What to Expect from a Top-Quality Online MBA Program

Sponsored by the University of Birmingham

The digital revolution is gathering pace.

According to the AACSB, the number of Business Schools offering Online MBAs increased globally by 54 percent between 2012/13 and 2016/17. This correlates with demand, as the recognition and acceptance of online study continues to offer busy professionals across the globe the chance to learn the latest business theory without placing their career on pause to head to campus.

If the concept of an online degree is relatively new to you, we’ve teamed up with the University of Birmingham to dig a little deeper into the benefits of studying an MBA online and what to expect if you decided that the Online MBA was the best program of choice for you.

How the program is structured

While some Online MBAs include a residential element, the University of Birmingham’s MBA is 100 percent online. In fact, it was the first wholly online MBA to be accredited by AMBA, the leading authority on postgraduate business education.

So, what does that mean for you?

For one thing it means that the university has gone to great lengths to reconfigure the teaching experience for an online audience. Ian Myatt, Director of Educational Enterprise at the university, explains: “[T]his is not a campus-based course that we’ve just put online; we built it from the ground up, taking on board the current online environment and latest technology that we have available.”

Teaching is conducted through a centralized online learning platform allowing students to easily access their lessons and learning materials. Students can discuss program content with their module tutors and interact with peers through discussion forums and weekly assignment activities. As well as independent and group study, there are also interactive live, fortnightly video lectures, which have been scheduled to fit with each student’s time zone (so it really doesn’t matter where you are based). It’s everything you’d expect from a globally ranked, Russell Group institution.

Who you’ll be studying with

The nature of online education means that you will be studying with students from across the globe, allowing you to network with other professionals from a broad range of backgrounds. A common misconception is the notion of the ‘lonely long-distance learner’, but with the University of Birmingham, it’s simply not the case. Students studying online feel part of a community, working towards individual and collective goals.

Everyone on the Online MBA has a minimum of three years’ management experience and they work across a broad range of industries too. This includes (but is not limited to) banking and finance, education, engineering, and construction - which means there’s a wide knowledge base for students to tap into as well.

What you’ll learn

A typical, good quality Online MBA would use the same industry and research-led content as a traditional on-campus program, ensuring that students receive the same quality of education - no matter how they choose to study.

The University of Birmingham’s program is no different. A ‘top-100’ institution (QS 2018), and with world-leading research, the University of Birmingham utilises the latest industry-led teaching and research to cover all the core business bases.

Dr Michael Shulver, the university’s Director of Online Content, explains: “[S]tudents don’t undertake a different MBA; it’s ‘one’ degree certificate both in terms of learning objectives and the quality of graduate.”

Alongside the core modules, students also benefit from having a choice of elective modules in their second year, allowing them to personalize their studies to fit with their areas of interest. Students graduate with a higher level of critical understanding and people management skills, furthering their ability to solve complex problems faced by today’s global businesses.

Recent graduate, Gayan Sirimanne, noticed the impact his learning had, saying: “[T]he MBA made me think deeper. ‘Critical analysis’, that’s the main thing I learnt. Everything looked simple, but you can dig deeper and use critical thinking."

How you can find out more

If you’re considering a 100 percent Online MBA program that’s both highly regarded and at the forefront of innovation, the University of Birmingham could be the right choice for you. For more information about fees and available modules to study, download a brochure today.