The most asked question (aka which MBA?)

I know this must have been asked a thousand times. However, it is always tempting to ask experienced people for a more personalised response... I have a PhD in engineering and I am now a senior software developer. I have quite extensive academic and practical experience in simulation of structures as well as development of large scale engineering software. Being 37 I want to move to a more managerial position and think of a DL MBA as a good starting point to the world of senior management (I already have some managerial experience with my family business and small personal company). I shopped around a little bit, read a few threads, browsed the different ranking pages and so on. I ended up with these three choices:

1. Warwick
2. Heriot-watt
2. OU

The first seems to have a good balance between reputation and cost (~16000 pounds). The second is attractive to me as it seems to be controversial and has a totally different mentality: others praise it and others boo it. Cost-wise it suits me best (~9000 pounds). The OU is the only one offering a technology management MBA, whatever that means, and would cost about 13000 to 15000 pounds. So, any thoughts on what would be a good choice for someone with my background and prospects would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

I don't know what percentage of our membership is from some place other than the USA (maybe a little research project is in order) but it's clear that the overwhelming majority of our members live in the USA. Because of this, we don't get a lot of talk about the OU. I wish it was available to us but it just isn't. Without knowing too much about the British universities I'd go with Warwick just because I am a bit more familiar with it as they offer other distance learning programs that I've researched.

 

I'm surprised the OU is not available to the US but you're right! I just checked and it isn't!

 

Indiana State U has an excellent distance Ph.D. in Technology Management with some required residencies:
http://www.indstate.edu/consortphd/
I searched a little but could not find a masters program (although you could contact them to see if you do one – based on an abbreviated Ph.D. perhaps).

AMU has an MBA in Information Technology Management
http://www.amu.apus.edu/Academics/Degree-Programs/plan.htm?progid=4735&concid=4512

 

In UK the Oxford Brooks University offers a DL MBA.

http://www.business.brookes.ac.uk/mba/

The tuition fees for the DL programme is £ 11,500.

 

From time, when this 'most asked' question is asked, I dust of my standard response, which is that the 200-or-so distance/online MBA programs differ on many crucial factors, and it is really much important important to base your decision on those factors than anything else. As a very simple example, some MBAs are very heavy on math, some very light. Some people love advanced calculus while others...

So here's my current list, which will be incorporated in the next edition (and now it looks as if there will be done) of my "Bears Guide to the Best MBA Programs by Distance Learning").

As always, if there are other factors that come to mind, I'd love to hear them.

1. Specialized vs. General (Generic MBA; in health care; insurance, banking, etc.)
2. Theoretical vs. Practical (How much math, Algebra? Calculus? etc.)
3. Cost
4. World View (international course content or US-focused)
5. Reputation
6. Ranking in US News, other rankers
7. Interactiveness with faculty, other students
8. Lockstep or flexible time
9. Exams: many, few, none
10. Exams: proctored, open book; objective, subjective, home proctoring device, etc.
11. Writing: many papers, some, none.
12. Thesis or major paper required, optional (in lieu of 3 or 4 units), none.
13. Degree title (MBA, MA in Econ, MS in marketing, etc.)
14. Time involved (minimum, maximum)
15. Planning to go on for a doctorate? Yes, no maybe
16. 100% on line/distance or less than 100%
17. Concession for prison, disabled, blind, A.D.D., other special needs
18. Language of study; language of exams.
19. Case study based (the Harvard model; all, some, none)
20. Accreditation: regional, national, AACSB, state approval, etc.
21. School in US or in other country.
22. School also has on-campus MBA or other programs as well, or not.
23. Executive MBA vs. other kinds
24. Credit for prior academic work: much, some, none.
25. Credit for career experience: much, some, none.
26. Cohort groups working together: yes, no, optional.
27. Length of term: 1 month, 8 weeks, 10, 12, 16, etc. Mandadory or optional?
28. Availability of on-line reviews, student and alumni experiences.

 

Hi John and vadro,

thanks for the response! If I would add one thing to your list, that would be compulsory on-site meetings other than classes and during weekdays. Sometimes this can be an important factor for people that work at the same time, this was one of the reasons I removed some good schools from my list. Maybe it would make sense to run a poll and figure out which of these are the most influential driving factors for a decision, if you haven't done so already.

Other than that, my short list I think is evidently chosen on the basis of low on-site attendance, reasonable ROI and located in Europe. As far as math is concerned, I feel confident that I had enough in my life so far to be scared off by an MBA curriculum. So, any particular information in the three schools (I am also looking at Oxford Brooks University).

Thanks again!

 

dps,

Kizmet is correct, you won't get a huge amount of feedback on UK programmes, I think there is a handful of us that are non-US based.

I am just finishing off my MBA at Henley Business School (University of Reading), not sure if you have considered them? I spent a year researching UK MBA programmes and my final 2 were Warwick and Henley. I couldn't choose between the two and in the end chose Henley 1) on instinct and 2) because the split of exams and assignments was more to my liking.

You have to bear in mind that Heriot-Watt and Warwick offer a completely different learning experience. The former is very isolated, you get material, read up, then take an exam. The latter will be far more interactive, you will build up a cohort of like-minded professionals who you can rely on for motivation and feedback.

One of the reasons I chose Henley was the fact that it is 'blended', meaning you attend residentials 2 or 3 times a year, this gives you a chance to dialogue with staff and just as importantly build up a relationship with your cohort, go out to dinner etc. Plus the surroundings are excellent. Not sure what Warwick do, last time I checked I believe they have similar possibilities.

If you are completely decided on your final three, then I would defnitely go for Warwick, although bear in mind these are demanding courses and you will need to put the hours in. Plus, if Warwick is anything like Henley, the exams are very tough. Many people have commented that the HW exams are definitely tough. Not sure about OE.

My personal preference is not to go for a 'specialist' MBA. I don't get it. An MBA is, by design, a general management qualification. You have plenty of opportunity to specialise via your elective choices.

One more comment about OE. I attended a business lunch recent and was chatting to the woman next to me. We realised we were both on MBA programmes and began to chat about that. I asked where she was doing hers and she replied 'oh, just at OE'. She was almost apologetic. My understanding is that OE is an excellent course, very robust, but I was surprised at her response, not sure if there is still some sort of stigma attached to OE education.

That will do for now, but happy to dialogue further and answer any specific questions. Also do a search under my name and you will find a few threads discussing Warwick, HW and Henley from 2005.

All the best,

Dave C.

 

Hi Dave,

thanks a lot for your valuable info. I did in fact consider Henley but I am not sure whether I can attend many residential classes due to my work (also I am not located in the UK currently but in Switzerland and I know little about the future). You're absolutely right in that the Warwick and HW are totally different programmes especially in that the HW has little if any interaction. I would go for the Warwick no questions asked if I did not have to consider the fees (which are not very high, just times are difficult). The HW seems a good compromise in terms of fees and time I need to spend away from work. Oxford Brooks looks good as well, I am reading through their brochures.

You're absolutely correct that a specialization makes little sense: I want to be rather a generalist, I am already a specialist.

Finally, yes, it seems the OU seems to be still a taboo school unfortunately.

My only concern is that if finally I go for the HW I don't get disappointed compared to Warwick (or Henley for that matter). Again thanks a lot!

 

I never heard that - but maybe it depends on the type degree (MBA?) or career field - I've met several people in the UK and Eire with OU degrees in science or psychology including my BIL who has a degree in biology.

 

As an ex Brit I often heard that the Durham MBA to be one of the best in the UK
http://www.dur.ac.uk/dbs/degrees/mba/mba_dl/
Tuition includes books and other material.

???? Did you miss a word here?

 

Ian

not really a personal opinion (if I don't try I have no say) and I wish to show no disrespect for a university with a well structured pre/post graduate programme. I've heard here and there from people that the MBA(OU) in a CV does not look right. That said, looking up people that have enrolled or concluded an OU MBA on LinkedIn you can find very interesting people in equally interesting positions at large multinationals. Thus I consider it a pity that some people discredit the OU MBA.

 

The Durham page mentions the Financial Times World MBA rankings ... another piece of info that might be valuable to people seeking MBAs? (I guess this would fit in #6 on Dr Bear's list)

http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings

According to this list, the London School of Business is ranked #2 in the world ... is this MBA distance program the same thing, or different?
http://www.mbalondon.com/

 

There is a difference between the London School of Business and the London Business School.
This is the one from the FT ranking: http://www.london.edu/
No idea about the other one...

 

Ah, oops. I should've read the page a bit more carefully ... looks like the distance MBA offered at mbalondon.com is offered through Royal Holloway, which is also part of the University of London system but is distinct from the London Business School:
http://www.mbalondon.com/AboutUOL.htm

Royal Holloway (mbalondon.com) is unranked on the FT MBA rankings.

 

Either missed or added too many!?!?! My point was that I don't expect math to scare me off.

 

emmzee,

unless you already know that, here's another one (you can download the 2009 ratings as well). There's also an article but it is available only to subscribers.

http://mba.eiu.com/index.asp?layout=view_article&eiu_article_id=1782965163

 

You might be interested to know that EBS has an approved learning partner in Switzerland - University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland http://www.fhnw.ch/wirtschaft/weiterbildung/mba-master-of-business-administration-edinburgh-business-school/mba-master-of-business-administration-edinburgh-business-school .

Typically at other universities who are approved learning partners, you can take regular face to face classes with other students and have live instructors. This might be a great if you want more interaction/networking opportunities.

Another option that a lot of students in Europe do is the on-campus part-time program at EBS itself. Typically the courses for the required modules are taught over one or two weekends. Students take advantage of cheap flights from places like Ryanair or Easyjet to fly into Edinburgh on a Friday night (maybe a Wednesy depending on the class), take the classes over the weekend, and fly back home Sunday night. EBS even has very nice accomodations on-campus for students doing this.

Although the cost for the on-campus program is a little higher than the stictly DL program, the cost for the flights and room on-campus is very reasonable. See http://www.ebsglobal.net/programmes/mba-part-time-executive .

Most students who are doing the MBA program and holding a full-time job prefer this way of doing it because you get to network with fellow students and meet the professors in person. Also, since you are devoting the weekend to doing it, there is less chance of work/family conflicts getting in the way. Students generally do better on exams, there is less risk of procrastination, and students graduate sooner.

Just thought I would throw those other options out there!

 

dps,

I'm not trying to push you onto Henley, but just so you know they do run an 'International Stream'. This runs parallel with the standard DL MBA, but the group only need to attend one residential per year. Instead of staying 2 or 3 days they stay a full week. In my cohort we have international stream students from Asia, Africa, USA etc. You can proctor exams in your home country.

If you want name recognition be careful with Oxford Brookes. People get excited when they hear the word 'Oxford', and then you have the distraction of explaining that it 'isn't THAT Oxford' etc.

I went back through my research, and of all the UK DL MBAs I shortlisted the cheapest were Bradford and Strathclyde, both good schools. You may want to check them out.

Having said that, if you can find a few extra francs then I would seriously think about investing a bit more and going for the best school you can. You're only going to do this once.

All the best in your search.

Dave C.

 

Hi Dave and edowave

your input is really valuable and I appreciate the time you spend replying very much. As I suspected there is no simple answer like HW is crap or Warwick is not worth the extra money. No cliche answer either, like you get what you pay for. I can spend the extra cash (though I don't have loads of it), I am only wondering where it goes, if Warwick (or Henley) cost twice as much as HW. If it is just the brand name, HW does not have such a bad reputation so I can live with it plus the extra cash. However according to Dave if I understand correctly (and having read his past posts) it shouldn't be only that. I went through the structures of the two MBAs a little bit deeper and compared them. It seems that the structure of Warwick (Henley as well) MBA seems much more detailed with more modules. I guess there must be extra value in the interaction with tutors as well. Is it really so?

Thanks a lot again!