As I said in this thread, I’m going to start applying to business schools after I take the GMAT in October. While I could possibly make it work by going part-time to Arizona State’s campus, taking the classes online is appealing to me. My wife and I want to get out of Arizona ASAP, and the online option just gives so much more flexibility that I can’t help but be attracted to it.
I would never enroll at a “school” like University of Phoenix or Davenport University for this. I want the school to have some cachet and name recognition. So, while I’m looking at online schools, I’m also trying to stick to schools that are highly ranked by both U.S. News and the Princeton Review. Specifically, Arizona State, Washington State, Indiana University, and University of Georgia all have online MBA programs.What’s the downside of earning a degree this way? Is the missed face-to-face networking going to seriously affect my ability to get a job afterwards?
Also, as a related question, is it dumb to do this while I’m still teaching? Can I go from teaching to business without problems? Or will companies refuse to interview me since I’ll have been teaching for six years by the time I finish an MBA?
As background, I am a current Masters student in a classroom program. I get a lot of value from the in-classroom interaction between all of the students and the teacher. Books, I have zero problem reading; papers, likewise, no problem writing. The best online program just doesn’t seem to me that it can give the same feel to being in the classroom and hearing in real time all the questions and comments from students and the professors, particularly where one thought sparks something from someone else, etc., etc.
And let’s not forget that a big part of the value of any advanced degree, perhaps especially an MBA, is meeting people and forming a network.
For my money, the classroom experience is worth it.
For 90% of degrees I’d imagine that an online version would be perfectly adequate. MBAs fall in that 10% where the online version would be vastly inferior. MBAs are very interactive, the interpersonal aspect is critical as is the nuance of case studies and discussions that would never be replicated online and never be reflected on an exam or homework assignment. Getting an MBA online it like getting a performance arts degree online, it just doesn’t work.