{"id":7954,"date":"2011-08-01T09:45:47","date_gmt":"2011-08-01T16:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=7954"},"modified":"2011-07-18T13:47:47","modified_gmt":"2011-07-18T20:47:47","slug":"mbaunc-is-uncs-new-online-mba-program-a-good-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mbaunc-is-uncs-new-online-mba-program-a-good-move\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA@UNC: Is UNC&#8217;s New Online MBA Program a Good Move?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Is UNC\u2019s Kenan-Flagler Business School\u2019s new online MBA program, <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinemba.unc.edu\/\">MBA@UNC<\/a>, forward-thinking or just misguided?<\/p>\n<p>That's  the question many are asking as UNC prepares to launch MBA@UNC this  fall with an inaugural class of 19 students. As the first top 20  business school to offer an online MBA program, UNC will undoubtedly be  carefully watched by administrators, professors, and others.<\/p>\n<p>The  school is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead. In an interview with the <em>Wall  Street Journal<\/em>, Doug Shackelford,  associate dean of the online M.B.A.  program, <a href=\"https:\/\/online.wsj.com\/article\/SB10001424052702304793504576430073081938258.html\">admitted that<\/a> \u201cthe concept  of online education does not have a  sterling image.\u201d In general, the  term \"online MBA\" largely calls to mind for-profit programs  like the University of Phoenix or Kaplan University, schools who don't enjoy the  prestigious, storied reputation that a school like Kenan-Flagler, which  was founded in 1919, hopes to maintain.<\/p>\n<p>But  as online and blended learning programs grow in virtually every sector,  UNC is determined to work towards breaking that association and establishing a high-quality online learning environment for MBAs. The school is taking a leap of faith -- but also carefully executing a number of practical steps to try to ensure that the quality of their new online program meets that of UNC's traditional MBA.<\/p>\n<p>According to a<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinemba.unc.edu\/mba-at-unc-blog\/the-online-mba-experience-what-sets-mbaunc-apart\/\"> blog post from UNC<\/a>, some of the perks that the 19 students that make up MBA@UNC\u2019s inaugural class will enjoy include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A  combination of \u201csynchronous and asynchronous learning experiences\u201d --  in other words, students will be able to review difficult material at  their own pace, but also meet in live sessions with <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinemba.unc.edu\/about\/faculty-profiles\/\">professors<\/a> and peers  (including classes, office hours, and work\/study groups).<\/li>\n<li>Two \u201cimmersion weekends\u201d where they can network and meet in person<\/li>\n<li>Flexibility -- students will not be required to leave jobs or relocate in order to attend the program<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>MBA@UNC\u2019s  19 students -- who had a median GMAT score of 700 and a median GPA of 3.3 -- will pay a not-insignificant $89,000 for the two-year program, compared  to a $98,000 price for non-residents attending the in-person program (NC  residents pay $52,000 for the in-person program). With such a steep price tag, UNC, it seems, is yet again emphasizing the fact that MBA@UNC will provide the same  opportunities as its on-campus program.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What  do you think?<\/strong> Is MBA@UNC a step in the right direction? Will other top  b-schools follow its lead? Or is offering an online MBA program a  misstep for a top school like UNC?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is UNC\u2019s Kenan-Flagler Business School\u2019s new online MBA program, MBA@UNC, forward-thinking or just misguided? That&#8217;s the question many are asking as UNC prepares to launch MBA@UNC this fall with an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7955,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7954\/revisions\/7955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}