The Master’s in Business Administration degree, or MBA, has been around for years, but evolved as management styles and business structures have changed over time. Today, top online MBA programs focus less on theories of management and more on proper leadership skills. The trend began in the late 1990’s and continues to gain momentum as more and more companies acknowledge that the way in which senior management and executives interact with their employees is crucial to getting the results they need.

The days of brutal, backstabbing competition and ruthless management like in the movie “The Bonfire of the Vanities” is gone. Many of today’s multi-national corporations are focusing on a kinder, gently approach to management and conducting business. In response to today’s increased interest in individual leadership as an essential component of good management, some of the top online MBA programs available are revising their curriculum to focus on individual leadership skills and personal growth as well as management theory and practice.

These progressive online MBA programs offer a great deal more than textbook learning and case studies. Real world scenarios, hands-on application of skills and collaboration with business leaders in a variety of industries are all central to the new breed of MBA’s. They teach students that the basis for successful team management is self-awareness and attention to the individuals within a team or company.

Because so many companies are finding success with these programs, some of the top online MBA programs focus on executives, that is, they offer specialized Executive MBA programs that are tailored to the needs of busy business people. These classes are primarily online, but feature some units that are on-site immersion sessions, usually lasting a week or less, with all executives meeting for intensive group learning sessions.

If you’re already working for a company and want to pursue an MBA in order to advance your career, keep in mind that not all MBA’s are the same. If you want one that offers skills specifically for executives who already have some years of work experience, look for EMBA’s that offer coaching or mentoring sessions in order to apply your leadership training to your own real-world situations. Look for immersion sessions that enhance your online learning experience and enrichment interaction with other executives. Also desirable would be a broad base of course work that includes leadership skills, personal development and organizational improvement strategies in addition to traditional management courses.

Be sure to look at all aspects of an EMBA. The top online MBA programs will be taught by a mix of instructors and corporate executives so that you receive a balance of theoretical and real-world experiences that will give you a firmer foundation for your own future and that of your company.



Thanks to Andy West for contributing this article to our MBA blog:

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Nowadays an ideal way to enter the corporate world and step over the ladder of success is to acquire an MBA degree. MBA degree is one of the most coveted professional degrees at present. It is a degree that not only completes your academic status but is also a sure means acquire a lucrative job, competency in the global market, venture into a new business and even to gain proficiency in the business principles.

For those who have the time and desire to go to university and attend classes, it is easy to acquire an MBA degree. But for those who those who are into a job or business i.e. have other commitments, procuring an MBA degree can be a challenging job.

However the needs of such working professionals can be met through online MBA programs. An online MBA program offers these people a chance to gain proficiency in the business principles that contribute in the growth and development of the country. Online education gives a dynamic, time-efficient and extremely streamlined MBA degree options. An aspirant may be a resident of Canada, United States, Australia, Europe or anywhere in the world, he can avail the service of online education anytime at his ease.

Online MBA programs too are of different types such as MBA in criminal justice, finance MBA, global management MBA and so forth. Various universities such as McGill University, Queens University, University of Toronto, American Inter Continental University etc. offer MBA courses on Internet. However an aspirant should bear in mind that the university he/ she selects is accredited. Accreditation of an institute is a prime factor while determining its credibility. Accreditation from regional authorities renders universities a higher reputation in the market. As a result of this fame, it is easy to cash your course by acquiring a wonderful job via it. Another instrument to gain maximum benefit from your MBA degree is to choose a college and a program that offers a variety of courses taught by qualified and experienced instructors.

For most of the universities it is at the discretion of the student to attend classes whenever he wants. He can participate in the online discussions any time trough chat, emails, newsgroups etc. Several universities such as the Phoenix University have limited the classes to 20 in order to ensure that the learning sessions are productive and interactive. Throughout each course the student receives lectures, questions and assignments from his instructor. Since these assignments are in electronic form, these can be saved, printed out to make notes. You can take the help of your professor in this regard. Also make sure that you improve by your work by taking continuous feedback from your professor.

However while the online MBA program is a source of convenience and flexibility on the same hand it requires immense self-discipline. Such courses are a challenge to your ability to pick up new ideas and assimilate them, evaluate data, articulate your thoughts properly in writing as well as communication. But once completed, the online MBA degree can actually do wonders!



Thanks to Mansi Gupta for contributing this article to our MBA blog:

Top Distance Learning Mba

An online MBA graduate reflects on her graduate program two years later, recalling the experience and discussing how the degree has helped boost her career in educational administration.

When it comes to career advancement, performance is only half the equation. The other half is education. But who has time to get a higher degree? Fortunately, self-paced online programs are helping more and more working adults build their credentials.

One of those working professionals is Amye Cole, Senior Admissions Counselor at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village, Nevada. In 2005, Amye decided to go back to school for her MBA–while working full time. It’s been almost two years since she completed her online MBA program, and in that time she’s changed jobs, taken on more responsibility, and seen her career blossom. She talks about her online MBA experience and how it’s helped her come into her own in the business world.

Q: Why did you decide to go back to school for an MBA?

A: My undergraduate degree is in the humanities–in Religious Studies, with a concentration in gender issues. It’s such a focused degree and has no direct application to the job I do now. I felt I needed to build skills I could use in a business context. My job involves management and strategy, and I work closely with the marketing department. The MBA offered an opportunity to build my formal training in these fields.

Q: Why did you choose an online program?

A: At the time I lived in a small town, and there weren’t any MBA programs within driving distance. Also, I chose an online degree because of the variable hours. I needed to work on my own time schedule because I travel a lot. I needed the flexible schedule of an online program.

Q: There are a lot of online MBA programs out there. How did you choose yours?

A: I looked for accreditation. As a college admissions counselor, I know how important accreditation is. The school I chose is accredited by four boards. It’s based out of Salt Lake City.

Q: What was the basic format of your MBA program?

A: I did an accelerated program. It took a year and a half. I was only able to take one class at a time–two was too much, since I worked full time.

Q: Can you name some of the classes you took?

A: I took all these great courses on how to understand business from a management perspective: human resources, organizational behavior, financial management, and leadership.

Q: Describe an online education. How does it work?

A: You read a selection of textbooks, and post comments to a discussion board. We posted questions, or answered the professor’s study question, and chatted with each other online. There were weekly essays, and the professor gave feedback. The professor didn’t grade anything–there was a committee that reviewed all essays and gave everyone numbers, 1-5, that corresponded to a pass/fail grade.

There were also several major exams throughout the program. They were difficult, and you had to get a 75-80% score to pass. These exams were administered at a proctor-approved site. The last six months of the MBA was the capstone program, and then we took the standardized C-MBA exam.

Q: What did your MBA capstone project entail?

A: For the capstone I did a business analysis of my prior employer, Squaw Valley Academy. I analyzed the company’s business objectives from a holistic standpoint. The point of the project was to understand how everything fit together–budgeting, marketing, human resources, etc.

To back up a minute, in the MBA program we learned a 10-part plan for understanding how a business worked. The ten steps included accounting, finance, marketing, leadership, management, ethics, strategy, information technology, project management, human resources, operations, organizational behavior, communication, and business law.

For the capstone, I had to focus on each objective individually and describe how it applied to the business I was analyzing. So, for example, I talked about how the company decided to invest more in search engine optimization and Internet promotion. That marketing objective increased the number of clients, which in turn impacted human resources by increasing worker salaries.

Q: And then you took the C-MBA?

A: First I had an oral defense for the capstone. The defense was conducted over the phone–a conference call between me, my mentor, and a committee of faculty advisors.

Then I took the C-MBA test, a standard test that all MBAs can take. The C-MBA covered all the courses and objectives I had studied. Taking that test helped validate the rigor of my MBA program. I put on it on my resume, in fact. Some people question the value of an online MBA, so the C-MBA is an objective way to show potential employers that you mastered the material. I did exceptionally well in management and HR leadership, which were my areas of concentration in the program.

Q: In retrospect, are you glad you got your online MBA?

A: Without a doubt. There were certainly times when it seemed to take up every minute of my free time. I was traveling a lot for work, in a new relationship, and I would think ‘gosh, is it really worth it?’ My friends who had MBAs encouraged me to stick it out, though, and I’m so glad I did.

Q: Do you find that you use the degree in your current job?

A: I can’t say enough about how much I use it regularly. Organizational behavior courses in general were helpful to see how large organizations are set up. My former company had less than 25 employees; here it’s close to 60 total. So I find I’m using the perspective I gained in the MBA program–getting a chance to see how departments work together, and in some cases taking on those roles. The company is still small enough that I get to wear different hats.

In a large company of over 100 people, you tend to focus on your specific role within your department and lose sight of how it fits into what other people are doing. I think as an employee it can be easy to have a narrow focus on the day-to-day. I feel fortunate to have an MBA because I have a broader understanding now of how the business works as a whole. So for example, I work alongside the marketing department now, and I have a better understanding of how long it takes to get certain things done, etc. I can work more effectively with them because I understand their position.

Q: Since graduating you’ve switched jobs and been promoted. Do you think the MBA played a role in that?

A: Without a doubt, the MBA helped me change jobs. Employers appreciate that you have a degree in business–it gives you credibility. MBA folks are well known to have that general understanding about how a company functions on many levels. My undergraduate degree was so focused that it would have been hard to break into new industries without a practical degree. Also, the fact that I was working full time and going to school full time showed that I can balance many projects at once.

Q: So you would recommend getting an online MBA?

A: Yes. I feel like a got a solid, rigorous education. I have a much broader understanding of management, and as a result I’ve been able to take on a more active role at work. I’ve also increased my earning power.



Thanks to Kelli Smith for contributing this article to our MBA blog:

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