I found another thread that mentions this school and says the exams are extremely difficult to pass. Do the exams cover very practical business information or are they just difficult for the sake of being difficult? Are the exams difficult to pass because the course material does not do a good job of covering the questions on the exams or because exam questions ask for obscure facts? Where are the exams held in the US and how often? Is the course material slanted towards the way business is done in the UK? Have you found the 200 hours of study per course Heriot-Watt recommends about right, more than enough or not enough study time to pass and if you are able to pass the practice exams they provide should you then expect to also pass the real exam?
I am an alumni of the EBS program, finishing my last class in December 1999. Yes, the exams are difficult. The best way I have to describe them is 'a tough open book exam without the open book'. They are difficult due to the depth of detail and breadth of knowledge required to provide a satisfactory answer. If you are able to pass the sample exams within the required three hours, then you should be able to pass the real exam. The sample exams and the essay questions at the end of each chapter are the best preparation for the exams. They do test for practical business knowledge, as exemplified in the textbooks. Each exam has 20-30 multiple choice questions and two to three business case studies which are answered in essay format. The questions are not UK-specific, but rather test business knowledge that should be held by any MBA graduate. You are not, for example, going to be asked questions about Inland Revenue, the UK equivalent of the IRS. The 200 hours per course are an average, and some of the courses (such as Marketing) will take considerably more, while others may take somewhat less. Exams are generally held twice a year, in June and December. Exams are offered more frequently in a very few cities around the world. The last time I checked, EBS had over 200 testing centers in the USA. They generally try to provide you with a testing center within 250 miles of your location. Certain large US cities have permanent testing centers, usually at a local university. As an example, in Seattle, the testing is done at the University of Washington. The EBS is a difficult, but achievable, program. It is best for self-motivated students who do not require hand-holding. The program is held in great respect in the UK and is becoming better-known in the USA and Canada. If you have any other questions, please post here, or you can check out the EBS Watercooler forum over on Delphi.
Jax, I just saw another thread of yours, in which you are considering EBS as an alternative to finishing an undergrad degree. Please be aware that EBS is going to be far more difficult than almost any undergrad program you may undertake, and is generally considered more difficult than most 'face to face' MBA programs in the States. If you are looking to EBS as an easy alternative means of acquiring a MBA, I fear you will be disappointed.
I am mostly concerned about saving time and money and not needing to take a bunch of math prerequisites to get up to speed. I wasn't primarily looking for an "easy" MBA program. If EBS coursework requires calculus or other advanced math knowledge to understand the course material and pass the exams, then I won't consider it.
Then this is the MBA program for you. Priced right. No graduate entrance exam. No thesis. Regionally-accredited. Fully-distance learning except for one, lousy summer intensive (at a really beautiful place). And I don't see a single course that will require you to be a math whiz. Plus, if you take what you learn there seriously, you'll emerge from it a better leader, with an enhanced ethical sensibility. Business could certainly use more people with those virtues.
No calculus is required. In fact, Stats isn't even required anymore! Finance and Accounting use math, but nothing more complicated than raising something to a power of something. The exams often use the case study approach. You are given a real-life business problem, often one that is in the current headlines, and you need to use what you learned in the course to help solve it. There are also essay and multiple choice questions. The exams are tough, but very fair as well.
Heriot-Watt looks really attractive as a way to save years of time getting the MBA since I won't need to spend the time it would take to complete an undergraduate degree, but I'm not sure I will be comfortable with having the MBA from a school most people in the US have never heard of and having to explain how HW works and why I don't have a bachelors degree etc.. Does anyone have experience on employers views on MBA degrees from foreign schools?
Please note that although EBS will take you into its program without an undergraduate degree, you are provisionally admitted until you pass three courses, showing you can do the work. Failing a core course twice will generally result in being flunked out of the program. I read somewhere once that of the students admitted without an undergrad degree, a large percentage (perhaps even the majority) subsequently flunked out. Just FYI, many USA MBA programs will admit you without an undergrad degree, assuming you meet certain other criteria. If there is a local program that interests you, you should contact the Business School admissions office and talk to them about it. Your chance of admission goes up substantially if it is a distance-learning program.
Two questions for the EBS alumni: How did you use your MBA in the US? Did it help to achieve your professional goals? Thank you, Lchemist
Having my MBA was a substantial factor in changing jobs with a corresponding substantial pay increase. The issue of my degree being granted from a Scottish university never, ever came up. If anything, people are more impressed when they learn that I completed a MBA via distance learning while still being employed full-time in a demanding professional position. In comparison to working full-time, raising a family and studying for my MBA, my current situation is a walk in the park by comparision.
Which MBA do you think will be better received by employers in the USA.? 1- MBA for the fully employed, from RA university, for example Pepperdine University. (B&M, evenings) 2- DL MBA from a RA US university? 3- British DL MBA from prestigious schools, I.e. Henley, London, Heriot-Watt Thanks, Lchemist
In my opinion, if your work, family and financial situation permit, the very best MBA program for you is one that is in the same location as you intend to work or job hunt. This is because if you wish to use your MBA to seek new employment or change careers, then having local name recognition of the school, access to their job placement services, and having a local network of classmates can be important. Unless you go to some nationally-recognized school such as Yale, Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Duke or something like that, a local school will probably give you the best return on investment for a job search or career change. The downside to a local school is once you get out of their catchment area, name recognition may not count for much anymore. I earned my BSc/MSc from the University of Washington, and that gets name recognition in the Pacific NW and West Coast of the USA. It probably would not mean squat on the East Coast, Midwest or other areas of the country, unless you are talking to an alumni or someone who recognizes a particular area of expertise for that school. As an example, here in Seattle, ocean sciences (due to the UW) and beer brewing (due to the microbrew craze) is very big. If I ever run into someone locally who knows of Heriot-Watt University, it is because they are an alumni, are from the UK, or have heard of their world-class programs in ocean engineering and brewing/distilling. For a US citizen who intends to work in the USA, a local program is probably the best for you. I should point out that I did a MBA primarily for my own personal interest, and not for job advancement. That has been a happy side benefit. Also, when I first started looking into a distance-learning MBA program back in the early 1990's, EBS was one of the very few reputable programs, as opposed to a degree mill. Now of course, there are many more options to choose from. My personal situation back then allowed only distance-learning as an option, as opposed to full-time or evening programs.
That's a good point many people seem to miss about MBAs. The benefit you get from an MBA is the value it adds to your work experience. DL MBAs like Heriot-Watt are good choices for people how are already working in the field they want to work in and need an MBA for advancement, or for people who "just want an MBA." However, if you are just starting out in your career, or are looking to make a major career change, then I would not recommend any DL MBA, US or UK, not matter how prestigious. Networking is very important and often who you know is more vital than what you know, as well as being in the right place at the right time. (like when a recruiter stops by at a local university...)
Lchemist: You might want to check this thread: http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22245 It was discussed just a few days ago, and it has my and others'opinions on Uk DL MBAs. Good luck, Joi
Do you have to officially enroll in Heriot Watt to take the exams or can you take the exams, and when you are nearing completion of all the MBA requirements, enroll then?
You do have to register as a student before you can take any exams. However, before you can be enrolled as a matriculated student, you have to apply to be formally admitted. As I see in the EBS Student Handbook, requirements for matriculation are a degree with first or second class honors from Heriot-Watt, or any other University recognized by Heriot-Watt, or three successful EBS course passes. So although you can actually register and start taking exams without an undergrad degree, you do have to matriculate in order to continue with the program and eventually graduate.
Michael Lloyd You mentioned in an earlier post that 'many USA MBA programs will admit you without an undergrad degree'. Which programs were you referring to? I always thought that an undergraduate degree was required...but then again, I'm new to the whole distance learning thingy. For one reason or another, I could only think of Aspen and Heriot-Watt which waive the undergrad if you have sufficient test scores/experience. Greg
Greg, I am unaware of such list or reference that you can consult to determine which US MBA schools will admit you without a relevant undergrad degree. In the admission requirements, many schools list 'an undergraduate degree, equivalent experience or other criteria as may be determined by the school'. So you would have to enquire of each school as to their requirements. Suffice it to say that most schools are not absolute on the requirement for an undergrad degree, depending on your other experience and qualifications. Generally, if you don't have an undergrad degree, you are required to have some other educational accomplishments, or have a certain number of years of work experience. But at one time, an undergrad is no guarantee either. When I was first thinking about a MBA over fifteen years ago I called my alma mater. Interestingly enough, my BSc/MSc from that same institution did not meet their admission requirements since my degrees were in a physical science, not a business or economic discipline. They, like most business schools, changed some time down the road so that an undergrad degree in any discipline would suffice.
