VeritasPrepMike wrote:
To be honest, I really doubt the value of online education, especially for MBA students. A big part of the business school experience is the network you build with other students and alumni, something that is missing in online programs. Also, recruiters don't place much value on an online degree. In many cases it can be a total money suck and not deliver what students expect. You are also investing a ton of time into something that might never pay off. I would really think if this is the best route for you.
I think that if you are promoting the networking value of MBA programs, then online MBA programs are not the only type of MBA programs that will come up short in this area. Part-time, on campus MBA programs and non top-100 MBA programs, maybe even non top-50 MBA programs will also run the risk of coming up short in regards to networking opportunities. I'm a member of both the National Black MBA Association and the Women's MBA Association. I have heard at least 5 different instances of people who attended on-campus, full-time MBA programs and they have remarked that the network opportunities in their MBA cohort were lacking. Now almost all of these people pursued their MBA in the Pittsburgh, PA area (where I live) and none went to Carnegie Mellon's Tepper school....which is probably the highest ranked program in the region. But they still represent a large selection of other area schools. The consensus is that stand alone, regional MBA efforts, such as the aforementioned groups and other organizations, like Net Impact, have been more beneficial for professional networking.
I will also point out that I realize that the group of people that I am speaking about is entirely comprised of ethnic minorities and women. So that could also be a concluding factor. But one thing is clear to me, that the benefit of a strong professional network is not a guarantee with all on-campus or even all full-time MBA programs; and your results may vary by person. Even though my MBA program was online (although there's really no way to know this...my degree is no different in name or requirements in comparison to any other MBA issued by my public state university), I did gain some professional contacts among my peers. I did not walk away with my MBA degree + this fantastic professional network. However my MBA also cost less than $15K. So my ROI, based on increased salary alone, has made it more than worth it.
Ultimately every case and situation is different.