Follow
Getting an MBA has traditionally been a great way for someone to advance their education and career. Today, more and more people are getting their MBAs through online colleges. While an online MBA is becoming more reputable, there are several pros and cons that should be considered before deciding whether or not to get an MBA through a traditional school or online program.
Convenience
One of the main pros of getting an online MBA is that it is very convenient. One of the biggest challenges of getting a MBA is finding time to go to class and get schoolwork done. This is particularly challenging for someone that also works a full-time job. A very big advantage of getting an online MBA is that it can be done at your leisure. Many online programs have virtual classes, which allows you to attend whenever you have free time. The coursework and tests are also submitted online, which means that you will be able to get everything done from your home office.
Lack of Networking
A big disadvantage of an online MBA program is that it does not offer the same networking options as a traditional MBA program. When going to a traditional MBA school, you will spend a lot of time working in group projects, which means that you will get to meet a lot of people, who could eventually become great professional contacts. When you go to an online MBA program, you will likely have some group projects that will be done through conference calls and email, but you will probably never have the same type of relationship building opportunity. This means that when you graduate, you will probably have far fewer professional connections.
Cost
Another one of the advantages of going to an online program to get your MBA is that it will cost far less. Going to get a MBA from a traditional school can often cost over $150,000. This significant expense can put a lot of people in debt and may not end up being financially worthwhile. While getting an MBA from an online school is still pretty expensive, it will end up costing far less. It is normally much cheaper because the schools do not have nearly as much overhead costs, such as leasing out space for the building and other similar costs.
Reputation
The second disadvantage of going to a online college to get your MBA is that it is not quite as reputable. While it is becoming more reputable, getting an MBA from an online school is still not as reputable as it would be if you were to get one from a more traditional graduate school. Furthermore, since the schools are a lot newer, they do not have the same connections with employers that a traditional MBA school does. This means that those that graduate from the online program will not have as many recruitment and sources, which can make it harder to get a better full-time job after they are done with school.
In conclusion, people that are looking to advance their careers should consider pursuing a higher level of education, such as getting a MBA. Those that are looking to get an MBA should also consider getting it online. Prior to deciding whether to get an MBA online or not, all of the pros and cons should be considered.
