Top Reasons To Pursue an Online MBA

The online MBA is booming.

B-schools such as the University of Illinois Gies College of Business, the Jack Welch Management Institute, and Washington State University have all reported record growth in applications to their online MBA programs over the past few years.

But what exactly makes the online MBA so enticing?

Michael Oliva, a Guest Contributor at Big Easy, recently discussed a few of the top reasons behind pursuing an online MBA degree.

FLEXIBILITY

The biggest, and perhaps most obvious, benefit of the online MBA is the flexibility it offers when compared to the traditional MBA.

“With the option of online courses, your routine can be a little relaxed, which in turn can be beneficial for your mental health, professional, and personal life,” Oliva writes. “It’s a lot easier to maintain a study-work-life balance and multitask.”

ACCESS TO THE SAME, IF NOT MORE RESOURCES

One misconception behind the online MBA is that the instruction may be of lesser quality when compared to the traditional, in-person MBA.

However, as b-schools continue to double down on their online MBA offerings, many online MBA programs are actually taught by the same faculty as the traditional MBA programs.

Additionally, many online MBA programs offer a holistic approach to content.

At the USC Marshall Online MBA program, courses are taught by faculty teams giving students a multitude of perspectives on any given topic.

“Faculty members, each an expert in a different discipline, teach the course together, providing students with multiple perspectives that may include, for example, marketing, accounting, data analytics and communication. This holistic approach to learning mirrors 21st century global business practices,” Miriam Burgos, associate professor of clinical marketing and the academic director of the online MBA program, tells Stacy Blackman Consulting.

One of the biggest draws to an online MBA is the lower price tag.

However, cost can vary from program to program depending on which b-school you’re attending.

The University of Massachusetts-Lowell Manning College of Business offers a fully remote MBA program for just $19,650 – the only b-school among 35 in P&Q’s ranking to offer an online MBA below $20K.

At a prestigious b-school, like Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, the tuition price for the online MBA hits $137,200.

On average, according to Affordable Colleges Online, the tuition cost for an online MBA ranges from $35,489.27 for in-state students to $39,842.20 for out-of-state students.

Sources: Big Easy, Stacy Blackman Consulting, P&Q, Affordable Colleges Online