The New Age MBA

As you prepare yourself to apply for a business school, you might wonder about online MBA programs, more so if you already have a busy schedule or family life. Some students are quite nervous about undertaking an MBA online and are worried about online courses’ reputation. Flexibility is one of the key reasons why students choose online MBA programs. Usually, classes are scheduled in the evenings in order to accommodate daytime work. This enables you to complete coursework whenever you want, making your own schedule to fit your needs.

This kind of flexibility is useful if you already have a career, and are looking to supplement your skills or education without detracting from that career. Many online MBA programs cost far less than in-person business schools, thus giving you a broader and less expensive range of options. Many online MBA programs have both faculty and students from all over the world thus increasing focus on collaborative learning. Since there is little or no face-to-face interaction in an online MBA program, online MBA programs are ideal for students who want to keep up with their busy careers and/or family lives or are not willing to move to a different location for business school. Flexibility is another big benefit of an online MBA program; so, if you want to complete an MBA program while fulfilling your other obligations, an online business school might be the best option.

Today, an online MBA is a good option for those who cannot attend full-time on-campus classes. Both programs can be chosen depending on the requirements, preferences and circumstances. If you are running short of time, having your job and family to take care of your profession then ONLINE MBA is a good alternative for your career and want to scale your career ladder within your existing.

People who have enrolled themselves for an MBA program usually boast of their B-school as a good B-school has a brand name that anyone would like to flaunt. If you are having time, age in your hand and want to switch from one career field to some other field, then an MBA will be a judicious decision for you. So choosing one program over another is purely a matter of suitability. However, you will agree with the fact that a majority of people would love to do an online MBA given that their circumstances and aptitude allows them to do so. But online MBA is gaining in popularity day by day with the professionals and employers and is a good option for individuals who could not access quality education earlier. MBA students have a full-day rigorous schedule, which makes it hard for the students to do a job outside the program. While doing their f2f classes (due to pandemic at present it is delivered through an online platform), MBA Students can specialize in a wide variety of subjects and they can easily choose from these specializations which are relevant in the Industry. Depending on the reputation of the B-school the cost of doing an MBA is somewhere around 15-20 lacs. If you are looking for more intensive student experience then you should apply for an online MBA. There are plenty of extracurricular opportunities like fests, groups, communities, clubs, entrepreneurship cell, research, skill development workshops and student exchange programs etc. The online education platform also offers a fantastic opportunity to the students in developing better alumni relations, critical thinking, problem-solving & networking skills. The students are given an excellent Orientation program as Pre semester learning by experts from various domains & leading academic institutions. The MBA provides an opportunity for business professionals to focus their studies on a particular aspect of a business. All courses are designed keeping in mind multidisciplinary skills & strong Industry intervention and the MBA program is more concentrated on multiple areas of business such as HR, Marketing, Finance, Strategy, Digital and many domain areas like Energy, International Business, Business analytics, Aviation and Supply Chain. There is no such requirement as work experience to enrol for a program and it is a bit easy to enter as there is a good number of B-schools that offer seats for MBA program. Usually, students from diverse fields like engineering, commerce, science, humanities etc. in the age group of 22- 25 years old who opt for an MBA are mostly freshers with 0-2 years of experience.

Due to the advent of Covid 19 and its prolonged effect on the f2f mode of education, all institutions across India that are providing f2f education switched to delivering through online platform. This has created misperception in the minds of students and parents about the distinction between online MBA and f2f delivered through the online platform. However, online education should not be equated with f2f education as institutions especially B-Schools are very strongly focused on retaining all the features and benefits of f2f MBA while delivering through an online platform due to the pandemic. Hence, students and parents should not get confused about the qualitative and cost differentials of online vs f2f MBA delivered through an online platform while making a decision to join an MBA programme this year. Both modes of MBA have their specific purposes. 

Regular and online MBAs have their own merits and demerits. You need to compare them based on your own circumstances and requirements and then choose the one that is right for you.

Dr. Karunakar Jha

Guest Author The author is the Academic Director, Univeral Business School. Formerly Professor, Department of General Management, School of Business, UPES

Dr. Hiranmoy Roy

Guest Author The author is Associate Professor, Department of Economics and International Business, School of Business, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun