On or Off-Campus: Considering MBA Format Options

With a growing number of online and distance learning MBAs being offered, TopMBA.com weighs up the pros and cons of on-campus and off-campus MBA formats.

Finding the right MBA program amongst the many differing, worthwhile options can be a confusing venture. Study modes are plentiful: full-time, part-time, online, distance learning, and executive. Then an applicant may have to select the length of program, a certain specialization or set of electives, or even which continent to spend each semester in if their program is taught on multiple campuses.

“We spend so much time trying to distinguish ourselves in our MBA applications; but there's actually a lot of distinguishing that needs to be done on the other side as well – on the side of the MBA programs themselves,” explains Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com. “Each [program] has its own characteristics, its own strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. It's important that you, as a discerning MBA applicant, spend some time uncovering these differences so you can determine which programs are best for you.”

The differences between campus-based full- and part-time MBA programs are fairly obvious, however for executive MBAs, distance learning and online program formats the differentiating aspects can be a little more blurred. For clarification, TopMBA.com defines online MBAs as those that are solely taught online, and distance learning as those that are predominantly taught remotely, but do include a requirement for students to attend some on-campus sessions.

Meanwhile, it is almost universally agreed that executive MBAs are programs for those with six or more years of work experience – the idea being that those enrolled on an executive MBA program will be able to learn a great deal from, and connect with their fellow cohort. Similar to the distance learning format, they allow students to continue with their career and personal life as on-campus requirements are normally scheduled outside of office hours, typically on weekends.

The pressures of working remotely

However, while the physical, on-campus demands of executive, online, and distance learning program formats may be less than traditional on-campus formats, the mental demands are certainly not.

“The rhythm of work and the mode of study are very different: executive MBA students need to be able to work remotely, to communicate electronically and to motivate themselves when nobody is standing over them,” explains David Simmons, executive director MBA and director of international development at Cranfield School of Management in the UK.

“They must be very focused, disciplined and organized and be able to adapt their learning styles to ensure that when they are working in teams on campus they are able to maximize the benefits of those direct interactions.

“It is a different kind of shared experience which in its own way can be every bit as intense and transformational as a full-time program with the added elements that life impinges on study and that learning can be put to immediate use. In our experience executives develop their own very strong bonds and a true sense of commitment to one another.”

Perhaps as a result of recent economic uncertainties, and an unwillingness amongst applicants to give up a stable job in order to study full-time, an annual global survey by QS has seen a decline in MBA applicant interest in full-time MBA study modes. Some applicants instead look to program formats such as distance learning, online and executive that allow them to continue working while studying.

In 2009, over 82% of respondents to the TopMBA.com Applicant Survey acknowledged that they were primarily looking to study full-time. But by 2011, this dropped to just over 56%. Although the full-time MBA study mode remains by far the most popular format, since 2009 all other study modes have increased in popularity.

“I believe it’s a cost-benefit analysis,” says William McDonald, director of executive MBA, Geneva and academic business development at Thunderbird School of Global Management. “Like when you buy a home, choosing an MBA is a bit of a ‘mortgage’ on your career. Predicting the returns from an investment in a home depends on your expectations in the real estate market, and predicting the value of an MBA depends on your confidence in the labor market.

Opportunity cost of an MBA

“Candidates are considering the opportunity cost of a full-time MBA (leaving the labor market for one or two years), and many are opting to keep momentum rolling in their careers by exploring alternate formats. Many top-ranked schools offer modular executive programs and/or high-quality online MBA programs, since technology has improved communications.”

“If a student is employed and wants to remain employed, but requires a credential that might help advancement internally where they are, then the online format makes a lot of sense,” explains Jerry Trapnell, vice president and chief accreditation officer at US-based accreditation agency AACSB.

However as Trapnell continues, if the intended outcome of an MBA program is to find a new job or to gear them up for a change in career, then off-campus MBA program formats may not be the ideal solution: “If a student is thinking about the MBA being their springboard to a new job, a new career direction, or a situation where they don’t have a job and are looking for one, then the online degree or lesser known institutions is where you’ll find a degree of uncertainty as they are competing with graduates from better-known institutions and programs.”

“Our view is that online and distance learning can never deliver the same quality as the face-to-face experience,” says Simmons at Cranfield.

“The MBA is so much more than just a body of knowledge; it is fundamentally about developing an increased awareness of oneself and others in order to be able to work more effectively with and through others. That kind of understanding comes from real interactions with real people grappling with real challenges. Distance programs may give you all the separate ingredients but that doesn’t create the flavor, that can only come from the way those ingredients are mixed and blended!”

Ultimately, it is down to the individual applicant to weigh up the pros and cons of each school, program, and format. Deciding what it is that they wish to gain from an MBA, coupled with careful research and an analysis of the options available is paramount.

“If you think about the ultimate assessment that an applicant has to make, it is ‘can a program maximise my opportunities post-degree?’” says Trapnell of AACSB. “Careful analysis of that is essential for any prospective student making the decision about which course to apply to.”