Dl mba

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by palfow, Jul 6, 2009.

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  1. palfow

    palfow New Member

    Hi everybody,

    I'm hoping for a few bits of advice. I've recently decided to enrol in an MBA programme, but find myself in what feels like a jungle of possibilities.

    My core requirements are flexibility and keeping the costs low. If possible, I'd like to do this 100% DL, so it doesn't matter that much where the university is located, though I'd prefer UK/Europe/USA.
    I'd also like to do this at a place that has a good reputation, but it doesn't have to be something totally exclusive or among the world's top five institutions. It should be a solid programme.

    If possible, I'd like a focus on HR.

    My current degree is a German Diplom that I acquired in a four-year programme at a so-called University of Applied Sciences. It's a combination of Business Administration and Computer Science.
    I've got more than four years of work experience.

    I'm hoping for a few suggestions to help me narrow down the possibilities.

    Thanks for your answer :)
     
  2. AUTiger00

    AUTiger00 New Member

    Have you taken the GMAT? A decent GMAT score could factor into where you can/can't go, especially for the online programs. Online MBA programs tend to look at undergraduate GPA and GMAT scores for admittance. Residence programs factor in a whole slew of other measures including socioeconomic background, work experience, compelling essays and letters of recommendation. One of my good friends earned a 780 on the GMAT, undergrad from UVA with 8 years of work experience and was flat out rejected by Wharton (UPenn), Kellogg (Northwestern), Hass (UC Berkeley) and a few others. I don't think you would ever hear of someone with a 780 on the GMAT being rejected from any online program.

    If you want a reputable school that provides a DL MBA I would recommend looking at large state schools in the US (Can't really say for Europe/UK). The name of the school will be recognizable, which I think is a benefit.

    While I think distance education is a fantastic thing, I'm still not totally sold on the idea of DL MBA's done entirely online. One of the main, and I would say the main, benefits of the MBA is the network you build while in school. That's just not something that can be done, at least not easily, via a DL/online program. MBA courses don't consist of anything you can't teach yourself. I am a firm believer that when you earn a MBA you are basically paying for access to the alumni network of whatever school you are attending. That's not to say I didn't learn a lot at Vanderbilt OSOM, but it consisted of things I could have taught myself. I have friends with Bachelor degrees that are far more intelligent than half of the people I attended business school with, but those that attended business school are much further along in their careers (for the most part) and it has nothing to do with the finance or marketing classes they took. It has everything to do with the people they had access to because of the Owen MBA.

    That said, I think Indiana University and UMass-Amherst both have very solid online MBA programs as far as course curriculum goes. I believe the UMass program is substantially less expensive.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 6, 2009
  3. Woho

    Woho New Member

    You might take a good look at programs in the UK, like the University of Leicester. Since you are living within the EU you have the advantage of paying significant lower tuition rates at many UK universities.
     
  4. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 7, 2009
  5. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Slighly off topic but I wondered why you used the term "so called?"
    I note there are several Universities of Applied Science in Germany and Europe.
     
  6. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Are you serious? What was his/her undergrad GPA?
     
  7. AUTiger00

    AUTiger00 New Member

    About a 3.4 (keep in mind that was from UVA, a school whose name carries some weight with AdComms at business schools). He ended up with a full ride to Kenan-Flagler (UNC-Chapel Hill) and was offered a $5k scholarship to Anderson (UCLA).
    All of the top programs also require an interview. I will say that he made it to the interview stage with both Haas (UC Berkley) and Kellogg (Northwestern). He was wait listed at Hass then rejected, rejected after the interview at Kellogg and Wharton just flat out rejected him, didn't even offer an interview.
    The notion that GPA and GMAT are the only thing top tier business schools look at is a fallacy, they look at a slew of other things. I say this both as someone who went through the application process and also as someone who worked in a low level positions in the admissions department of a highly selective business school right out of undergrad. I was actually told by someone in the admissions office at one of the schools I applied to that they basically look to make sure that you meet their minimum GPA and GMAT cut off for admissions, anyone who does is on equal footing at that point and then granted an interview. If they like you in the interview you will most likely be admitted, the only thing the GPA and GMAT will dictate at that point is the financial award the school will grant you.
    I had a similar experience to my friend (though my GMAT was nowhere nearly as high as his, I scored in the high 600's). I was admitted to Owen (Vanderbilt), Mendoza (Notre Dame), Boston University SOM and the University of Texas, wait listed at Kenan-Flagler (UNC), rejected by Olin (Wash U-St. Louis) and Babcock (Wake Forest). It's such a crap shoot on admissions depending on what a particular school wants the class makeup to look like on any given year.
    I don't think schools with online MBA programs factor all of these things into their admissions decision, or they don't carry nearly the weight that they do in the admissions process for a full-time, residential program.
     
  8. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Yeah, UVA is the second top public school in the United States after UC-Berkley. Wow! It seems I have to chance for Kellogg's Ph.D in Business Administration. Obviously, Ph.D program is more selective than MBA. I look at Booth-UofChicago, Kellogg's-Northwestern, and UIC 'cause I want to live in Chicago metropolitan area. Now, I have to add some more in the list.... thanks for the answer.
     
  9. palfow

    palfow New Member

    Thanks for your suggestions. No, I haven't taken the GMAT.
    You're absolutely right about the network you build while attending business school. Unfortunately, with my current situation, a DL MBA is the only thing that is possible...
     
  10. palfow

    palfow New Member

    Thanks for the links, I'm going to check them out tonight.

    As for the EBS - I've already looked into this one. What I find surprising is that you don't need any qualifications and no proof of being able to speak English to enroll. This gave me the feeling that as long as you pay enough, you'll get your MBA whether you're qualified or not.

    I still live in Germany, but only for a couple more weeks. I'm going to accompany my husband to Berkeley in August. He’ll be working there for one year, so we're probably going to go back to Germany in 2010 - that's why I'd like to be able to study from anywhere in the world.
    I've got a decent degree, but not one that will get me into any top schools. I've got some funds, but not the kind of money that enables me to enroll for a top MBA programme.

    PS: about the so called: I've used it because I wasn't sure if somebody outside Europe would know about the Applied Sciences appendix
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 12, 2018
  11. palfow

    palfow New Member

    @ Ian Anderson:

    Thank you for the links, I'm going to check them out tonight.

    As for the EBS, I've already looked into that. What makes me wonder is that you don't need any qualifications (or proof that you're able to speak English) to enrol. That makes it look like you get the MBA if you've got enough money?

    I still live in Germany, but only for a couple more weeks. I'm going to accompany my husband to Berkeley in August. He’ll be working there for one year, so we're probably going to go back to Germany in 2010 - that's why I'd like to be able to study from anywhere in the world.
    I've got a decent degree, but not one that will get me into any top schools. I've got some funds, but not the kind of money that will allow me to enrol in an expensive school.

    PS: about the so called: I've used the term because I wasn't sure if somebody outside Europe would know the “Applied Sciences” appendix
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 7, 2009
  12. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    EBS has long maintained the only way of really determining if a student is capable of doing the work, is to actually do it. Students without a prior degree are allowed to enroll, but need to pass 4 courses before becoming officially matriculated. Just a word of caution though, the EBS exams are very difficult. Applying for the on-campus program is different, because there are a limited number of seats. You will need a prior degree and GMAT.

    You should probably check out Jonnie Liu's DL MBA page at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/distance.html for other DL options.
     
  13. AUTiger00

    AUTiger00 New Member

    PhD's are entirely different. PhD/DBA programs tend to enroll 1-3 new candidates in each discipline per year so they are insanely competitive. You also need to make sure there is someone on faculty that can support you in the area of research you're interested in studying. If the faculty doesn't feel like there is someone there who you can study under and still pursue what you've expressed as your interest(s) they won't admit you, it's as simple as that.
    What is it that you're interested in studying? It seems like you have a strong engineering background which would more likely fit with UofChicago and UIC. Kellogg is known as a marketing school, that's their niche. Not sure, by looking at your background, if that would be a strategic fit.
    One last thing to consider, academia is weird in that universities/colleges like to bring their faculty in that earned their PhD's in other regional locations (weird, I know). Take a look at top schools on the west coast and you'll see most of their faculty's PhD's were earned from East coast schools and vice-versa. My point is, if you want to settle in Chicago, pursuing your PhD there might not be the best idea.

    I'm not saying that the DL MBA is worthless or not worth the time, that isn't what I meant to imply. I understand that it isn't possible for everyone to take 21 months out of their life to go back to school full-time. I just feel like the MBA, more than almost any other degree, lends itself to being more effective in residence mainly due to the network building. I'm sure you'll learn alot studying business via DL.

    If you're going to be in San Francisco for a year you should look at some of the schools in the bay area. Maybe their is a program that can be done as a hybrid campus/on-line option? Just a thought.
     

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