<p>I've been thinking about getting my MBA for about 5 years now.. Just never got around to actually acting on it.. My work would pay for it, up to about $6000 a year or so (I forget the actual figure).. But since I would be working full time, I have two options... I could look into a local school (we have several private schools as well as public schools in my local area that have MBA programs) and do night courses 1-2x a week after work, or I could look into a school that offers 100% online learning. Has anyone ever done this? If so, pro's and con's would be helpful.</p>
<p>I’ve done online business classes as well as in-class ones. They both have their advantages. I like the interaction of face-to-face classes, but sometimes they aren’t worth the time they take when you can do the work on your own via an online class.</p>
<p>I think the very best option is to be able to combine the two modes, with some classes online and some in-class. Do any of the schools in your area offer something like that? It’s what I’m doing now, and I like the flexibility a lot.</p>
<p>Some schools are offering hybrid classes. The first meeting is in person. This way it does not seem like a chat room. The rest can be done on line. Some classes require a meeting time in an online meeting room at a specific time. And others are just fulfilled totally by reading and submitting an essay or project… I looked into UMass online MBA and was impressed. But I went with a local university masters program. With over 20 years of work experience, I really did not need the networking and people connections that are present in classroom MBA programs. </p>
<p>I think the learning online is still developing. It’s a whole new perspective to adult learning. The online class gets rid of bias. Introverts can participate at their pace with out interruption by extroverts. Fast hand raising folks are washed out in the participation game. Accents, very important in our diverse world, dissappear online for the most part. The structure of sentences can sometime indicate a ESL student, but not always. So an ESL student gets more out of class when more people can understand.
The down side is no facial expressions to read on folks. You cant interrepret someones body language. Somepeople actually feel energy of others and work off that, work with that, and create energy for others in the class. Plus and minus if you ever had an energy hog in class.</p>
<p>I’m not sure, I’d have to look into the hybrid type thing. My problem with having set times to show up for class is that if I get stuck at work for whatever reason I may miss it completely or show up extremely late. It’s not uncommon to be stuck at work an extra hour with no warning. Not like it happens every day or anything, but every once and awhile I’m there late. I would hope they have flexibility in that most people in those classes are currently working but I don’t know. I typically work till 6, so if I did a local school where I actually had to physically attend I would have to do a slightly earlier shift on class days. My one friend at work is getting her masters in education and on the days that she has class she set her schedule up so that she leaves at 5:15, that way if she gets out a little late she can still make it for her 6:30 classes. I’m also hoping (let me repeat, HOPING!!) for a promotion sometime this coming year, so if that (and I am crossing my fingers here and knocking on wood) comes true, my schedule could be changing as well. I’m thinking maybe I should hold out to see if that comes true before I commit myself to something. I think I could at least start studying for the GMAT awhile…</p>
<p>The one school has deferred tuition, which would work great for me. They defer it till the end of the semester when the employer reimburses. That way you don’t have to pay out of pocket up front, take the class, and wait for the employer to pay you back. That one has an online MBA or an in person MBA, not sure if the in person MBA has online classes or not. The school is only about 15 minutes from my house though.</p>
<p>I did my Masters program in a Distance Learning environment. The thing that was important for me was synchronous vs. asynchronous. My program was synchronous meaning that I had classes on a certain night at a certain time with my classmates. It was a live class; the teacher’s voice and slides were live as were my fellow students on chat and also via audio. We were able to virtually raise our hands, say yes or no to a question. We also had a live chat box to the right of the screen where we could ask questions, make comments or let the teacher know if we needed clarification. I also presented solo projects as well as group projects in that format. </p>
<p>I had started this Masters Degree at a traditional university but due to a corporate relo I had to switch; this DE program was the only way I could finish my degree. Since I can compare the same program in two formats I can say that I don’t think I missed anything by being DE. I became much closer to my “virtual” classmates than I had been with my in-person classmates for a number of reasons. My local area had a large number of people in the program and we would get together about 3 times a semester for a mixer. As a matter of fact, I was at a professional board meeting yesterday & I got to see a few of my classmates in person again. </p>
<p>I have taken a few CEU classes in an asynchronous format and it was difficult for me. I need more structure and interaction.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is name recognition for your degree, and how it would be perceived by employers. Unfortunately, a lot of employers at this stage are still wary of online degrees. So it depends on what you want out of it. If you are looking for a career boost with employers outside your current one, you will want to consider carefully.</p>
<p>I went to a University of Tennessee DE program; my diploma is exactly the same as someone who took all their classes on campus. Most DE programs completed through a traditional brick and mortar University will not distinguish between the two types of degrees.</p>
<p>Now someplace like Phoenix is a different story but they are a for-profit organization and you wouldn’t get me near them with a 10 foot pole.</p>
<p>We have to take CEU courses at work as well. They always had different ways to do it - we could do online CEU courses while at work or we could do a self study outside of work course. I always did the latter. They were the “here is the book, study on your own, and show up in person for your final test at the end” type of courses. My work paid for the books and for the course fees and we got a bonus for passing and earning our CE credits on our own time. They have since stopped doing the bonus program so now everyone just does them the traditional online way at work.</p>
<p>What I found myself doing was waiting till the week before my test and pulling some all nighters to get through all the material… felt like I was back in college! So… Some structure would be nice.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t do an online school like the University of Phoenix… If it would be online it would be a regular university that does online learning as well. The one I was looking at that has tuition deferment is Desales University. I realize certain employers look at where you got your degree and whatnot, however I would think any masters degree is better then no masters degree. I’m not in the market for a new employer at the moment… and if my employer will pay for it, I’m all for it. I’ve mulled this over ever since I started working there over 5 years ago and never acted on it… but now I think I’m going to start thinking about it more seriously.</p>
<p>I have taken online courses toward a degree in conjunction with classes on campus. I found that the online courses were not as in depth, and the class participation aspect was lacking. I find I learn a lot from the questions other people ask during class.</p>
<p>What I ended up doing was taking non core requirements classes online (the ‘filler’ classes), and stuck to taking core classes on campus. That was I was getting through the program without shortchanging myself on information I felt it would be important to get/ retain.</p>
<p>Not sure how that would work with an MBA degree. I had an acquaintance do the U of Phoenix thing, and I think my employer would pay for that also, but I myself would go for a program through a name university.</p>