When 27-year-old Josh Eickmeier decided to pursue an MBA, he knew he had a few options: fully online, completely face-to-face or blended to combine the best of both worlds.
The Cleveland resident chose the latter, eventually enrolling in the part-time hybrid MBA program at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. Every two months, students attend “access weekends” at on-site locations throughout the U.S. to give them a chance to interact with classmates and faculty.
Eickmeier says he was, in part, attracted to the in-person networking opportunities.
“Even though I was looking for something flexible, it was important to me to get to know the people in my class,” says Eickmeier, a manager at McMaster-Carr, an industrial supply company.
Prospective MBA students might ultimately narrow their options to completely online and blended options. Experts say the ultimate decision often boils down to whether they want the total flexibility that an online-only education provides, or opportunities for face-to-face communication.
[Understand the various definitions of “hybrid” and “online” classes.]
“There’s no way that a purely online program could claim itself as being better — a better experience, a more robust education — than one with some on-campus experience,” says Dan Bauer, CEO and founder of The MBA Exchange, an admissions consulting firm. Students need to consider what benefits they will sacrifice by choosing one form of learning over the other, he says.
Prospective online learners should consider answering these questions when weighing their options, experts say.
1. Do you prefer face-to-face over virtual networking? A blended format allows for more direct networking opportunities and the ability to build connections in person, which many students prefer over strictly online interactions, says Philip Powell, associate dean at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, who works with online programs. Kelley offers a mostly online MBA with two one-week residency requirements on campus, and a more blended evening option.
Blended programs might also enable students to build more locally-focused networks given that many of those who enroll likely live somewhat close to campus, Powell says. This differs from online networking, which usually connects students on a national or even international scale.
“The deeper your local network, the easier it is to move across organizations in a certain area,” he says. “The return on a blended program or a part-time program in a metropolitan area is certainly larger than if the part-time program is located in a smaller city.”
[Explore networking tips for online MBA students.]
2. How much do you value in-person interaction? Some students simply prefer to learn at least some course material in person, experts say. For others, the flexibility of a fully online education can outweigh the face-to-face contact in a blended environment.
When looking at fully online programs, prospective students should understand the extent of student-to-student and student-to-faculty communication they will encounter, Bauer says. If these opportunities don’t exist, they might be better off learning in a blended setting, or selecting another online program.
3. Do you have the time and ability to travel for face-to-face requirements? Online students often juggle other obligations with their education, so they should decide whether they have the time required for the on-ground portion of a blended program, says Kate Barraclough, who heads the MBA program at Tepper.
She suggests they ask: “Do I have family or work commitments that would make that a challenge?”
Those who travel a lot, says Powell from the Kelley School of Business, might similarly prefer the flexibility of completely-online learning.
Kyle Richardson, who’s now completing his MBA fully online through the University of Saint Francis in Indiana — where he also works as an enrollment services specialist — says he simply couldn’t commit to traveling to a physical campus.
“It’s more of a: There’s a syllabus; you have to work through the syllabus and you have to meet deadlines, but it’s going to be at your own convenience,” he says of the online program. “If I want to be up at midnight working on my homework after I put my kids down, that’s fine.”
[Learn how to compare online and on-campus graduate programs.]
4. What percentage of the curriculum is online versus on ground? Blended programs vary in the duration and frequency of the on-campus component, Bauer says. Researching this information beforehand can help applicants determine the extent of the commitment.
For instance, in the blended weekend MBA program at Purdue University–West Lafayette’s Krannert School of Management, students go to class on campus for two Saturdays each month. Meanwhile, in the MBA@UNC online program at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, students must attend at least two immersions in the U.S. or overseas over the course of the program.
5. How else might a partially on-ground option benefit you? Experts say those considering blended MBA programs should also consider whether the in-person component will help them in ways other than networking.
Online MBA programs offer many opportunities to collaborate with classmates virtually — a skill that’s valued by employers — but blended programs allow students to build more “soft skills” when it comes to establishing effective relationships, Powell says.
Online learning requires “more comfort with virtual interaction,” Powell says. “That’s not for everybody.”
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Ask 5 Questions to Decide Between Online, Blended MBA Programs originally appeared on usnews.com
