MBA open university

[Nocturne123]

Has anyone studied for a MBA at the open university ?

I've heard the OU is well accredited but was just wondering if anyone had any experience ?

DH will be applying for a MBA but just has to make a choice between the OU and two local universities

Any advice would be great !

[NK5BM3]

Hello
The open university is one of a dozen uni or so in the uk that are triple crown accredited. This means they have amba accreditation, as well as Equis and aacsb. Doesn't mean anything to anyone outside the business school world - don't worry!! But essentially it means their teaching and the faculty are well regarded.

The only issue I would say is your dh will need to be v self motivated to study at the open. If anything because a lot of the stuff done is online of course. Yes you do get to go in to see the tutors or have sessions with the tutors but everything is online. So you need to meet coursemates online, do group work online etc.

It obviously depends also on who the other two local universities are. For the MBA, being accredited by amba is the key. Of course having the other 1 or 2 would be useful but pretty rare.

If you wish to share, then do it here, or you can PM me. Good luck.

[NK5BM3]

Also, a lot of people choose to 'go to uni' and meet the tutors and coursemates because you get a lot out of the interaction and sharing of knowledge, networks and experiences. So even if the other two have fewer Accreditations, it may be worth looking into them. Also teaching format (evenings, weekends, weekdays?), other support like employability, careers, leadership, social enterprise...?

[strongandlong]

I have just finished an ou MBA (I hope! Just waiting for the final module results). The progRamme now is different, but the content and teaching are very good. I chose the ou because it was very flexible. I've fitted it around work, maternity leave etc over a few years. If I hadn't needed that flexibility, I would have gone for a local uni, because I really value face to face time with tutors and other students. Most of the ou modules have a weekend school and a few tutorials, but most of the time you're on your own...

[bionic77]

I've completed an MBA with the Open University. It took 4 years as I did a Certificate in Management, then a Diploma in Management followed by 2 year top up to make it an MBA.

Good points:

• Excellent course materials that all arrived in a box prior to course starting. The quality was good, comprehensive and not just books but CDs, DVDs.
• Wide variety of tutors most of whom were still working in businesses, some as owner managers, others as non exec directors.
• each module was in a 6 month chunk so there were plenty of opportunities to take time out if you needed to.
• Seminars were frequent enough to allow you to clarify your learning, make contacts with other students and feel like you were part of something bigger.
• the ability to pretty much learn at your own pace. I preferred to do nothing for a while and then immerse myself in my studies. Others on the course did a little bit everyday. It was really up to you.
• Good module choice often taught by specialists. For example i did Financial Strategy module and it was taught by a guy who specialised in mergers and acquisitions at a large company. Tutor pay at the OU is rubbish so you know tutors are doing the job as they really want to pass on their knowledge.

Downsides

• if you want to be on-campus then obviously you won't get that.
• not everyone has the discipline to motivate themselves to study without the push of attending 'lessons'.
• It's a long road if you are doing distance learning. It takes a long time. You can do a full time MBA in one year if you can afford to give up work.

As a bit of background when I started my MBA I actually worked at a University, but chose the OU route rather than my own institution.

Happy to answer any specific questions.

[Nocturne123]

Thanks so much everyone I've just seen these! Will show them to dh tomorrow and see if he has anymore questions

Very helpful , thanks again

[Nocturne123]

The two local universities are queens university Belfast and university of ulster if anyone has any experience / knowledge of those .

I've had an awful headache for the last few days so going to show dh your replies tonight , thanks again

[NK5BM3]

I would recommend that your dh goes and visits these 2 places to get a feel. Meet the students and the programme director. The Belfast one in particular is v cheap and with its reputation that makes it v good value for money.

I personally think it takes a lot to do self study, especially when combined with full time work and life (do you have kids?).

I think like previous posters have said, they did the ou one in 5 years. Will he be able to sustain that?

Definitely go check them out.

[Nocturne123]

Yes we do have kids , one 18months and one 10 weeks so it will definitely be a huge commitment for all of us really .

Going to check them out would be a good idea as well , just to make sure he'd get the most out of it .

[NK5BM3]

One big advantage of being in a classroom is the so called discipline of turning up to classes, making time in the work schedule to attend lessons. That helps particularly when there's full on life and work.

[DadAtHome04]

Dear All, I am new to Mumsnet but as my user name suggests I am not a Mum but a Dad who has recently been made redundant. I could see the most helpful answers and support being provided on Mumsnet hence thougt why not register here and try my luck.

I have enrolled for fast track MBA with OU as am determined to get this out of my way in 2 years. But, unfortunately there I don't have much experience in online formal education. I have a lot of queries and would appreciate if some one who has completed MBA from OU help.
1.Does OU tutors conduct online teaching sessions or is it just via a blog.

1. Can I find ideal TMA's submitted by an ex-student for guidance.
   
2. Where can I find past papers and their model answers.
   

I will much appreciate if someone could help/advise. (Unfortunately OU Student Support has not been of much help)
Cheers
A Dad at Home - Searching for work :)

[mintthins]

Not and OU MBA student, but recent graduate of another OU degree.

You will find the online teaching sessions are delivered in a number of different ways. Some via group chat, some via live sessions with interactive whiteboards etc, some via one to one audio.

You should not find examples of previous TMAs online. If you do by chance, they tend to be fairly poor examples. TMA subject change slightly for each presentation for this reason.

Your tutor is expected to give VERY detailed feedback when you submit, so that you can improve for the next TMA.

OUSA sell past papers. They don't give model answers though. This is done as a fundraiser link here

Join as many FB groups as you can find. They are all closed, so private form your own feed. They are an absolute life saver, and in my experience most have a tutor or two involved too (informally). These people become your friends, and support group, as well as a sounding board, and somewhere to moan when you get a tutor you just don't get along with, which will most likely happen at least once.

good luck.

[DadAtHome04]

@mintthins thanks for your quick response. I will join the FB Groups and see how it goes. But will hope that some one who has done MBA can provide additional help/support/material to build my confidence :)
Very Grateful :)

[mintthins]

Oh and just remembered, if you have registered, and your first module(s) started you should have tutor details. Get in touch, and ask them how they will deliver tutorials and how many. Establishing a good rapport with your module tutor is very important. If you don't think they are any good, you can always request a change, though it is discouraged. I know many people who have done this very successfully, but it does rather depend upon availability of tutors.

[DadAtHome04]

Thanks a lot. I have already email the tutor and an awaiting response. Hope he will be supportive. If not then I will have to work extra hard :)

Will refrain from making a request for change :)