Hi

I was just wondering if anyone has any personal experience (or just general advice) on the best MBA course to choose. I'm looking for an accredited course that is fully online. I have management experience and an undergrad degree.

The most reasonably priced ones would be best (anything over the student finance loan I am going to fund myself) and so far I seem to have the following shortlisted but I am open to suggestions:

* Leicester
* OU
* Coventry
* Liverpool
* Bradford
* Aberdeen

Thanks in advance!

If you focus on the AMBA and EQUIS accreditation holders, you will be fine. Why not Illinois?

Hi Duncan

Thanks for getting back to me, I know OU and Bradford are the only triple accredited and then delving a little deeper seems Aberdeen are double and Liverpool just the one (AACSB). So I think OU and Bradford are my best options. I have to have a UK-based course as I am getting a student loan and it stipulates that it has to be a UK uni.

Thanks for your help!

Do you mean RGU or Aberdeen University? RGU is a strong option. Aberdeen University doesn't have any of the three, I think.

Ah thank you, they’re out as well then! Leaves me with OU, Bradford, and possibly Liverpool.

A few more schools to consider:
Strathclyde is within that price range and very strong
Durham is cheaper than Liverpool I think, if it is within your budget, it definitely worth considering

Hi George

Thanks so much for your help. I had looked at Durham, as I know that’s highly recommended, but I believe it comes in at £21k, I was hoping to keep under £17k if possible. Strathclyde sadly seem to require some attendance, rather than fully online. Do you think there’s much difference between Bradford and OU? OU are around £2k less but I am not sure if looked upon that favourably.

Thanks

Honestly Durham seems like a steal at that price. The added value of a school that is surging ahead from a highly prestigious university, compared to a declining school that just closed its full time MBA and many overseas sites, and at a very average uni, seems lifelong . You are carrying that brand on your résumé. Bradford probably has a slightly more active network.

Does Durham still offer an MA in management? That could be an option.

HI there, All,

I am Abhishek from INDIA, i have offers from Leicester & Durham Online-MBA program.
However i will be unable to attend the Durham without a scholarship, as they are closed for scholarships now.
Hows Leicester Online-MBA ? I have seen that It has got AMBA and CMI accreditions, and its also fits in my budget.
I am also looking forward to Nottingham-Trent University as it has also got Triple accreditions at 14.2 K Pounds.

Please advice if I should wait for 1-year for Durham-MBA (and apply for scholarships) or either go with Nottingham-Trent or Leicester online-MBA ?

Your valuable insights are highly solicited.

[quote]Honestly Durham seems like a steal at that price. The added value of a school that is surging ahead from a highly prestigious university[/quote]

I completely agree with you here but sadly I just cannot afford another £11k. I am only on just over min wage and finding £5-7k over 2 years will be a huge struggle if I’m honest.

Originally I was hoping to find something within the student loan price bracket of £10.5k but after a bit of research it seems that anything that falls in, or close to, that amount just wouldn’t be worthwhile. I certainly don’t want to spend years on something that may just be dismissed on my resume. The only other possibility is taking out a loan over 5 years or so for the extra amount, I’m just a little nervous of doing that so that’s why I was hoping to find the best course at the most respected institution that is within my budget.

Do you feel Durham is genuinely held in far higher regard than Open Uni when it comes to employability?

I do feel that. Are there any MBAs that you can take more slowly, and stretch out the cost. A friend in a similar position is taking Illinois iMBA courses using the inexpensive for credit option, and then will pay more later. Bradford has a similar option for taking the whole MBA core inexpensively, called the certificate in the circular economy.

well Birmingham is £18,000, close to your 17k budget, but it can't really compare to Durham!
Usually you have to apply to 4-5 schools in case you don't get spot on your first choice

something like: Durham, illinois, Birmingham. And then a couple that are lower ranked to have more chances for spot (bradford, leicester, OU)

Keep in mind Durham is one of the few UK schools that actually went up in the rankings this year. The prospects look good!

last but not least: Strathclyde default schedule is 3 years so the cost is more spread, and during the whole 3 years, you meet only 2 weekends, so it is only 0.66 weekends per year

That's good advice. Maybe also look into alternative financing options - for example, check with Prodigy if they do loans for online courses (I'm not sure if they do).

The way the Illinois program is designed it can be slow to start in terms of payment. Start with some specializations on Coursera, where the cost is negligible, and work on your finance options before hitting the 'actual' MBA courses (that cost money).

I've seen the Illinois program mentioned a lot in these forums. Is there a reason why it's recommended so often? I can't even find any information about rankings. Is it just a really good value?

It's too young to be in the Online MBA rankings, but the full time MBA is ranked in the top 100 by the FT and the top 50 by QS.

If you are currently on minimum wage I would question whether now is the right time for an MBA, if you have the 3-5 years of good work experience required you should be earning a lot more.

That's a great point, but I'd argue that one's overall wage is less important than the quality of work experience. For instance I know people who work in nonprofits and earn far, far less than people with similar backgrounds and management level but work in other industries.

It's not so much the amount of money, but their experiences and their management potential. I'd hope that any solid admissions person would be able to look past earnings and see each candidate more holistically.

Although, I'd say that if somebody was making minimum wage and has not shown any clear career growth or management potential, they'd probably not be fit for an MBA (at least not at this time.)