Articles

How Online MBA Degree Programs Work Around Student Schedules

2010-10-04

Colleges and universities offering MBA degree programs are getting in-step with flexible courseware aimed at the student who is working full time and is in mid-career. These online MBA schedules also appeal to students who want to be associated with a well-respected college and who can neither afford the tuition on site nor the requirement to relocate.

Online MBA degree programs are instigating a change in the way that universities manage students' needs and requirements by offering flexible MBA programs to students who are working full time, want to customize their instruction and are looking for a high-quality education experience that will allow them to advance in their jobs and in their individual professional fields.

Flexible MBA programs, sometimes called hybrid MBAs, are designed as practical education platforms from which to study real-world problems in an open and technology driven format. The vision of these programs is to use a highly qualified teaching team implementing an online work approach that includes case-studies, lectures, simulations and exercises.

Online MBA schedules var,y but can be weekend only with periodic visits for finals and reviews, or coursework that is completed online. Other flexible MBA programs are based on journal writing and the Oxford Tutorial Method where students are responsible for planning and executing their respective classroom materials and course work requirements.

Employers are becoming very savvy and involved in the continuing education of their employees. They are offering promotions based on the completion of specific coursework or the MBA as a whole. Many of these students are part time and their degree will take longer to complete, but they will be able to take classes on their own timeframe and be able to integrate their learning into the job in real time. They will also be able to spread out the costs of the degree over a longer period of time.

There is a downside to the flexible MBA. Aside from the time it will take to complete the MBA degree program, from two to seven years, some classes have a point-in-time when they will no longer count for credit and will need to be retaken. Also, some colleges may not accept online MBA credits to achieve the MBA diploma at an on-site MBA degree program. Finally, online courses don't lend themselves to social networking, which can be important when the student is looking for potential entrepreneurial partners and new business opportunities.

Many top-tiered schools that offer flexible MBAs insist the flexible MBA option provides the same training as a typical MBA program while expanding the school's reach and the student's capability to achieve academic excellence.