. You would have more insider info about this. What does it really mean to be, by having a global vs strategic MBA? what effect either one will have on the job search and what one should keep in mind before deciding which path to take? How do they distinct full time vs. part time students? is it by the number of courses you take each semester? how many courses do you recommend a working professional to take each semester? Your reply could really help me frame my decisions. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I am a bookkeeper working for a CPA firm. I am thinking of joining this program. Do companies listed in their website hire the candidates who have completed this program (or even while they are on the course) or does this program only benefits candidates who are already working with those companies who are seeking advancement within their departments? Mainly my idea in doing this course is to get a job with a good company...will this work? any thoughts shared will be appreciated...

Unknown said...

I have been visiting various blogs for my MBA assignment research. I have found your blog to be quite useful. Keep updating your blog with valuable information... Regards

Katie said...

This is all really good insight into deciding if earning an MBA through a distance MBA program is right for you. I'm fortunate that my employer offers help with MBA programs so I'm looking at multiple schools. Right now Thunderbird's distance MBA program is at the top of my list. I'll definitely take what you said about the process of classes and teachers into consideration- thanks!

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Unknown said...

It would be interesting to see how the universities are rated for their online MBA or one-year MBA as compared to the full-time MBA although I think the ratings would not be that different.

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