Hello,

I've been lurking this site for a few days now. Been obsessed with researching DL MBA's for over 2.5 weeks and currently gathering all application requirements.

I am searching for an affordable online MBA in the UK, preferable under 12,000 GBP.

Profile:
Age: 34
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
15 Years Real Estate experience
8 Years Management experience
Goal: Career Boost vs. Career Change

I was looking at RDI MBA through Anglia Ruskin, University of Derby, University of London (Royal Holloway), University of Leicester, Magna Carta College, and University of Cumbria via Robert Kennedy College in Zurich.

Please provide any feedback on these schools and the program as I am not fully aware of their reputation.

Oh, yes, pay as you go tuition is a big driver for me since my hubby and I would like to pursue our DL MBA together.

Thanks.

Of these i think only the Royal Holloway programme is accredited: the others are rather weak. I don't know what Magna Carta College is, but it does not have the right to issue degrees.

Look at Durham. It's only slightly more, and qualitatively better. Also if you are in Canada why not consider Royal Roads?

I am searching for an affordable online MBA in the UK, preferable under 12,000 GBP.

You might try with Warwick. Sometimes they give some schoolarships also for the online mba

Of these i think only the Royal Holloway programme is accredited: the others are rather weak. I don't know what Magna Carta College is, but it does not have the right to issue degrees.

Look at Durham. It's only slightly more, and qualitatively better. Also if you are in Canada why not consider Royal Roads?

I am searching for an affordable online MBA in the UK, preferable under 12,000 GBP.

Why not wait a bit and save up a bit more cash for the Warwick or Durham program?

Heriot-Watt isn't accredited, I think.

Heriot-Watt isn't accredited, I think.

Heriot-Watt isn't accredited, I think.

No, it isn't. I'd stay away from this one, if you're looking at Warwick/Durham, etc.

I would not recommend it. There are some great, internationally-accredited MBAs in Malaysia. Of course if someone isn't smart or ambitious, then any degree will do. But for a professional degree like an MBA people should aim for the best they can.

Heriot-Watt isn't accredited, I think.

No, it isn't. I'd stay away from this one, if you're looking at Warwick/Durham, etc.

Heriot-Watt (H-W) is an accredited Scottish university. All of H-W's degrees are recognised. Its MBA does not have the additional business programme accreditation by AACSB, EQUIS or AMBA. But this does not mean that their MBA degree is not valid.

In the sense that it's used here, on this forum, HW is not accredited. See http://www.find-mba.com/accreditations to see what we mean.

Lacking accreditation doesn't mean that HW is not a university. It is a real, legal university. But its business school has been successful exactly because it recruits students that cannot get in to accredited business schools. Employers that recruit large numbers of MBAs understand that the quality of MBAs is uneven, and that's why they look for graduated from an accredited MBA programme.

Accreditation is a process. It is not something that you use in a specific sense, although I understand what you are getting at. A valid academic degree is an accredited one. Specialized accreditation is voluntary. Simply stating that a MBA lacks accreditation or using foreboding terms like "stay away" is misleading potential students. There are varying degrees of quality for most degrees and this includes the MBA. Underlining that a specific MBA does not hold a "professional" or "business" or "specialized" accreditation would better reflect a response in my view.

You are disingenuous. Accreditation in this context has a clear and specific meaning: the formal recognition by a reputable third party of an business school. It is the outcome of a process. It is not misleading to mention that HW lacks that, and to link to the page which explains MBA accreditation. That is a simple and important statement of fact about a clear quality signal.

Only 30-something percent of HW students are in Scotland. Its whole business model is based on international students. With the HW MBA, I notice that it requires neither a degree nor work experience. That is unusual and is also a clear sign of quality.

I don't say that no one should attend HW, but I do say that someone who could attend an accredited MBA would be making an inferior investment if they took HW's instead.

You are disingenuous. Accreditation in this context has a clear and specific meaning: the formal recognition by a reputable third party of an business school. It is the outcome of a process. It is not misleading to mention that HW lacks that, and to link to the page which explains MBA accreditation. That is a statement of fact about a clear quality signal.

Only 30-something percent of HW students are in Scotland. It's whole business model is based on international students. With the MBA, I notice that it requires neither a degree nor work experience. That is unusual and is also a clear sign of quality.

I don't say that no one shoul attend HW, but I do say that someone who could attend an accredited MBA would be making an inferior investment if they took HW's instead.

I don't think most people come to to this forum. In the MBA world, and in education generally accreditation has a specific meaning: the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_accreditation explain it well.

Accreditation is not the ability to issue degrees: that is controlled by the state. Accreditation is an independent quality assurance process. If someone is confused between those two statements, then it's important that we talk about accreditation and set it in content. As a rule of thumb, accredited courses are better and have higher standing, especially with employers. In the US, for example, most financial aid is available only to students in universities with accreditation.

I am aware of what accreditation is. Apparently you have skewed interpretation. In the US, for example, there are several forms. You have given a wiki link and if you really understood it, you will realize what the term accreditation means. I have already said clearly what I believe to be a fairer way to describe whether a MBA has the specialized business accreditation. This is what you should be addressing here in this forum for students. I do not have any problems with your explanation with regards 3rd party certification of business schools/ MBA courses. However, you have not answered the question as to why it is such a problem to clearly state that a specific MBA lacks specialized "business accreditation" as opposed to just saying it is not accredited? Simply stating that a MBA is not accredited when it comes from an established institution is plain inaccurate.

I don't think most people come to to this forum. In the MBA world, and in education generally accreditation has a specific meaning: the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_accreditation explain it well.

Accreditation is not the ability to issue degrees: that is controlled by the state. Accreditation is an independent quality assurance process. If someone is confused between those two statements, then it's important that we talk about accreditation and set it in content. As a rule of thumb, accredited courses are better and have higher standing, especially with employers. In the US, for example, most financial aid is available only to students in universities with accreditation.

I think you'll find the term is used very consistently here and on on other MBA forums. When people here talk about accredited MBAs, they mean MBAs which are accredited * separately * as graduate business programmes. There's a link on every page on this website to the article on accreditation.

It would be worse than meaningless, it would be untrue, to suggest that MBAs without AACSB, AMBA or EQUIS MBAs are equally valuable to those without them. It's a vital distinction to make in the case of HW and other schools which sell themselves internationally as a premium brand, but might not deliver the premium outcomes from accredited MBAs.

PS Matt, HW doesn't have anything like regional accreditation. It has a license from the state to issue degrees: a royal charter. These are awarded by parliament and are not subject to review. I never heard of one being lost.

PS LKF, accreditation is *different* from the right to issue degrees. HW has the right to issue degrees. Accreditation is an ongoing and independent process which certifies the quality of a programme. HW does not have accreditation. Pure and simple.

HW has the biggest distance learning MBA in the world, partly though its almost unique admissions policy, which require neither work experience nor a degree. It is not the same MBA experience as at an accredited school, nor are the outcomes the same. It would be a disservice to applicants to conceal that.