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Business professionals who want to gain entry into managerial positions in corporations know the advantages of having the prestigious graduate degree in business called the Master of Business Administration (MBA), and they fully investigate the differences between the online MBA Degree and full-time MBA degree curricula before selecting an appropriate program. There are plenty of MBA products offered on the educational market, and the top online and traditional MBA programs are ranked by leading academic publications like U.S. News and World Reports and the Princeton Review. Here is a comparison of the key features of today’s top online and traditional MBA programs to determine if online MBA programs measure up to their traditional counterparts.
Comprehensive Degree Programs
The very first factor that prospective MBA students consider when choosing an MBA degree program is the quality and rigor of the program curriculum. Recruitment of knowledgeable professionals who are able to make positive impacts quickly after being hired is a high priority for employers in the current economy. Ideally, the MBA degree curriculum should help students develop relevant skills that will allow them to show a good return on investment for their employers early. While many theoretical concepts are conveyed adequately online, schools that combine classroom concepts with internships and real world projects often provide the best environment for developing the skills desired by employers. Usually this mix of classroom and hands on experience is offered through traditional MBA programs at established universities; students may find exceptions to this when traditional universities offer online programs.
Development of Interpersonal Skills, Networking and Relationship Building
In the past, some employers failed to hire MBA graduates because many viewed them as lacking the necessary interpersonal skills to fit well into a team environment. Over the years, MBA graduates have gradually put that stereotype to rest by displaying the communication skills and team building attitudes that employers love to see on their projects. These skills are developed within MBA programs by allowing students to interact with faculty, peers and industry professionals. Again, these important skills are not cultivated best by strictly online programs where students and staff never meet in person. For an online MBA program to compete with a traditional MBA program in this area, the online MBA curriculum would have to adopt a hybrid online and classroom posture that allows for more personal interaction and networking opportunities.
Business School Brand Recognition and Reputation
Depending on the desired employer, some schools have employment priority over others because of their reputations or special relationships with industry businesses. While students should consider factors like the MBA program and school reputation, a great start to choosing a quality school is to find out about its accreditation status. Schools that are not accredited by nationally or regionally recognized agencies raise red flags for hiring managers who review resumes. Many online MBA programs offered by traditional universities are accredited by well-known organizations, but strictly online MBA programs often have accreditation credentials from lesser known organizations or no accreditation credentials at all.
Conclusion
Most business professionals measure the value of a degree program by its ability to help them become more competitive in terms of gainful employment and the extent to which the degree helps them reach specific personal and professional goals. When these factors are considered, only a few MBA degree programs from strictly online schools are equivalent to the traditional MBA formats of established universities when a comparison of online MBA degree vs full-time MBA degree curricula is examined.
