How COVID-19 Helped Online MBAs

Flexibility and cost are two of the biggest advantages of the online MBA.

While the online degree was already growing in popularity, the COVID-19 pandemic forced nearly every b-school to adopt online learning in some way, shape, or form. Amy Bell, of Financial Times, recently reported how students have fared with the online degree and what kind of challenges the pandemic has placed on their MBA experience.

PRESSURES OF A PANDEMIC

One of the advantages of the online MBA is the ability to earn a degree without having to halt working. For many, especially those on the front lines, the pandemic added more pressure to daily life.

“Being on the front line — and having the anxiety of possibly catching it, having to go to work and use full PPE — it was very fatiguing, very difficult,” Jane Pearson, an emergency room physician and online MBA student at the University of Massachusetts’ Isenberg School of Management, tells FT.

Add to that the economic impact of a pandemic and it’s safe to say that each and every student faced challenges in 2020.

POSITIVE OUTCOMES

While in-person events are no longer possible in a COVID world, students say that the virtual environment has surprisingly fostered an engaging atmosphere of community and learning.

“Having to study on your own and then have guided discussion afforded a deeper dive into the material,” Pearson tells FT. “I feel I had more personal engagement with professors than I ever did [on previous courses] in person.”

Valeria Sava, an online MBA student at the Politecnico di Milano School of Management, says that while virtual learning takes careful time management, it’s worth it.

“It’s intense but we really want to engage with each other, and ask questions, because it’s our time,” she tells FT.

While COVID-19 stripped away many aspects of life that people took for granted, it’s also shown many the importance and benefit of work-life balance: something that the online MBA was designed to offer.

“People want more time for themselves,” Jorge Lengler, online MBA program director at Durham Business School, tells FT. “Rather than travelling long distances, they can stay and still have an excellent education.”

Sources: Financial Times, P&Q, P&Q