MBA

[mrsmortis]

Hi,

I am seriously looking at doing an MBA and I was hoping that there would be some mumsnetters out there who would be able to help me make some decisions.

I am going to have to do a part-time course because we can't afford to loose my salary and it's probably going to have to be a distance learning on because work could have me moving around at the drop of a hat.

Have any of you studied for a distance learning or online MBA. If so where did you go? How did you decide that was the place for you and did it live up to expectations? Would you make the same decision is you could do it over?

Thanks in advance

mrsmortis.

What sector/subject are you in?

I'm in IT and the industry that I have the most experience in is Insurance.

A bit late to the conversation, but I'm thinking of doing an MBA this winter - part time and online. I'm looking at Durham and Warwick, although Bradford and the OU are also options. This year is the first time that the Financial Times ranked online MBA's which made identifying useful courses a LOT easier.

rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/online-mba-ranking-2014

Warwick is better, but Durham came out with better value for money. Bradford is the cheapest, but I don't know what the sacrifice is for that. It doesn't have triple accreditation, though.

The fees are spread over three years, and scholarships are available that will cut into it a little, but I think only by £2k or so, so you're still looking at £5ka pa in fees. I think they let you spread the payments though. I'd be okay paying it monthly, I think.

I have my own business and I work 2 days a week for somebody else in quite a well-paid role. I think that with an MBA I would be able to build on the working for somebody else side of things and have a more advisor/directorial role in start-ups. But well paid. That's what I'd like, anyway. I think that an MBA is a practical way to learn more and to position myself for that sort of thing. I'm in my mid-30's.

I have just completed my first year of a part time distance learning MBA, on the side of working part time and having 2 kids, one in primary and one in secondary.

It has been extremely tough. But I feel I am past the worst now.

The syllabus has been very full on, with online lectures, weekly online virtual classrooms, and a very big reading lists, and between 3- 6 assignments per term, as well as written home exams (and one school exam) for each module, so a total of 4 home exams and one school exam. I think I have read in excess of thousand pages of core reading material, in addition to finding supporting materials online, articles and journals, and watched recommended youtube lectures and clips from scholars.

It has been extremely interesting, but really difficult to juggle everything.

I have chosen to study with a Norwegian uni, and uni is free in Norway, so I have not paid anything aside from books, admin fee of £100, and travel to and from campus three times (while I could see family at the same time), so a total cost of less than 1k for the year.

I'm 3 months in to an OU MBA if you're still thinking about it.