5 Best Things About Online MBA Programs, According To Recent Grads

It’s 10:00 — and you’re wiped out.

At work, the network conversion has left your team kicking their heels. Your top performer and weakest link both demand raises. And the c-suite thinks your sales funnel will support a 30% revenue bump next quarter. At home, your child is throwing tantrums and your engine light is flashing. Tomorrow, your spouse flies to Atlanta, leaving you in charge of everything.

Do you really want to Zoom with your classmates on a class project?

More than anything in the world!

WAITING ALL DAY TO BE TOGETHER

On the surface, business school seems like just another demand. It’ll cloud your head and sap your spirit, you think. For Online MBAs, it is a welcome break — a chance to explore and exchange, to discover practices and alternatives they might never consider. More than that, these gatherings are a time to find support among people who are shouldering everything they are.

Such moments were a welcome break for Jasmin Randle, a change leader at Salesforce and MBA student at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Despite feeling overwhelmed from work and kids, Randle says, her classmates relished spending the final hours of their day together online. And they made it a point to make it easy on each other.

“There were lots of stories and jokes shared, colorful commentary in the Chatbox, and creative use of emojis to set the conversations off,” explains Randle, a 2025 graduate and P&Q Best & Brightest Online MBA. “Amid our struggle to whip into learning mode, you could guarantee a funny or thoughtful comment that would spark the room. Everyone was willing and ready to join in and keep the energy flowing.”

An engaged and energized cohort is one benefit of online MBA programs that some applicants might overlook. When selecting this year’s Best & Brightest graduates, P&Q asked nominees to share their favorite parts about being an online MBA. Here are five of the biggest benefits they gained.

1) Greater Flexibility: “The ability to accelerate at my discretion was a game-changer. Eller’s online MBA gave me the autonomy to push forward when I had the capacity and pause to reflect when I needed it most. That flexibility wasn’t just logistical, it was empowering as it allowed me to own my growth, tailor the experience to my life, and make progress with purpose.”
Ronald O. Samaco, CPA, University of Arizona (Eller)

“My favorite part of the online MBA program was the flexibility. Since it was asynchronous, I could complete coursework on my own time, which helped me balance personal and professional commitments without the pressure of fixed class times.”
Kelly Rucci, College of William & Mary (Mason)

2) More Time: “I truly enjoyed how much I was able to learn due to the amount of time I could save in an online MBA program. While I am certain in-person programs require a lot of reading as well, I was able to save commuting time and build my own schedule. That ensured I could read what I needed to learn to excel in the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium program and also in my professional roles. There were many optional reading materials I was able to complete that I likely would not have completed if I had to be at a certain place at a certain time.”
Brittany Pitlik, University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium

3) Apply Knowledge Immediately: “The flexibility was a game-changer, but what stood out most was how immediately applicable the coursework was to my job. I often found myself implementing new concepts or strategies the same week I learned them. It made the experience feel purposeful and dynamic, not theoretical. The ability to tailor my education to my real-time professional challenges was invaluable.”
Melissa Calise, Bryant University

“I’m convinced that there is no better way to actually learn business – from the fundamentals to the more complex strategic stuff – than to learn something in class that you can practice the next day at work, where the pressure is on and the stakes are high.

I took a pricing class while working on pricing a new product at work. I took a negotiation class while supporting my boss in navigating a very complex transaction. I took a strategic entrepreneurship class while assessing an opportunity to sell a part of our business to private equity. This isn’t just book learning – it’s a catalyst for transformative impact.”
Kristin Brown, Indiana University (Kelley)

4) Learn Anywhere: “The easy answer here is the convenience that comes from getting access to the same opportunities no matter where you are in the world, through the power of the internet. Most people assume that being in an online program means the closest you will get to connecting in real life is through Zoom. However, outside of the numerous virtual networking events, there were also multiple in-person options that were available. One highlight for me was the pleasure to attend a Capstone immersion in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. The team-building and collaboration with the 38 other MBA candidates allowed us to take concepts we had learned throughout our courses and apply them to a real-life business scenario. These relationships and experiences have expanded my professional network globally, which is not something I would have found without this online program.”
Christina Reed, University of Illinois (Gies)

“The flexibility. I’ve taken quizzes, joined lectures, collaborated with classmates, and submitted assignments from halfway across the globe. I was in Tanzania this past December when I turned in a group research project on healthcare in the Netherlands. Later that day, while waiting at the airport, I struck up a conversation with two Dutch doctors returning to Amsterdam after a medical volunteer trip to East Africa. We ended up talking about their country’s universal social health insurance model and its role in advancing global health. It was one of those moments when academic learning and real life aligned in the most unexpected and meaningful way.”
Gillianne Nichole Millette, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Isenberg)

5) Diverse Classmates: “The online nature of Imperial’s Global Online MBA program created an exceptionally diverse cohort, with students of varying ages, nationalities, and professional backgrounds. Interacting with this cohort and listening to the diverse viewpoints presented has been my favorite part of being in the program. Such exchanges would be difficult to replicate in a purely professional setting, where organizational hierarchy and differing business cultures can often limit open dialogue. Many of my classmates are younger than me and I find it particularly refreshing to hear their perspectives and insights on AI tools or other technological innovations that they are using in their work and daily lives.”
Han Wai Khor, Imperial Business School

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