Discover What Online Learning Entails
Prospective students aiming to change careers or move into a leadership role at a company might consider an online MBA for its flexibility. Business remains the most popular graduate discipline among online students, according to a 2016 survey by Aslanian Market Research and the Learning House.
Here are 10 things you are likely to encounter in an online MBA program.
1. Classmates From Various Industries
Because online MBA students often have diverse career goals, they typically come from many different industries — including business but also ranging from health care to medicine. That professional diversity can teach students to solve business problem in unique ways, Matt Bullion, an online MBA student at the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business, told U.S. News.
“Myself as a sales and marketing guy — I may have one way of approaching a problem,” he says. “But a medical doctor might come at it from a completely different perspective.”
2. Experienced Peers
On average, online MBA students in programs ranked by U.S. News have eight years of prior work experience, according to U.S. News data. That figure was lower for full-time MBA students who started in fall 2016, at four years.
“It is invaluable, especially when we do a lot of group work in these sessions, that the more experience you have, the more real life examples you can bring,” Monika Chandra, an online MBA student at the University of Maryland Smith School of Business, told U.S. News.
3. Broad Networking Opportunities
Those who pursue an MBA online often live and work across the country and worldwide, providing classmates with virtual and sometimes in-person networking opportunities on a national or international level. That’s different from on-ground MBA students, who typically live locally, experts say.
Nick Alaga, a California-based student in the online MBA program at the Syracuse University Whitman School of Management, told U.S. News that he connected with a classmate about a job opening on the East Coast, for example.
4. Face-to-Face Components
Some online MBA programs have in-person residencies, requiring students to travel to campus or another site. The Indiana University–Bloomington Kelley School of Business, for instance, has two on-ground requirements in Bloomington.
Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business also has regular “access weekends” on its main and satellite campuses for students in the blended program to network and meet the faculty. “They get to come together and be with their classmates — not just remotely, but actually sit down and study material together,” says Cindy McCauley, the program’s executive director.
5. Student Groups
Part of networking in online MBA programs might involve joining student clubs, groups and associations, which are often career-focused and require virtual communication. Experts say these can be limited to just online MBA students, or combine those who are online and on campus. Both have advantages.
For online students, Kelley has a business analytics association along with other groups, including one for entrepreneurship and venture capital. Some programs might also encourage students to become involved with professional business organizations.
6. Travel Opportunities
In some online MBA programs, students can travel overseas to meet and work with foreign business leaders. Students might spend months or weeks beforehand studying business trends in the country.
At ASU Online, students have visited the Airbus headquarters in France and the Nike headquarters in Vietnam, U.S. News reported in 2013. And at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School, students can sign up for immersions in cities that have included Mumbai and Istanbul.
7. Virtual Group Work
Similar to other disciplines, many online MBA programs have group assignments in at least some classes. These require students to interact virtually — either through chat or videoconferencing — to develop business plans and give presentations, experts say.
Bullion, the Graziadio student, completed a five-person team project in his corporate finance class on a publicly traded company’s free cash flows, he told U.S. News. “We really do get to know each other. I’ve made some great friends in this program already.”
8. Both Live and Self-Paced Learning
Similar to other disciplines, online MBA programs combine live and self-paced learning. The advantage, experts say, is not just the flexibility for students to complete work on their own time but also to understand the virtual business interactions that occur in today’s workplaces.
The live portion “fills that interactive need that we want to have in a formal learning environment, and allows for the debating and exchanging of ideas,” Scott Grady, an online MBA student at the Temple University Fox School of Business, told U.S. News. Fox students interact through WebEx videoconferencing software.
9. About Two Years’ Worth of Coursework
While the length of a ranked program varies depending on the school and student, it most commonly takes two years to earn an online MBA, U.S. News data show. At many accredited schools, the online MBA is the same degree as one on campus, so students should expect at least several hours of coursework each week.
“Don’t be fooled: The degree may be ‘part time’ or ‘online,’ but expect to match or surpass the level of effort required to complete comparable in-person coursework,” Aaron Heil, an online MBA graduate from Florida State University, said in an email.
10. Opportunities to Specialize
Some online MBA offerings allow students to specialize in a specific field within business to gain skills in particular areas — something that’s often desirable to online students seeking a career change or professional advancement. At FSU, for instance, online MBAs can pursue a specialization in real estate requiring nine credit hours of related electives.
But online students should ensure that their desired concentration is offered in the virtual format before enrolling. Fox, for example, offers 10 MBA specializations, but not all are offered online.
More About Online Education
Learn more about choosing and applying to online degree programs on our Online Learning Lessons blog, and check out the U.S. News 2017 Best Online MBA Programs rankings.
For additional tips and information, follow U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook.
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10 Things to Expect in an Online MBA Program originally appeared on usnews.com
