Online MBA programs – What to Consider?

The concept of online MBA programs have been around for a long time but there are some reservations on the part of certain major publications which are instrumental in awarding ranks to schools. For instance publications like World Report, Business Week and US News are not fully convinced of the worth of these online degrees. This is because the criteria used to rank the brick-and-mortar MBA teaching institutions cannot be used to rank online “institutions”.

In spite of all these “reservations”, most students prefer online MBA programs compared to the regular institutes. To these students, the reputation doesn’t mean much. They are looking for something which is convenient and is more affordable. However, in the search for something cheap and reasonable one must not compromise on the minimum quality that he or she is entitled to expect from the online programs. Here are a few points that he or she must consider:

• Affiliation of the school- The prospective student must know which agency is affiliated with the MBA program, the student is choosing. For instance, a student should look for the accreditation by AASCB, which is one of the best boards for accreditation. One way of deciding this, is to check if the school requires GMAT.
• Value- MBA programs are more affordable online. But it is not necessary, that every affordable discount is the proof of a great bargain. The online programs may cost $20,000 whereas the ones accredited by AASCB will be around $32000, since those require additional work for the faculty members.

• Recruiter’s View- Honestly, most hiring managers aren’t that crazy about people who pursue their MBA degrees online. However, times are changing now and people are hiring as long as the candidate has an MBA degree.