Online MBA Degrees - Are They Worth Obtaining Through A Distance Education Format? by Tim Gorman

Does an employer ascribe the same value to the online MBA degrees that people are earning online the same as they value MBA degrees earned by students in a traditional classroom environment? This is a question of real concern for everyone considering the option of getting an MBA degree online.

These days, it's the multi-thousand-dollar question because that is about how much it is going to cost to complete the particular curriculum requirements for an online MBA degree. And that is a large amount of money to risk for a degree that might be near worthless!

You should not even consider an online degree just so you don't have to pay the high fees required of the traditional, brick and mortar institutions - it ain't gonna happen! You might pay as much or almost as much to complete the requirements as if you were actual attending.

Take A fresh look at MBA degrees offered online

The large, and increasing, numbers of persons enrolling in the online MBA degrees is exploding exponentially and employers seeing distance learning in resumes are being forced to re-evaluate their opinions of this method of obtaining an education. It is a hard lesson since, for many years, online education has been considered a lot less desirable, even in the best of circumstances.

Employers are starting to realize that many of these programs are capable of producing the same caliber graduates as the more traditional learning environments. Of course many employers are finding out that not all of the online MBA degree-granting institutions are equal when it comes to the curriculum, the instruction and the accreditation offered.

Most employers also know that a lot of the online MBA degrees that online graduates have in their hands are not worth anything, not even the paper they are printed on. These are the online degrees that have been issued by many so-called 'diploma mills' that are nothing more than non-accredited institutions in reality and they charge large amounts of money for this worthless "education".

If you are looking into an online MBA program, steer clear of these types of institutions! Instead, look into and pursue a degree from a reputable institution that's been accepted and accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency.

Employment counselors and agencies are beginning to recommend online MBA degrees as a viable tool to land good jobs. Indeed, your MBA degree can be your ticket to moving on up the income and social ladder.

Most good jobs these days require that you compete with others with higher degrees such as the MBA and employers are starting to look at the MBA as the standard instead of the exception on peoples resumes.

Incomes and job positions can be as much as $20K to $30K higher for the MBA holder as opposed to the holder of an undergraduate degree. So it does make financial sense to peruse an MBA and online is the place to do it for most people.

Ask yourself what you want and how you are going to get it. What is the best method to obtain the needed tools to position yourself to climb to the position you desire? If higher income and a better position in a corporation is your goal then the MBA is for you. And an online MBA is probably the best way to obtain that degree.

Attending an institution issuing an online MBA degree should be similar to and equal in structure to that which degree seeking students would earn if they were attending the physical classroom on campus.

Online, degree seeking students get a flexible curriculum and can work around a school schedule that's more convenient to their particular situation, but the online student is still going to listen to professors lectures, read applicable chapters from similar textbooks and participate in online classroom discussion. They will just be doing all this while online.

Online students pursuing a distance learning online MBA degree might also be exposed to various podcasts, video conferences and professors lectures that have been previously videotaped.

Residency hours are also require by most MBA programs, many of the students that opt for online MBA degrees will most likely be required to physically attend and participate in pertinent class workshops and other course work. Nearly all online MBA seeking students will be required to take and pass various subject specific tests but they will be doing so in the presence of a local proctor set up in advance.

Convenience is the operative word here

Most likely, curriculum and the course work won't differ substantially from traditional education, what could be the most difference is that the online students have more flexibility in their course scheduling.

Some online students find that with these accelerated courses, they are able to finish their online MBA degree requirements much more quickly than those students who sit in the traditional classroom environment. These are the main reasons why students choose this path and in the long run it is why you should consider an online MBA degree.

I would like to stress that since many people can't attend a college or university full-time an online MBA degree makes perfect sense. Not only is it convenient but you can make a schedule to fit around your working hours and use your available free hours to attend classes.

Interestingly enough, as mentioned above, an online MBA degrees won't necessarily cost you less to complete. As with any type of degree, online or off-line, costs can vary considerably among the various institutions. Generally, the more prestigious the degree granting institution, the more the degree will end up costing the student.

Regardless of the costs involved the choice of MBA provider is extremely important and should represent a large part of your investigation into your educational decisions.

So, be particularly suspicious, as a potential degree seeking student, of online MBA degree programs that are advertising a price that is substantially lower than the competition for an equal education.

Now, this might not be a program that is a fraud or a scam, but if you are considering one of these online institutions, you should do some careful research and obtain some background information concerning the institution's history, accreditation and you should especially consider talking with former students who have graduate there before enrolling with that institution.

Lets summarize what we have learned, if you want an employer to take your distance learning online MBA degree seriously, you've got to make sure you choose the right program. There are good a and bad institutions out there and you need to be wise in your selection.

Many more employers are willing to look at the distance learning online MBA degree as a valid alternative to traditional education. But it does matter what institution you attended.

So, go out there and get your education and improve you life style along with your income. You will also enjoy a heightened sense of self esteem and social position by obtaining that MBA degree online. You will be glad you did.

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Online MBA Offers Income Boosting Career Advantages by Jack Sinclair

Interested in an MBA? An MBA, or "Masters of Business Administration" is a master's degree that can help you master the various aspects of business, and very often will give you an advantage in getting any job search or job promotion. If an MBA interests you, the best thing is to learn what the degree can do for you, and which school is best to meet your objectives.

First off, an MBA degree can really get your career moving ahead, and an online MBA is a great way to do it inexpensively, conveniently, and quickly. It is convenient because you do everything from your home - no classes to attend apart from scheduled online presentations and teleconferences. How each online MBA school presents their material varies from school to school, yet the best ones give an experience that rivals the best class-based MBA program.

Another advantage of the online MBA is speed - you can usually complete the entire program in 2 years or less, and be fully equipped with all the business acumen you need once you graduate. Once you have your MBA credential, no one will know if its an online or offline MBA, a full-time or part-time, unless they ask you in an interview.

The most important thing about getting your MBA online is to make sure the school you accept is accredited, meaning they are recognized by government and businesses as a school that provides business training. If your school is not accredited, its worth will be diminished, and you will have no luck in getting any student loans or scholarships. Usually the school will have someone who you can talk to, who can help you with funding options, if you need any of these options.

The solid business training that a good MBA gives you will help your career in many ways. Some industries in particular value this training, including:

* market research and marketing

* accounting

* process re-engineering activities

A great many companies will view your MBA degree as a sign of a serious focused applicant who can make a significant impact.

Getting an MBA will also boost your income, since research shows that the MBA credential adds between $12,000 and $28,000 to income, depending on the field worked in, and the location of employment.

If your next career step involves an MBA, getting your MBA degree online is clearly the convenient, economical way to get the degree under your belt. Since I have done mine, I should also tell you a little known fact about MBA graduates. Over 52% of all MBA graduates are fired or quit within 2 years of their graduation. It seems the MBA changes people, and it usually means the new MBA graduate needs to find a new place to work - often to the benefit of the graduate!

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Selecting the Best University For an Accredited Online MBA Degree by Tammy Greene

The acquisition of an online MBA degree from an accredited university is of paramount importance to kick-start your career. Some students commit the mistake of earning an MBA from a university, which is not accredited. When you study business administration at an unaccredited university and receive an online degree which is not approved, you are going to face plenty of problems in finding a good job in a reputable organization, as employers are going to give preference to students who have attained their online MBA degree from an accredited university.

So how exactly can you pick the best university to acquire your online MBA degree from? Following are some factors you should take into consideration, which would help you decide on the best possible online university for your degree:

Course Structure

When selecting a university for an online MBA degree, you need to take into account the course structure of the program. Make sure that the course structure is designed properly and fits well into the present industry scenario. For example, if you are interested in acquiring an MBA focused on marketing, then the kinds of marketing strategies you are going to learn are crucial. Point to be noted here is that marketing strategies that were successful 10 years back may not work at this moment of time because market conditions do not remain constant and keep on changing with the passage of time.

Faculty

Faculty members also play a prominent part in any MBA program, may it be on campus or online. After all, they are the ones who teach you all the concepts & strategies related to your program. Before selecting any university, check the qualification and experience of faculty members. There is no point in taking admission in a university whose faculty members lack experience in terms of teaching, particularly when it comes to teaching online. In an ideal scenario, you should opt for an online college or university where experts from various industries are a part of the faculty.

Placement Facility

As soon as you acquire your online MBA degree, you would want to get placed at a good organization. With competition being so intense in the market, this is not going to be easy. And that is where the role of placement cells at colleges and universities comes in. Most of the reputed online colleges and universities have placement cell whose main responsibility is to provide job placement to their students as soon as they acquire their degree. Before enrolling in any university, make sure that they provide placement facility to their online students.

Fees

Some students believe that online universities that charge high tuition rates are the best institutions. This is a very wrong concept as most of the reputed online universities do not charge hefty tuition rates from their online MBA students. As a matter of fact, it has been found that usually it is the bogus universities and degree mills which charge huge fees for their online MBA programs.

Subject Material

To acquire an accredited and acceptable online MBA degree, you need to study high quality course material. If that is not the case, your entire educational journey is going to suffer immensely. Therefore, before taking admission in any online college or university, see how they prepare the subject material, more importantly, what you should not is whether they take any expert help or is the preparations of the online course material an in-house affair.

By taking the aforementioned steps, you can locate the best possible and accredited online university for you to acquire your online MBA degree from. The consideration of these facts would help you assure yourself that you are not being charged extra for your program and are being taught the best subject material, which is as good as the curriculum taught to traditional MBA students.

Tammy Greene is an educationist with decades of teaching and learning experience.

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