Professional MBA & External Students

Hi everyone,

I've read through many forums including business week's and found that this forum is the most helpful & informative....I've been lurking for quite some time now.

There some part-time programs out there that grant Professional MBA's. I still haven't found a concrete definition of what this is. Is this a subordinate degree or a different degree altogether. From what I gathered from umass's site, the PMBA is basically the same program with lesser electives.

I've never heard of such a degree but found that other schools (South Carolina for example) offer them. Are these recogizined by both the academic & professional arenas and if so, are they inferior to that of traditional MBA's.

Another school I am looking at is the Imperial College of London. Although they are on totally different tiers, I nevertheless weigh them equally due to name rec. & cost.

I've also considered other schools but fall short of my requisites due to either 1) cost, 2) name recognition 3) accreditiation.

Umass's disadvantage (to me) is that it is a 'PMBA' and Imperial's downfall is that the degree explicitly states that you studied externally. Perhaps one of the top concerns for distance learners with regard to their degree is whether it is the same one granted as to on-campus students and/or if it states that he/she studied via online/distance.

Btw, I've read somewhere that Imperial College acts as the lead college. Because of this, external students aren't actually 'attending' imperial...or something along those lines. If this is true, how would this change the outcome of the degree. Wouldn't the degree as students studying at imperial disregarding the bit about being an 'external' student. I'm confused.

I've found that there usually is a catch if it the program seems too good. Whether it's cost, type of degree granted, college affiliation, residency requirement, accreditation, etc, there is usually something that potential distance MBA students have to be on the look out for.

To recap, I'd really like to know that a PMBA really is and if it is just as useful in academia & employment as an MBA would be. And secondly, what the deal is with Imperial only acting as the lead college.

Thanks in advance.

 

I'd suppose a "PMBA" is not EVERY BIT as useful in academic or other employment circles if the requirements are not as stringent, such as the UMass program that you mentioned (which I'm currently attending). The 37 credit hours required plus a non-credit "Foundations of Business" course that's roughly 3 credit level work (so, about 40 credits) isn't entirely comparable to 55 credits for the regular MBA. The only difference worth noting, as you mentioned, is in the electives--the core requirements for 11 out of 12 courses are identical between the two programs, taken from the same professors. So essentially, you're getting a real MBA...but without the handful of courses that make for a specialization.

This may not be that useful for the typical MBA candidate, that is, someone who's 27, 4 or 5 years out of UG, and wants to take the next step in their career, but it can be very useful for the older, more established prospective student. If you're a professional with 10 years of business experience or other graduate degree(s) and you'd like to get the basics of the MBA education down, but really don't need that specialization because you've already in effect acquired it through business experience, a Professional MBA program can be of some solid utility, so long as it's from a decent school. For example, I have an 87 cr hr law degree; think maybe I've got some credits in there that would at least be the equivalent of an MBA specialization? Of course! Many of my fellow students have a Masters or two, or even PhDs or MDs already. Think the same applies for them? You bet.

One other thing to remember is that MBA programs are all over the board in terms of credit hour requirements. My PMBA, should I run the gauntlet and finish it next year, will have more credit hours than some regular MBAs that are AACSB accredited. You'll see fully AACSB accredited MBAs with anywhere from 30 or so credit hours right on up to 60. The average for a full MBA program is usually high 40s or low 50s, but again, they're really all over the board. Kind of a crazy system; you'd think there'd be some move to differentiate between the 30 cr hr MBAs and the 60, that the AACSB would step in and suggest something such as all MBAs with less than 45 cr hr requirements be designated "PMBAs", but they haven't done so.

The reason I was given by UMass for the PMBA distinction was so as to distinguish between the programs (and also probably to prevent revolt from the regular MBA students); yet they are both fully AACSB accredited, and both can be called MBAs by the AACSB's standards; I list on my resume: "MBA, UMass, Isenberg Professional Program, in progress". I don't consider this disingenuous, as it is an AACSB accredited MBA, but it's also in a different and lesser program within the Isenberg School.

Finally, you need to know that there are MBA programs online out there that are highly regarded, fully AACSB accredited, and have the same requirements--right down to the last elective--as the on-campus program. I believe Nebraska, Florida State, Indiana and Auburn fit this description, but you'll need to check it oput to confirm. I know for a fact that Florida State makes no distinction whatsoever on the diploma between programs (although, if you're living and working in Toledo while taking the coursework, that's still going to require an explanation and you're back where you started). Also, as great as Imperial is (probably it's safe to say it's the MIT of the UK), it's not AACSB-accredited, so that's something to give you pause in the U.S.

 

'Lesser' MBA?

Hmm... I don't think a program automatically becomes inferior to other programs just because it has fewer units or it offers no electives. What's crucial is what the thrust of the program is and whether the courses offered are tailored towards that goal. The professional MBA obviously has a different mission and a different market from the regular program, so the fact that it doesn't require courses that the program proponents feel are NOT necessary for Professional MBA students shouldn't make it a lesser MBA than the regular program. Besides, will employers really care what specific program the applicant graduated from when they already know that the applicant has earned a full-fledged, legitimate MBA (and an AACSB acrredited one at that!) from a reputable school?

My suspicion is that it would only be those students within the various MBA programs in the same school that would be obsessed with making those distinctions, so that they could look down on the other programs and feel that they are in the "better" program...

 

Well, G2000, it seems that UMass' traditional MBA is a 57-credit program with a major while their DL professional MBA is a 33-credit broad-based program without the major. Normally, another difference between the traditional MBA vs. the professional MBA or executive MBA is that professional or executive MBA programs usually have as an admissions requirement that one have some number of years of experience working as a business professional while traditional MBA programs often are willing to take people whose only work experience is three years of running a drill press, like myself at the time I was admitted to City University. Also, I wouldn't worry about your MBA degree saying external or distance learning or anything like that. The only time your boss will ever see your degree is after you've gotten the job (assuming you hang your nicely-framed MBA on your office wall rather than in your study at home).

 

Imperial

G2000,

This forum has a wealth of information in the form of previous posts. Simply use the search facility and search under 'Imperial College' for example and you will get a surprising high number of matches. You should find answers to your question, look out for posts from Angela Gilham and Prof Kennedy for pragmatic content.

I have been doing a fair amount of research into UK MBAs. I rejected Tanaka (Imperial) simply because of the lack of face-to-face contact possibilities. (I am UK based and have been looking for a more 'blended' program). You will also need a minumum GMAT score of 600 for Tanaka.

Happy hunting,

Dave C.

 

thanks for the replies.

little fauss, your post really clarified my understanding of a PMBA. i am, as you said, a typical MBA candidate having only recently completed my UG. again, your post was very enlightening.

with regard to a PMBA being an inferior degree, i like to think of it in terms of the type of degree that is granted. if you are talking in terms of quality of education, yes, it may be equivalent to a traditional MBA. as little fauss stated, there are MBA programs out there that only require 30-40 credits. but at the end of day when all is said and done, the PMBA is a different degree. if i went to school for 4 years to do my UG, i wouldn't want to have a "P" in front of my B.A.

the degree is not so much what the employers think as it is a personal reward for me. if i'm going to drop 20-30K on a degree, i want it to a solid degree not a derivative. i'd much rather spend 23K on a MBA than a PMBA.

to dave c: although i am new to posting in this forum, i am by no means new to the practicalities thereof. i'm sorry if my post count indicated to you that i needed a tutorial on the search function....j/k. with all seriousness, i'm a horrible writer in desperate need of an editor. since i don't usually proof read my posts, much of the content is either unclear or makes no sense whatsoever.

i've done a lot of research on UoL and found that there is a gray area in terms of where imperial actually fits in. when ppl talk about the dl mba offered by UofL, they usually refer it to as one from imperial. my question really revisits this post:

http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?threadid=6631&highlight=imperial+college+resume

if i do complete a MBA via UofL external, i can't really say i got it from imperial but rather UofL. although the UofL website states the lead college is imperial, the degree doesn't explicitly state it is from imperial. thus i'm not completely sure if the degree still grants graduates the liberty of being alumni of imperial. i guess this is one of those catches i was referring to earlier with some dl programs.