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Is An MBA Still Worth It?

As b-schools around the nation announce fall semester plans for hybrid and online classes, many are left wondering whether the MBA degree is really still worth the cost.

Ikya Kandula of Fast Company recently spoke to experts on whether they think elite b-schools can survive the coronavirus pandemic and where the real value in the degree lies.

“As more universities move classes online, MBA programs are struggling to provide answers,” Kandula writes. “Incoming students have not been told how their classes are going to be administered, whether they should move, which opportunities are still available, and whether a virtual education will still be worth the hefty fee.”

IS THERE STILL VALUE?

For many MBAs, the value in the degree lies in the networking opportunities. With campuses closed and remote study becoming the new normal, many are reconsidering the value in the degree.

The Yale School of Management recently announced that it will keep tuition rates stable due to the economic disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic. But, it seems, that isn’t enough to keep anxious students at ease.

“It’s a huge loss considering it’s only four semesters,” incoming MBA student Saba Rashid, who was accepted into Yale SOM’s MBA program in March, tells Fast Company.

Some MBA grads highlight the importance of building strong relationships in-person – something that is difficult to do now with remote learning.

“The relationships that I built in business school were founded not solely off of an interaction for a class project, but by being with one another during an extended period of time,” Roger Tsai, Kellogg School of Management Class of 2007, tells Fast Company.

THE FUTURE

B-schools know best that the real value in the MBA lies in the relationships that students form.

And many are trying to replicate that with hybrid learning formats. At UC Berkeley’s Haas School and UCLA’s Anderson School, a mix of in-person classes and remote instruction will be available to students this fall.

“Every campus will be open and offering instruction,” University of California President Janet Napolitano tells P&Q. “The question will be how much of that instruction is in-person versus how much is done remotely.”

UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Assistant Dean Peter Johnson adds the b-school is planning to hold a mix of in-person and remote networking events for students to connect.

“At the end of the day, our students and our faculty find great value in a lot of community engagement and networking opportunities that are inherent in a leading MBA program and we’re not interested in letting go of these things in the long-term,” Johnson tells Fast Company.

Sources: Fast Company, P&Q, P&Q

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