subject: Online MBA Programs – the good, the bad and the ugly! [print this page] Online MBA Programs the good, the bad and the ugly!
Enrolling in an online MBA Programs can be a great way to boost your career especially for those that due to professional and personal commitments do not have the possibility to enroll in a full-time program.
A recent study on online education in the United States conducted by the Sloan Consortium shows that over the course of the past six years, enrollments for online education have been increasing more rapidly than overall higher education enrollments. This rise in demand is also being witnessed for onlineMBA programs, because many businesspeople nowadays choose to keep their jobs going, while acquiring a new degree. However, the surge in demand for distance-learning education has spurred a large onset of dubious online MBA courses. How can we tell the bad apples among them?
1) A common and obvioussign for scam online MBA programs are degrees that are awardedsolely based on "life experience"tand in return for approximately 2000 US$. It goes without saying that these kind of "deals" are a waste of money and will not get you very far. So keep your money and steer clear from these kind of scams.
2) The bad online MBAprograms eitherdo not possess of any kind ofaccreditation or are accredited by bogus agencies, which are run by the same people who run these alleged business schools themselves. Accreditation bodies that appear on thehomepages of these programs should be checked thoroughly.An easy way to tell the legitimate ones from the fakesis to refer to the Council forHigher Education Accreditation,which has a directoryof recognized accreditation bodies. Make no mistake, anon-accredited (or bogus-agency accredited)degree will not only beuseless for your professional development,but getting a job using a non-accredited degree does even consitute a fraudulent act in several states in the US.
Does this mean that online MBA programs as such are a bad choice? Not at all! There are several high-quality online courses that willwiden your skill setand boost your career opportunities. Alas, the most important factor is accreditation by one of the reputable bodies. These are: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), theAccreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), theEuropean Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and theAssociation of MBA's (AMBA).
In the US there are over 130 accredited business schools which offer distance-learning MBAs. Sticking with these accredited MBA programs will not onlydeliverquality and universal recognition of your degree but will also guarantee you are getting your effort and money's worth.
