Flexibility in time and format

Candidates considering an online MBA know that these programmes fall into two broad and overlapping categories: a virtual format based almost exclusively on online communication, and a blended version where students in the same class are expected to come together to attend classroom sessions for short periods of time. A third variation, the distance learning MBA, enables students living relatively close to the home campus to submit papers and exams by post.

In addition, the duration of online programmes varies according to the needs of each student. For example, a student working towards an online MBA at Thunderbird will be expected to attend classroom sessions for 25 percent of the programme and have the option of completing it in twelve, nineteen or thirtysix months.

At the start of your online MBA, textbooks and printed materials can be posted to your home or office if requested. For study purposes, students have access to virtual libraries and 24/7 resource centres. Just as in full-time programmes, professors assign readings for each module. In the purely online format, students do not sit exams but instead are graded incrementally as they progress through the modules. This means they know at any point what they need to achieve to ensure a pass. In the blended version, students sit graded exams

Small class sizes encourage written Communication

In the online MBA, every student follows the same progression through the core curriculum. Students join small and carefully structured classes, enabling them to receive individual attention from faculty staff while communicating more effectively than is often the case in the large classes typical of fulltime MBA programmes. Case studies are tackled in small groups just like in the corporate world, which prepares students to manage global teams and apply their learning to real-life situations.

As students complete one business course and start another, their relationship with their fellow students is strengthened across the entire class. A self-perpetuating cycle, communication within an online MBA class extends right through and beyond graduation. You will have created and sustained a solid business network that will last your entire career. Moreover, your writing skills will have improved considerably since the main form of communication is through the written word.

Network-building lasts a lifetime

One of the hidden attributes of online MBA programmes is the high level of student participation, often exceeding that of full-time MBAs. When students have questions about a particular aspect of a course, they submit them by email to their professors. When they work together in workgroups, they communicate by email. To contact programme directors, they mail a quick question. All of these messages and ideas are saved for future reference to the extent that participation becomes a virtuous circle of knowledge flow and information exchange.