Top Online MBA Cohorts with the Most Work Experience 2019

The online MBA program at the University of Otago Business School’s students have the most work experience in the QS Online MBA Rankings 2019.

Released today, the QS Online MBA Rankings assess the online MBA offerings of 40 business schools worldwide, demonstrating just how easy it is to earn your MBA away from the classroom.

You can find out more about the methodology used to produce the rankings here.

=8) Oxford Brookes Business School

Average work experience (years): 13

Oxford Brookes Business School scored highly for class profile. Over half (51 percent) of students are international, and 40 percent are women.

Students undertake a mixture of core compulsory modules, elective modules, and an MBA project – either a dissertation, an individual consultancy project, a group consultancy project or a business start-up plan.

Face-to-face learning consists of two three-day residential hotel-based workshops and one six-day on-campus module in Oxford. Fees for the two-year program are £15,740 (approx. US$19,973).

=8) Frank G. Zarb School of Business

Average work experience (years): 13

The online MBA program at the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University achieved a perfect score for class experience and a high score for faculty and teaching.

Typical modes of learning delivery on the program are audio and video lectures, discussion boards, online assignments and exams and online case discussions.

Fees for the program are US$63,875 and the average program length is 20 months. The cohort is made up of 48 percent female students. Participants have opportunities to network with fellow students and industry leaders through residencies in New York City.

=8) Warwick Business School

Average work experience (years): 13

Warwick Business School’s online MBA program achieved a perfect score for class experience and the joint highest score in the rankings for class profile.

Warwick’s program takes an average of 30 months to complete. In your first year, you’ll undertake eight required modules and two ‘Warwick Weeks’ on campus. In your second year you’ll take four elective modules and a consultancy project.

The cohort is diverse, with 92 percent international students and 31 percent female students. Fees for the program are £32,460 (approx. US$41,194) and include one international elective module.

=8) Bradford University School of Management

Average work experience (years): 13

With an average of 13 years’ work experience for Bradford University School of Management’s online MBA students, it’s not surprising the program scored highly for class profile and class experience.

All activities are digitally enabled, with online access to materials, textbooks and discussion boards. Students can also undertake face-to-face block modules at no extra fee at the School of Management or their partner institution in Dubai.

Around 80 percent of students are international, and women make up 31 percent of the cohort. Tuition fees for the 36-month program are £17,425 (approx. US$22,230), with a 10-20 percent discount available for University of Bradford alumni.

=3) Curtin Business School

Average work experience (years): 14

Curtin Business School leads the Australian programs for work experience, with the program scoring well in class experience and class profile, with 51 percent female students.

Currently, Curtin has a blended delivery of online and face-to-face teaching, with a fully online MBA program to be offered later this year, but currently allows for a blended delivery of online and face-to-face teaching methods. Candidates can undertake the 34-month program as a ‘generalist’ MBA or choose to specialize in either leadership or oil and gas (in partnership with Aberdeen Business School at Robert Gordon University.

Fees for Australia/New Zealand students are AUD$35,550 (approx. US$24,943) and AUD$49,800 for international students (approx. US$34,941) in 2019.

=3) The Open University

Average work experience (years): 14

The Open University’s online MBA cohort achieved high scores for class experience and class profile. The average program length is 36 months.

The program combines online forums and web discussion rooms with face-to-face components, with short residential schools and optional face-to-face workshops for most modules. With a large class size of 830, 32 percent of students are international and around 36 percent are female.

Fees range between £15,370 and £21,320 (approx. US$19,553 and US$27,122) depending on the length of time you take to complete the program and if you’re from the UK, Republic of Ireland, EU or international.

=3) Jack Welch Management Institute

Average work experience (years): 14

The Jack Welch Management Institute offer an online MBA in partnership with Strayer University. The program achieved a perfect score for class experience and the highest score in the rankings for class profile.

Founded by former GE CEO Jack Welch in 2009, students can expect to be taught business lessons from Welch, as well as CEOs from top companies like Berkshire Hathaway and Starbucks.

Lasting 24 months on average, the program requires a time commitment of 10-15 hours per week. Tuition fees are US$46,200, and around 48 percent of the cohort are women.

=3) The Robert Gordon University

Average work experience (years): 14

The online MBA program at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen achieved a high score in the rankings for class experience.

Most of the program is delivered online, but you will attend a nine-day Leadership Week and conduct a consultancy project for a client organization. Online teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, and independent study.

Around 69 percent of the cohort are international students. With an average program length of 33 months, tuition for the program is £17,000 (approx. US$21,626).

=3) Aston Business School

Average work experience (years): 14

Birmingham’s Aston Business School’s online MBA program is 100 percent online and scored highly for class experience.

You have the option to choose from four pathways to tailor your MBA to your professional needs: global business, finance, organizational development and entrepreneurship. It is triple accredited by AACSB, AMBA and Equis, and has a global alumni network of over 90,000.

The 33-month program has tuition fees of approx. US$23,829. Half of the cohort are international (50 percent) and 38 percent are female.

2) Durham University Business School

Average work experience (years): 16

Durham University Business School’s students have an average of 16 years’ work experience. The program achieved high scores for class profile and class experience.

You can choose to take the 24-month program 100 percent online or take a blended approach combining online learning with residential modules. Online modules are delivered over a 12-week period.

Fees for the program are between £21,000 and £23,000 (approx. US$26,715 to US$29,259). In terms of class profile, 59 percent of students are international and around 28 percent are women.

1) University of Otago Business School

Average work experience (years): 18

Top of the table is New Zealand’s University of Otago Business School, where participants have an impressive average of 18 years’ work experience. The program achieved a perfect score for class experience.

The 36-month program is fully online, with live classes held once a week through video conferencing. However, there are opportunities for face-to-face interaction with elective classes at Otago’s Dunedin campus and international exchange opportunities.

The class sizes are small, with a maximum of 25 students per cohort (of which around 35 percent are women). Tuition for the program is approximately US$24,000.