Distance learning MBAs on the rise

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Distance learning MBAs on the rise as MBA candidates consider work-life balance


There are hundreds of MBA programs available for candidates to choose from but lately another one has been thrown into the mix. QS TopMBA looks at the rise of distance learning MBA programs.
distance learning mba

Distance learning has been a feature in the world of education for a long time and older readers may remember the association with ‘correspondence courses’ featuring boxes packed with books and valuable essays left at the mercy of the postal service. Even then the range of courses available to anyone in the world was extremely wide, but with today’s technological advancements – particularly the Internet, DVDs, video conferencing and numerous other innovations –this less traditional non-classroom method is even more viable.

The Distance Learning MBA or DL MBA for short, entered the arena in the 1960s and has been developing ever since. Recent figures from Keyworddiscovery.com show that, while 'MBA' is the most searched for term, almost six times as many searches are done using ‘online MBA’ as for ‘MBA programs’. Wordtracker Keyword Researcher, suggests that only a little under half as many people search for ‘online MBA’ as the term ‘MBA’ worldwide.

This boom in interest is in stark contrast to the scepticism that greeted the concept when the UK’s Open University began their distance learning MBA in 1969. Prof. Richard Wheatcroft, Master’s Program Director at Open University, says: “Then, employers didn’t take it seriously because they didn’t have access to information about the course structure and what was taught on them. But through the 70s and 80s, before the business school came to the fore, it was demonstrable that graduates were as well educated as those from face-to-face universities.”

Convincing employers is key, particularly with DL MBA courses, because it is employers’ opinions of a course or a business school that will naturally influence who they choose to take on board. But the good news is that today’s MBA recruiters rarely, if ever, consider a DL MBA inferior at all.

Tom Harrison, Head of Corporate Relations at QS, and an MBA recruitment expert, says: “I find that employers understand the constraints on individuals who are trying to get ahead with an MBA but for a large number of factors, such as family, wanting to stay in a fulltime role, or geographical constraints, are unable to attend the chosen campus.. As long as the distance learning MBA course is fully accredited and reputable then employers will have faith in it. Having said that, a valuable part of the full-time MBA experience is the concentrated time with academics and peer group and, while it’s hard to quantify that value there definitely is some. DL MBA students will miss out on this to a greater or lesser extent”

Nigel Banister, Chief Executive of Manchester Business School Worldwide and an expert in distance learning, concedes this point: " Interaction with other international students is of course hard to replicate. However when we talk about distance learning at top business schools, this doesn't mean studying alone the whole time. Students do come to Manchester for parts of their course and spend a few weeks here, in their holidays for example.
The mix of nationalities is very diverse so it’s not missed out totally."

While full-time MBAs clearly differ from DL MBAs in terms of the intensity of contact with peers and faculty, it is no longer the case that a DL MBA would put a candidate down the list in terms of pecking order. James Thompson, Lead Talent Search Partner at AstraZeneca plc, a pharmaceutical company, says: “As a recruiter I am aware that different people learn in different ways, and that the constraints on some people’s lives stops them from attending a full-time course, especially with the US two-year model. Distance learning suits some people more than others. It’s a cost-effective way of delivering learning. There are good reasons for why someone would want to take a distance-learned MBA and in fact it could even be a benefit as it shows recruiters what that person is made of.”

source:QS Top MBA: world’s top business schools and best MBA programs