Adults looking to advance their careers may be considering an MBA program. Today, adult students have the option of pursuing an advanced degree online. One way of finding the right MBA program is to review it’s online MBA ranking.
U.S. News & World Report
Since 1983, U.S. News & World Report has been offering a comprehensive list of college and university rankings. Their university directory now includes a section for students researching online MBA ranking. U.S. News’ university directory enables readers search for the MBA programs by concentration, subject of interest, and classroom type. Classroom type can be either online or classroom or a mixture of both. U.S. News reports that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting a 12% increase in jobs for business administrative jobs through 2016 – which is average job growth.
Bloomberg Businessweek
Online MBA ranking can also be found at Bloomberg Businessweek. This publication’s web site does not rank MBA distance learning programs as much as they publish summaries of each institution’s online MBA programs. While not a ranking system, this site may be useful to prospective MBA students in investigating schools that meet initial requirements. It is easy to jump between schools on this list and the information is grouped into a distance learning profile and academics & lifestyle summary. As online MBA becomes popular maybe this site’s ranking will improve.
The Economist
In 2010, The Economist published a distance learning special which included an online MBA ranking. The Economist does an in-depth look into online MBA programs and compares online schools to traditional classroom MBA programs. Prospective MBA students can read The Economist’s published report to understand their methodology for ranking schools and then review the ranking of participating schools. The Economist’s ranking is interesting in that it includes U.S. online MBA programs compared to international universities’ online programs. Some may find this world ranking an added bonus.
How to Use an Online MBA Ranking
Online MBA rankings are subjective and the information provided will vary depending on the source. Students should look for reliable sources that have a proven track record of ranking colleges and universities. The author of the online MBA rankings should publish how the rankings were calculated and totaled so that readers understand the variations in rankings between various ranking sites. Rankings are usually compiled from survey responses so if a popular school is omitted from a ranking it could be because there were insufficient responses to the surveys to qualify the school.
Faculty
An important factor in calculating a university’s online MBA ranking is the make-up of the faculty. Each institution should be able to provide the number of MBA students to faculty ratio. The educational background of the faculty should also be outlined for students. Students may also want to consider how many faculty members use English as a second language. MBA rankings may also give insight into how many hours on average students spend communicating with faculty verses working independently. This faculty information can help students decide on an online MBA program.
Current Student Ratings
Students looking at online MBA ranking may want to review the rating provided by the current students of the program. Current students may rank their feeling of success with the program. The school will provide the ratio of MBA students that complete their studies and the average length of time to complete an online MBA at their school. Current students will also rate how the program prepared them for the real world work environment and if they were able to put their learning studies to immediate use in the current positions.
Distant Learning Tools
Students, faculty, advisors and alumni of an online MBA program may be surveyed to rate the distance learning tools. When reviewing an online MBA ranking, students should review the learning tools section carefully. This section will provide an insight into how easily the stakeholders find the current online program. Students should look for distance learning tools that enable the communication of virtual classrooms and discussions and not something that they must master in order to complete their education. Tools should enable education not hinder it.
Online Program Details
Each MBA program is going to be unique to the institution delivering it. Some schools may offer online MBA programs yet still require students to attend some in-classroom sessions. By reviewing the online MBA ranking prospective students can assess how much time they will spend studying, completing coursework online, and in attending classroom sessions. Students must determine if they can make time in their current lifestyle for the demands of completing an MBA. Earning an MBA online does not remove any responsibility for completing course work or putting in study time.
Average Starting Salary
Most students are pursuing an MBA because they want to increase their income earning potential. When investigating online MBA rankings students should look for what the institution is reporting as the average starting salary for graduates of their program. While not a guaranteed method for increasing a worker’s income, understanding the earning potential by having an MBA by a particular university is a factor to be considered. Students want to graduate from an MBA program with the maximum earning opportunities and that can mean selecting the right MBA program.
Developing a Personal MBA Ranking
As students review online MBA rankings they should begin to create their own ranking list for finding an online MBA program. By determining what is most important to the prospective students and selecting a program that meets most – if not all – of those requirements increases the students’ chances for graduating. Every student is different but there are many online MBA programs to choose from that will fit their requirements. Students should develop their must-have and like-to-have checklist and compile their own rankings as they assess each MBA program.
Students can use online MBA ranking to help them select MBA programs to investigate. Understanding how the online MBA ranking system works and using reliable sources will save the student time and increase their chances of finding the perfect MBA program.