distance learning may be lifestyle decision

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MBA basics: Choosing distance learning can be a lifestyle decision

By Kester Eddy

Perhaps your work involves travel and you need the flexibility to study when and where you like; perhaps you can neither afford the time nor cost of tuition fees, along with (unpaid) time off work to attend a full-time or part-time MBA.

Or, you live, say, in Ukraine, but want an American MBA when no such school is available; equally feasibly, you live and work in the back of beyond, and want to stay there, many hours away from the campus and classroom.

Whatever, you have weighed up the options and decided to trust all to the digital age and take an online, or distance learning, MBA.

That, you thought, was the hard part; choosing a provider would be the easy bit.

But not so fast; online providers themselves offer a wide variety of programmes, and in some ways the choice is even broader than for a traditional MBA; remember, once online, it is just as easy for someone in Calcutta to choose a provider in Singapore or Spain as it is New Delhi.

This was fundamental to Franck Besseat, a French computer engineer, looking west in the choice of his MBA provider.

“I wanted a North American degree because I was already planning a move there. Online programmes are great for people who seek to relocate; you can prepare your integration for your future working environment,” he says.

Mr Besseat already fitted one of the classic distance-learning profiles; he had a busy job, including travel across time zones.

“This choice was driven by my working constraints; I needed a programme flexible enough to enable me to prepare my assignments off-line, and to log on at will, independent of time and location,” he says.

Sures Muniandy, a Malaysian national with a degree in life sciences, was another “classical” online MBA recruit: “I’m married with two kids. I was a sales manager in pharmaceuticals before my MBA. I wanted a university that offered flexible times, without attending classes, as I was travelling extensively; and I wanted weekends for my family,” he says.

In addition, living in Brunei, a small country with just one university, severely limited his choice for a conventional MBA.

So how to choose the specific school? The first criterion is the question of quality. An obvious question is to check on the accreditation of any online qualification. In addition, if the school also operates a conventional class-based programme, are the two degrees equal?

“Is the MBA/EMBA the same quality as that offered to students in class? Is it the same faculty, using the same resource materials?” asks John Toohey, head of the business school at RMIT, Melbourne, Australia.

Then there is the question of student support, an aspect easily overlooked, but crucial, he says.

“Does the school give the same student support to its full-time and on-line programmes?“

Then we come to another possible hurdle: how online is online? Some providers allow you to start and stop studies at any time. Some insist that students attend a short period at the home (or satellite) campus. This can be as little as one week per year on the “supported distance learning” MBA at the UK’s Open University, to two days every six weeks, on the “fast track” programme at Babson College, Massachusetts, USA.

Such stints clearly facilitate face-to-face learning and help create the “bonding” beloved by students on full-time programmes; but they also are a barrier to those unable to commit time in advance, either due to work or distance.

Both considerations were crucial for Mr Besseat, who chose a programme with the University of Phoenix, Arizona.

“I wanted a 100 per cent online MBA. In 2004, when I conducted my market study, there were not so many universities offering them. Further, I wanted a degree by a ‘recognised’ university, because some organisations like my then employer, the United Nations, did not recognise all on-line programmes,” he says.

Mr Sures chose Edinburgh Business School (EBS) of Herriot-Watt University, Scotland, for almost exactly the same reasons, although in his case, recognition was perhaps even more crucial.

“Perhaps, to pursue a PhD or move into a lecturing career, distance learning would not be the ideal choice, as it is so widely accepted in my part of the world,” he says.

However, EBS, as one of the pioneers of distance learning – well before the age of the internet – offers a well-respected and fully-accredited qualification.

“I certainly achieved my objective, gaining so much knowledge, all with good support from the faculty boards,” he says.

And while cost was not a major factor for Mr Sures, another advantage of the Edinburgh programme is flexibility in financing – EBS is a “pay as you play” programme, while many require a substantial cash outlay upfront.

What, however, about the post-graduation experience? MBA graduates from traditional programmes speak highly of the networks created at school.

Can relationships forged during on-line studies morph into the same highly-prized alumni networks post graduation?

Potential students should certainly enquire before signing up for any on-line programme, although Mr Sures’ experience may give them comfort.

“We have an official alumni [association] and an unofficial site – ‘Watercooler’. It’s famous; most EBS students get together to discuss issues. We’re all very well connected,” he says.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

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