Ranking of online schools?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by JKY, Aug 17, 2001.

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  1. JKY

    JKY New Member

    I have been thinking of pursuing on online MBA for some time now. I am ready to take the plunge but I haven't decided on a school. I have a couple of questions. First, I know certain MBA schools are considered top notch like Harvard and such. What about online schools? I'm sure the quality of education can differ from one online program to the next, but will potential employers know the differences in some of the schools? And is there a ranking of online mba programs?
     
  2. Lewchuk

    Lewchuk member

    Bottom line... ignore online schools (they are like Rodney Dangerfield). However there are numerous traditional universities of various types/quality offering distance, and in some cases, online degrees. These programs will give greater utility and in many cases a higher quality education.

    So how do you rank them... assuming the distance programs are the same as the on-campus ones... with the same reports.


     
  3. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Do read "mamorse" posting for 8/18/01 ("MBA Rankings, part 2,999"). It makes wonderful sense to me.

    When we were choosing the MBA programs to include in "Bears' Guide to the Best MBAs by Distance Learning," we speculated on the notion of ranking schools -- but rejected it, since we felt it would be meaningless, both for the school-student match, and for the outside world evaluation, in which ranking numbers get linked with quality. "Amberton was only 79; can't be that good." "Dominguez Hills is nine numbers higher than Phoenix; I'll go for that." Etc.

    There is a very helpful (people tell us) set of selection criteria for choosing an MBA school in said book: the eleven kinds of continua that one should consider. It is vailable free as a sample chapter on www.degree.net

    John Bear
     
  4. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    This is a topic of recurring interest and argument around here. My opinions:

    Ranking schools only makes sense within the context of the criteria you are using in making the rankings.

    You could rank on name-recognition/prestige. In that case just grab a copy of USNews and pick the highest ranked school that offers an on-line MBA. Simple.

    You could rank on instructional quality. I know of no rankings that treat that, particularly for distance learning.

    You could rank on delivery media and program design. Many schools might be prestigious and/or offer good instruction, but have such a poorly designed interface that the mechanics of taking a class absorb more of your attention than the class content. I know of no rankings of this either.

    And keep in mind that these rankings won't necessarily tell you which school is better *for you*. Suppose that one school has a slightly higher ranking, but requires you to take several thousand-mile trips for token meetings. Suppose that a highly ranked school is so selective that it won't even admit you. Suppose the higher ranked school costs two or three times as much. Or suppose that the lower ranked school offers a specializaton in exactly your area of interest, while the more highly ranked syllabus doesn't really thrill you.

    I think that you probably need to ask yourself exactly why you want an MBA in the first place. How do you anticipate using it? Then use that answer to identify several things that you want to find in a desirable program. Finally use those values as criteria to short-list some programs that you think will probably offer what you want.
     
  5. Lewchuk

    Lewchuk member

    I think it is even simplier in a sense

    1) Pick-up a few reputable rankings of MBA programs and Universities (Times/US News/Economist)... incidently, since you are looking for DL programs you can pick the best schools from around the globe, what a great opportunity! Take all the schools and organize into tiers.
    2) Find out which of these schools offer DL programs and organize into tiers.
    3) Research these schools to find out which ones offer programs which are a "fit" with your goals, learning style, etc. If there is a tie... take the school from the higher tier.
    4) If at this point you have a tie, investigate which schools have the best program from a DL perspective.

    What will you have when you finish, the most prestigious DL MBA on the planet that meets your individual needs... a pretty good recipe.



     

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