When you go off to study full time on an on-campus MBA, your departure marks a clear stage in your life – one day you’re your old self, the next you’re an MBA student. Your main pre-occupation from that day on will (or should be) studying. For many distance-learning students, the day they matriculate with the awarding body marks the first important stepping stone. There’s no physical ’setting off on a voyage’, just an emotional journey.

However, when you enrol on an online MBA, it’s likely that most people around you won’t even notice the event. The fact that you’ve put an MBA online program top of your agenda makes no difference to them, they’ll just expect you to carry on doing what you’ve always done. You’ll notice though and you’ll need to make some changes! Just how you deal with the necessary changes will depend very much on your circumstances and, in particular, on your relationships with the people around you. Just how much you reveal of your plans should be your decision and yours alone. You may be treading gently to see if you can handle a particular programme or if you like it – before telling the world. It’s important to think out carefully what you tell to whom. Joan Watson, in an earlier book, outlined the following approaches you may take when spreading the word:

STRONG AND SILENT

Get on with things secretly. It will certainly help, the fact that you’re undertaking an MBA correspondence course, there’s only the textbooks, MP3 lectures, etc, which will pop through the door. You’ll just need to find a dark place to study and hide away there. With this approach, you’ll simply leave everyone to guess what’s going on – and they will guess all sorts of things! This is a great approach if you really are the strong and silent type. Can you really carry the load of extra pressure and not look for someone to share it with?

CONFESSIONAL

This is the open approach. You’ll tell everyone everything. It’s a fine course of action if you’re a really self-confident person and can handle whatever happens on your course. Do remember that not everyone is as understanding when it comes to understanding other people’s decisions and actions so be cautious. If you do feel uncertain that you will stay the course, tell those around you of your fears, it’s great to share the uncertainty. Then, once they’re in the know, enlist their help, with schedules, with clearing time for your work generally, making it possible for you to study.

DANCE OF THE SEVEN VEILS

Reveal as much as you wish, when you wish. Stay in control. This selective approach will allow you to tell who you wish and, when it suits you. Do remember that you don’t have a duty to tell everyone everything but you will need to rely on the discretion of those you do tell if the selective policy is the one you choose. ‘They’ could, indeed, find out about your study when you invite them to your graduation ceremony!

LOOK FOR A FLEXIBLE COURSE

The more flexible the course you undertake, the better able you will be to integrate it smoothly into your everyday life as e-learning becomes available when you turn it on and waits for you after you’ve turned it off. There is a number of questions which you could well ask about the course you propose to undertake:

Can I start when I wish?
Can I take a break from study and resume at any time?
Are there examinations which I have to attend?
Is there a rigid timetable for assessments?
Do I have to undertake periods of study on-campus, weekends or summer schools or whatever?

All online MBA’s advertise their flexibilities but many are surprisingly inflexible. They may  offer an online distance MBA but still have regular starting dates, for example. You need to ask whether   the start date signal the start of the treadmill – once on and there’s no getting off? In part the inflexibilities come from a fixation with the old ways of doing things and a desire to make online offerings as similar as possible to the on-campus variety. From very early on enormous efforts have been made to create virtual classrooms from which a single tutor can deliver a live presentation to a dispersed class. However, when that class is dispersed all over the globe and working and sleeping different hours, the single delivery becomes a burdensome chore for many students. The net result is no different from the days when you had to sit in a crowded lecture theatre or attend seminars on set days at set times.

The act of getting students together in a group for a summer school is a great motivator as they interact and learn from one another but, once again the nature of global education mitigates against this.

THE JUMP ON, JUMP OFF MODEL

When away at college, courses progress at their own steady pace. However, when mixing everyday life with a distance learning MBA, crises will arise from time to time. When this happens, you will need to be able to jump off for a week or two, or even longer and to be safe in the knowledge that the structure of the course allows you to do this with out any penalty and that it is prepared to make allowances when you return. Check this possibility out before you sign up. Even though you’re motivated and happy to work hard on your online MBA, it’s important to take a break every now and then. Just as with a full-time job, an evening off now and then, a weekend off or even a larger period away will enable you to recharge your batteries. Take care, though, to plan your breaks. Make them just as much a part of your study plan as reading the recommended text. Importantly, use them as part of the process of maintaining your family or social life through the period of heavy study. With a really-flexible MBA, you should have your professors on tap all the time and a faculty which is available at the other end of the internet. Remember that the best college MBA for you is unlikely to be Number 1 in any survey. It’s your personal circumstances which matter and not the ones chosen by some hot-shot journalist writing for the Financial Times or the Wall street Journal!

YES, YOU CAN INTEGRATE STUDY WITH NORMAL LIVING

Indeed it is possible to take on a distance learning MBA and to continue with a version of the life which you led before. The new educational opportunities available in the online world are indeed breaking down the rigid old patterns of study. However, before you do set off on your new distance learning MBA, you will need to think about those around you and the extent to which you will confide in them, consult them and, even integrate them into your study. You will also need to spend some time looking closely at the college MBA online courses which you are considering in order to find the one which best matches your circumstances.

Best Wishes with Your Study,

Rhiannon

Keywords

mba online program top, MBA correspondence course, Online MBA, online distance MBA, college MBA online, distance learning MBA, best college MBA

Online MBA (or on-line MBA) is a term which is now used in a very general sense. Chances are, it’s not all online and really is a distance learning MBA. The term distance learning MBA is probably the clearest of them all as it simply refers to an online MBA studied at a distance. Historically, the term correspondence MBA was the first to appear. The correspondence in question was the good old pen and paper and the delivery by post. Despite its age, the term correspondence MBA  is still around, even though e-learning now offers its enormous range of new educational opportunities. So, there’s many a search done on the internet for the terms correspondence and MBA and the courses revealed by this search are all pretty-standard online MBA programs so, for the term MBA Correspondence Course, you may safely read Online MBA program. Or College MBA Online.

The truth of the matter is that, in reality, most online MBA courses are distance learning MBA’s which feature a considerable measure of blended learning. MBA’s are, by their very nature, broad in scope and the term blended learning MBA reflects this as it refers to a variety of different media being used to deliver teaching materials. These are then blended together to create the online MBA, the chances being that most online MBA’s, distance learning MBA’s, correspondence MBA’s are really blended-learning MBA’s.

Possibly without being aware, you will be searching to find a blended learning MBA when you look at the delivery mechanisms of an online MBA. You will be checking that some materials will be delivered over the internet – that gets you going straight off, that some content will be delivered in conventional textbooks – they are easy to cart around and read in trains or in bed and that some may be delivered as audio, MP3’s or CD’s – it’s reassuring to hear a human voice!

…and the blending. Some courses set out to create blended learning by integrating e-learning materials while others will leave it to you to carry out this task. Whether or not they do it overtly, the final blended learning process has to take place in your head, no-one else can do it for you!

You will find many other terms in your searches, such as Executive MBA, Professional MBA  and Accredited MBA. The first of these refers not so much to the delivery or pedagogy as to the target audience. While it may sound pretty grand, the term executive MBA refers to an online MBA or distance learning MBA who’s main student body is working in some management role. So, for Executive MBA, you can read online MBA (or distance learning MBA) which is targeted at students who are employed in some management position.

The term Professional MBA is also a targeting term and is often used to refer to an MBA program which is targeted at a particular profession, such as a Marketing MBA whose target is people who wish to specialize in marketing. Such MBA’s are really second-generation MBA’s as they are moving from the original pedagogical aims of the MBA. In its original form, the MBA was envisaged as a generalist degree which equipped people for one of the top jobs in industry and commerce, where a broad, holistic understanding of management was essential.

The third term, Accredited MBA simply refers to the external recognition which has been granted to that online MBA. You will need to delve into your proposed course to ensure that the online MBA course or distance learning MBA upon which you embark is also an accredited online MBA program.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME…

So, Online MBA Degree Program, On-line MBA, Distance Learning MBA, Correspondence MBA, Accredited online MBA program –  is the use of all these terms any more than a semantic nuances? Does the description used really matter?

Probably it doesn’t! However, what the names should do is to alert you to the nuances of the online MBA world. So, get corresponding, get online, blend that learning and become a top, accredited MBA executive.

Best Wishes
Rhiannon

Keywords:

Online MBA program,  Professional MBA, Executive MBA,  Accredited online MBA program, distance learning MBA degree,  mba correspondence course, college MBA online

The most-important questions about an online university MBA are related to its value compared to its traditional on-campus counterpart and, from the student’s point of view, to the differences between the specifically-created online/distance-learning MBA’a and those online MBA’s which are now offered by the campus-owning universities in order to keep up with the trend.

Online University MBA Versus On-Campus university MBA

Employers in the past have looked for the pedigree of your MBA and, to some extent, still do so today. There’s no doubt that, in the USA, the Ivy league score highest in the credibility stakes while, in the UK, the ‘Old’ universities have their cachet. They have been offering post-graduate qualifications for a long time and their masters degrees, including the MBA, have been highly rated. …and this in spite of the fact that the term ‘masters’ is given to bachelor degree holders who simply survive for two years after their bachelor graduation! These universities have their faculties full of Nobel Laureates, Business schools financed by rich alumni or from large Japanese corporations or from Middle East oil. Their graduation ceremonies resemble a Hollywood take on a mythical European past and their buildings are – well - ivy-leafed!

Their position must have felt unassailable in the past, after all, they had faculties which boasted major in all the academic fields and a roll-call of professors which read like a who’s who of business and management publishing. At the end of a course, their fine graduation ceremonies left their graduands feeling that they the world owed them an equally fine living. However, at best, they could only deal with a relatively small population and this was, almost inevitably, to be made up from those who could rustle up the enormous fees.

However, as new technologies emerged on the scene, along, to some extent, with a new social conscience, new ways of delivering educational opportunity arose. In the UK, socialist Prime Minister Harold Wilson spoke in the 1960’s of the ‘white heat of technology’, reflecting a view that technology would solve all ills. He believed that an ‘open university’ which was open to all could utilise the new technologies and deliver education to anywhere in the UK. This university would be free from the constraints of the ‘old’ universities, not require their massive campuses and need no elaborate lecture theatres. Above all, he believed that its qualifications should be on a par with any of its traditional compatriots and that their should be no question of anyone questioning its accreditation.

Jennie Lee, the then minister in the UK Government’s department of Education and Science, who oversaw its creation, was clear in her mind that it had to be ‘a university with no concessions’. Its authority, hence its accreditation, devolved directly from the government. It was, indeed, a bold move as it set out to remove the stigma of a correspondence degree and its distance-learning degrees – including, ere long, a distance-learning MBA - would be equal to any. Indeed, at the time of writing this some 40 years later, The Open University (OU) ranked number 1 for student satisfaction and number 5 for teaching quality – and that’s against ALL the UK’s universities and not just the onliner’s! It remains a leading UK MBA University.

Online University MBA or Online University MBA?

So there’s nothing wrong with an online MBA but the question remains about the difference between the offerings from the old institutions and those from the newcomers.

When the old-established universities regognised the competition from the new players in the field, they designed their own online offerings. In general, the academic content of these was modelled upon existing courses and set out to mimic these as much as possible. Some organisations spent enormous sums on interactive classrooms which could deliver lectures online to their student body and set up all manner of communications mechanisms to keep in touch with students. Many of these initiatives introduced inflexibilities into the system, replicating the inflexibilities of their former campus offerings where students were corralled into a lecture room or lecture theatre on a campus on a set time at a set day.

However, their MBA’s were online University MBA’s and carried the credibility of the institution with them – there were, therefore no questions to be raised about the accreditation of their courses. Their content was accepted and mimicked that which had been offered over the years. In contrast, the online university MBA’s were different. While their content recognised the traditional role of an MBA as a generalist masters degree, it also recognised the new opportunities offered by the new delivery media. Material could be delivered anywhere, instantly, at any time and the internet became the new educational highway. Their pedagogy no longer mimicked the old – it was based upon a new educational paradigm. The best of the online MBA offerings recognised the new model of delivery and tailored both the material and its mode of presentation to suit.

The more-adventurous institutions saw beyond the old bachelors-masters progression route and began to offer a way into the MBA for the deserving but less-qualified student. They extended their new model to create a range of pre-MBA, Starter MBA and Foundation MBA’s which fed seamlessly into post-graduate level courses.

The organisations offering these MBA’s and feeders are often not ‘universities’ in the traditional sense but colleges which are accredited to a level which allows them to create, offer and assess masters-level qualifications. In many cases and, for many reasons, some choose not to describe themselves as universities as they are sufficiently confident of the quality of their offerings not to need to hide behind a name and they term what they offer as a college mba online. What concerns them is that their accrediting body is satisfied with their performance – and continues to remain so. What they offer remains a distance learning mba degree but as they are accredited, the term accredited online program fits them admirably. For this reason, the term online university MBA misrepresents their offering but acknowledges that its quality is not in question and that the final qualification has academic parity with that from a university.

In forging their new MBA’s the colleges/universities created a totally-new entity – the online MBA, different from the earlier form – the on-campus MBA but equally valid in all ways. Gradually, recruiters are beginning to recognise the validity of the new form and the starting salaries of MBA graduates are staring to reflect this. There’s really no question – the Online MBA is here to stay!

Get Looking for Your Today,

Best Wishes,

Rhiannon

Keywords:

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Although both dedicated to the same academic purpose of getting you an MBA, the distance learning MBA and the on-campus MBA are really chalk and cheese – they couldn’t be more different! There are really some six areas which might concern you when attempting to make the choice:

Academic
Social
Workload
Financial
Learning Style

THE ACADEMIC QUESTION

Both MBA routes should have some form of academic support mechanisms in place but these will be markedly different in style. Only you will know what suits you best but if you do really, really need face-to-face support, it’s likely to be comprehensively available only on campus. Whether you value peer-group support from other students is another matter to consider but, as you don’t know how much – or how little – support to expect, it’s a bit of a hypothetical scenario anyway. When on campus, you will have a yardstick with which to measure yourself in the fellow members of your student cohort. In lectures and particularly in seminars, you will be able, not only to observe how well they do but to learn from them and their mistakes. In the online learning environment, you will need to look principally to the online faculty for help and guidance and you must set out to check how much of this assistance is available before enrolling. While doing the distance-learning MBA, you would also be maintaining contact your old friends and you know already what support they could offer. Your faculty, however will remain the main port of call and this will be available, online or on-disc – at your beck and call – a professor at the flick of a switch – that’s the beauty and power of e-learning!

A further academic question revolves around the type of institution which provides the degree. Do you really need to go for an MBA online university program or is a college MBA online adequate. Truth to tell, the name really does matter a deal all that does matter is that you embark upon an accredited online mba program. It’s the accreditation which removes the risk of a current or potential employer failing to value your hard-earned MBA.

SOCIAL RISK

To many on-campus MBA students, the idea of meeting many other new students and making new friends is a big attraction. Equally to the distance-learning MBA student, the idea of keeping one’s old friends and maintaining their social life can be equally rewarding. Certainly, the disruption to social life is likely to be much less in the case of the distance-learning MBA student but some would see this a being more than balanced out by the thrill of the prospective new social life. Only you can guess how you would feel.

RISK OF WORK OVERLOAD

All study involves a measure of pressure! Along with this goes the risk – and fear – of not coping. Most educational institutions would have some form of safety valve to blow off when things get too tough. The key question is how well do you cope with pressure? In terms of commitment, the distance-learning MBA may offer the greater facility for temporary opt outs, along with the opportunity to resume your studies at a later date. You do need to look for this type of flexibility in the course you choose and to make sure that there is an opt-in/out facility which will allow you to take a short break when it suits you.

FINANCIAL

Of all the risks, this is the one which can be best-expressed on paper. You can set up your spreadsheet and do your own sums. However, it’s not always easy to find out the true cost of a distance-learning or online MBA. Many of the large institutions charge by credit hour and then add a ‘Registrar’s Fee’, a few pounds, dollars or Euros for this and a few for that. It’s the way they have sorted out their costings and have decided to charge the same way. There’s nothing underhand in it, it’s just their bureaucracy grinding away. One very large online provider charges for postage and very many charge for resit examinations, should these be necessary. If you’re going to get out your spreadsheet and do a good job, you’ll need to delve deep into the distance-learning MBA supplier’s literature/web site and look for potential hidden costs.

Perhaps one of the greatest financial risks arises if you don’t like the course upon which you enrol. Can you get your money back? This is probably one the best reasons for looking for the ability to pay by instalments. If the worst comes to the worst, you can always cut your losses.

LEARNING STYLE

We all have different learning styles, for whatever reason, and will learn best when we are able to match the materials to our needs as learners. There are dozens of different ideas on what learning styles exist but they basically end up using the following basic styles:

Visual Learning – learning by seeing
Auditory Learning – learning by hearing
Reading/Writing – learning by processing the written word, i.e., reading and writing
Kinesthetic learning – learning by doing

There’s may a test on the internet which a search on ‘learning style’ will locate but be wary of paying too much attention to any diagnosis which says ‘this is how you will learn best’. The idea of learning styles IS important, I’m not arguing to the contrary but most of us are multi-modal when it comes to learning styles. This means that we benefit from a mixture of delivery patterns and that some materials are better presented to us one way and others another. Human beings are pretty fluid creatures. Exposure to a new medium might well change your perception on learning and open new doors to understanding.

WHAT’S THE RISK THEN?

We are often told when trying to assess risk, that getting out of bed in a morning is a risky business. In the same way, taking on a new course of study can be risky. How high the risk features in the making of the decision on which course to enrol on will depend upon your nature – are you a risk taker or a risk avoider. Whichever you are you should seek to evaluate the risk and to make sure that it lies within the bounds of risk which you are prepared to take. It can be done! There’s a low-risk, online MBA waiting out there for you!

Happy Course Hunting,

Rhiannon

Keywords:

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In the conventional world of the MBA, there’s no alternative to a bachelor’s degree so what can you do if you don’t have one? Only one answer really – think unconventionally! This could involve two approaches:

Look for an online mba program which doesn’t insist on a bachelor’s degree as a pre-requisite
Look for an alternative qualification of equal status to a bachelor’s degree

FINDING AN ONLINE MBA PROGRAM WITH A REDUCED ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Well, there’s no harm in trying! The problem which you face is that the final qualification, the MBA, if it is to be of any value, will need to be of an adequate academic standard. This will require that any study at this level will need to be underpinned by earlier work of an appropriate standard. The MBA’s which allow study to be started from a lower level are likely to be shaky and, in the worst case, to be offered by the so-called diploma mills. You need to ensure that you find an accredited online MBA Program.

LOOKING FOR A NON-BACHELOR QUALIFICATION OF EQUAL STATUS TO A GRADUATE DEGREE

This too has proved difficult in the past as the bachelor’s degree has been around so long that it has acquired its unique position in the educational hierarchy. It has fought off all attempts to from upstart qualifications and remains as a marker qualification in higher education.

Fortunately, the position is beginning to change and it’s now possible to begin to equate different qualifications with a view to transferring credits from one to another. In the UK and Ireland, transfers are are facilitated by the adoption of a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which enables different courses of study to be compared and enables one course of study to provide entry to another. The framework is illustrated on this page. Even though this framework specifically refers to the UK and Ireland, it is integrated with the internationally-negotiated Bologna Process and is, therefore, internationally recognised and should provide some measure of entry to an MBA in a flexible organisation. Also, because many of the qualifications on this list are available online, the routes may be utilised globally via the internet and available to anyone, providing an academic progression way past the MBA.

VOCATIONAL OR ACADEMIC – THE GREAT DIVIDE

In many countries, vocational and academic courses sit uneasily together. This is doubly unfortunate for those who have to take the vocational route as this has both forced them to undertake courses which have had poor academic credibility and then to face the dead-end when their course has had no upward mobility and does not lead to a higher qualification.

Personally, I love the document cited above as virtually all stages, from Level 1 upwards can be studied by distance learning  and, hence, studied anywhere. This throws open the route to an accredited online MBA program to anyone,

The qualifications which were once referred to rather disparagingly as ‘vocational’ can now be related to the ‘pure academic’ and crossing points from one ‘branch of education’ to the other can be  defined.

THE QUALIFICATIONS THEMSELVES

The chart referred to above details the reference levels for four different notation systems, all of which utilise their own descriptors, either 1-12 or C to D. I’ve chosen to use those in the red column, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and to refer to the levels 1-8.

There are four groups of qualifications which can lead towards entry to a Level 7 (Master’s Level, MBA, etc.) qualification. These provide entry points to study at school-leaver (Level 1), advanced school-leaving qualifications (Level 2), the holder of post school (further education) qualifications (Level 3) and the Associate/Foundation degree holder (Level 4). Many of these qualifications are offered by the international-recognised accreditation body Edexcel which is recognised by and accredited by the British Government.

FOR THE SCHOOL LEAVER

The school leaver who wishes to pursue studies in business and management has the task of developing appropriate study and presentation skills in addition to obtaining a background in the subject. This may be done within the context of an Edexcel Certificate in Management (CIM) or equivalent. As this is a Level 1 entry qualification, it is available to pretty-well anyone and provides a valuable ‘foot-on-the-ladder’ course. Once the student has completed the CIM, they will be eligible to enrol on a Certificate in Management Studies course.
FOR THE ADVANCED SCHOOL LEAVER

Students who have left school with some advanced leaving qualification may be eligible to start on a more-advanced course, such as a Certificate in Management Studies. This too is offered by colleges accredited by Edexcel.

FOR THE HOLDER OF AN ASSOCIATE/FOUNDATION DEGREE

These students will be eligible to enrol on an Advanced Diploma in Management Studies (APDMS) and this will provide them with the necessary qualification for entry to an MBA. This latter qualification is a UK Level 7 qualification and is, therefore, equivalent to an MBA academically. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the cachet of an MBA!  However, if you put an MBA online program top of your agenda, you may use an APDMS as a stepping stone onto an online MBA. One of the beauties of this route is that many of the Edexcel qualifications are assessed by coursework only and are, hence, that bit more flexible and that, once you have studies up to APDMS level, you should find the MBA a breeze!

SPECIALISED ACCESS AND FOUNDATION COURSES

There is, of course, a danger in enrolling on one of these intermediate management qualifications, this being that, having attained one, the MBA of your choice will not accept it as an adequate entry qualification. An alternative is offered by several colleges which have created intermediate-level courses which are designed specifically to provide access to an accredited online MBA Course. These are variously referred to as Starter-MBA, pre-MBA or Foundation MBA courses.

MORE INFORMATION

There’s a lot more on the CMS, APDMS and starter MBA, pre-MBA, Foundation MBA courses on Philippa Kilburn’s Site - Online MBA Site.

SO CAN YOU FIND A ROUTE TO AN ACCREDITED ONLINE MBA?

Indeed, there are routes to an online MBA from where you are now but you will still need to be cautious when contemplating one of these unconventional routes. Even though the courses you take are of an appropriate level, not everyone will accept them for entry onto their MBA programmes. When you take the unconventional route, you must seek what reassurance you can that your qualification will lead you to where you wish to go.

Happy Studying,

Rhiannon

Keyword Phrases:

online mba, pre mba, accredited online mba, mba online program top, APDMS MBA

Like all other questions involving careers and education, the question ‘How do I choose an online MBA’ has only one answer – ‘it depends’. Yes, it depends upon where you are in your career, your education, how independent you are in your studying habits, etc., etc. It also depends on your financial situation and, possibly most importantly on your family circumstances.

SETTING YOUR SIGHTS

There’s no harm in aiming for the best! No harm perhaps but there could be some heartache! Those colleges in the top 10, 50, 100 globally know it – and they strike a hard bargain. They didn’t get where they are by taking risks. They’re not in the business of giving anyone a break! If you’ve got top grades and a wad of cash in your purse or wallet, have a stab. It still won’t be easy, though, with entrance essays and – oh yes, there’s one other hurdle. One of the criteria upon which these business schools are ranked is the salaries earned by their students once they’ve completed their MBA Online. They know that, if they recruit students who already enjoy a great salary before they start, they’ll have a bunch of alumni who can command a handsome salary when they leave. So, I’m not too sure that they’re in the market of giving you a chance if you’re not already a good earner!

So, is the next tier of institutions second best? Does your MBA have to be with an online University MBA? Certainly not! If you’re doing an MBA online program by distance learning, then it’s the quality of the materials and tuition which you receive which matters and nothing to do with the age of the institution or its buildings. Just because it might be titled College MBA Online it doesn’t mean that you won’t have a faculty and a bunch of professors available, they’re the one’s who’ve written all the course materials and will then assess your work. You may have to delve a little to find out just what you’ll get for your money and how this will benefit your studies.

You should also endeavour to find out what human intervention there is in the online process. Check out if you get feedback on your assignments and what happens if you run into trouble with one of these? At the end of the day, you need to know that there is a human being out there giving you and your work some attention. Do be aware, though, that all colleges, universities and even business schools differ enormously and it’s up to you to ensure that you get the info you need to make the right choice!

BEWARE THE DIPLOMA MILLS

You’ve no doubt been offered a ‘life-experience’ degree for a few hundred dollars and a few day’s wait. It doesn’t take much intelligence to work out that anything which these people offer is bogus - so stay away. These places will just supply you with a fancy certificate for your money and it would actually be much cheaper to print your own!

HOW IMPORTANT IS ACCREDITATION?

Clearly, you will want to know that the college which you choose is accredited in some way and that the course you undertake is actually an accredited online program. In the USA, this is signalled by recognition from one of the regional accrediting bodies or one of the specialised bodies dealing with the smaller private colleges. The college’s web site should have a section which tells you about its accreditation.

NO GMAT®? DON’T STOP LOOKING!

The established US colleges use the GMAT® examination as a measure of the quality of applicants and the use of this has now spread outside of the USA. However, there is a considerable number of institutions which are prepared to put in the effort with students, either to diagnose their quality before acceptance or to work with them once enrolled, to bring them up to standard. The message is, if you don’t have conventional qualifications, don’t look to follow the conventional route.

START TODAY – or START STARTING TODAY?

If you’ve got a good bachelor’s degree and all the requirements, then this question has no relevance to you. However, many students find themselves in the situation where they have sufficient qualifications to get onto an online MBA but insufficient to get onto the one which they really fancy. The question then becomes relevant – do they start today on an online MBA which they feel does not fully meet their desired aim or do they set out to improve their qualifications in order to get a place upon their ideal course. My answer to this question is always simple – start your online distance MBA today. You may study for an extra year or so to improve your grades but a) there’s no guarantee that you will achieve the improvement which you are seeking and b) there’s no guarantee of a place on the course, even with the better grades. So you’d probably be better to go with a fully-accredited foundation or pre-MBA course which is globally recognised. Just remember the old saying – an MBA in the hand is worth two in the bush – or something like that.

Choose Carefully – and Start Today

The message is then

There is a course out there for you
There’s plenty of choice
Create yourself a checklist and use it diligently
Be realistic about what’s within your grasp
Start today!

Happy Hunting

Rhiannon
Keywords

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