Distance Learning on Transcripts

3 6

Posted Jul 18, 2012 20:50

Hey Guys, I've been reading a lot here and want to contribute.

I'm living in Europe, working and want to get my DL MBA.

I have decided that I don't want Distance Learning on my transcripts or deploma. I don't want to have to explain that I have an Online degree.

After asking and applying I have found that ONLY the following DL programs do not differentiate between on campus and distance learning on transcripts and diplomas.

Aston
Durham
Warwick
IE
EuroMBA
Manchester

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Imperial places DL on the transcript codes (this makes me so sad because this was my #1 choice)

I was wondering what your thoughts were. I have asked others in my industry and they most tell me, don't take the risk with having a DL when you turn in your transcripts to head hunters.

The order of my preference if I get accepted:
IE
Manchester or Warwick (not sure)
Durham or Aston (not sure)

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maubia

17 34

Posted Jul 18, 2012 21:06

sorry but I don't understand the problem... HR, recruiters, ecc will take 1 minutes to understand if you took an online mba!

About local employers.. well nobody normally asks the official trascripts (As far as I know, at least in Italy)

By the way, the common sense in this forum is that IE is a good value for money if you know spanish.... Warwick and Manchester are strong options. Euro*mba is another interesting online mba.. they will entitle you with 6 mbas without the mark "online" :-)

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Erisa123

3 6

Posted Jul 21, 2012 09:04

Well I have asked recruiters about the online MBA and they do care. Most didn't even know about online options. And then they said don't do the online degrees that state they are online. This isn't me, its the recruiters.

Look at it this way, if I am going to spend 30 or 40 thousand lbs and two years of my life, I cant take the risk of having a reputation of an online degree when they look at my transcript.

Anyone else find other data?

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Duncan

1.157 994

Posted Jul 21, 2012 09:28

The recruiters are not stupid. They can tell that will have done a part time MBA, either online or in the classroom. If you do your MBA with a school on the other side of the world (for example) then its obviously online. They will work it out - or ask - and won't assume that you did a full time MBA.

One option: start the DLMBA at Warwick and complete it via the EMBA. Then you can write Execuive MBA.

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Erisa123

3 6

Posted Aug 03, 2012 10:41

Hey guys I goofed Warwick and IE denote distance learned and blended respectively.

Only Durham, Aston Euro MBA and Manchester do not denote online on their transcripts.

I think this is the catch. If there was no difference in prestige, entrance requirements or education why would they even put the denoting on the transcripts.

Thanks but as far as the EMBA, nearly every employer and recruiter I have spoken with prefers candidates have the MBA

How have you guys fared with the online degrees? When employers review the transcripts what do they say when they see online degrees? Everyplace that I interview, always asks for transcripts. I live in Europe and can have a plausible story about community and going back and forth.

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BigD

14 27

Posted Aug 03, 2012 12:05

Do you think recruiters will be bothered to look up the modes of attendance available for your MBA whether it is executive/hybrid/DL ?

Some Global MBAs have low attendance
Durham has optional module attendance
Manchester has low but mandatory workshop attendance
Oxford has 17 weekly modules
Cranfield does long weekends
CASS do weeknights or weekends
NUS does two week blocks
Warwick weekly modules in a Exec/DL/FT hybrid switchable format

If you are stating continuous employment while you did your MBA, then all it implies is that you did not do it full-time.

To describe all these as "online MBAs" is a bit dismissive.

BigD

sorry but I don't understand the problem... HR, recruiters, ecc will take 1 minutes to understand if you took an online mba!

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ezra

85 59

Posted Aug 06, 2012 18:06

Do you think recruiters will be bothered to look up the modes of attendance available for your MBA whether it is executive/hybrid/DL ?

I think that if they're seriously interested in you as a candidate, and are at all concerned about this, they'd probably ask you to clarify it. If you've gotten that far, then having an online or blended MBA will hardly be a dealbreaker. The challenge will be getting your foot in the door, and that's where strong alumni networks and other resources make a difference - but the same is obviously true for MBAs from purely in-class programs.

<blockquote>Do you think recruiters will be bothered to look up the modes of attendance available for your MBA whether it is executive/hybrid/DL ?</blockquote>
I think that if they're seriously interested in you as a candidate, and are at all concerned about this, they'd probably ask you to clarify it. If you've gotten that far, then having an online or blended MBA will hardly be a dealbreaker. The challenge will be getting your foot in the door, and that's where strong alumni networks and other resources make a difference - but the same is obviously true for MBAs from purely in-class programs.

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Duncan

1.157 994

Posted Aug 07, 2012 23:50

I think Ezra's right, but then the inverse is worth thinking about.

If they want you as an experienced hire then your MBA mode won't matter. But there's some snobbishness. Recruiters are curious, they use google and they do know that the online MBAs are different from the blended ones and the on-campus ones - in cost, perceived effectiveness and reputation. On, generally, most senior MBAs are full-time alumni who look at other modes as being easier. And, as someone who spent one semester of my MBA full-time and the rest of it part-time, I do agree that the full-time mode is a richer form of learning.

I also think there's a point of integrity there. It's very tempting for online MBAs to put a spin on the online mode or even to describe it as an 'executive MBA' - even at schools that don't have an EMBA.

So, there are lots of complexities there. Some employers will be bothered to look up modes of attendance and, as someone who's done a lot of interviewing over the last decade, I often come across people who pass off their qualifications as something they are not. So for some recruiters it's not just about modes of MBAs, but generally part of checking to see if your qualifications and institutions really exist.

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Erisa123

3 6

Posted Aug 08, 2012 11:15

Thanks guys for your thoughtful responses.

I guess it comes down to for me, is IE's reputation good enough, as a top 10 business school to overcome the bias against distance learning.

I have narrowed it down to Durham, Manchester and IE. Durham and Manchester say they don't denote DL on transcripts.

Whenever I speak with university recruiters I feel like I'm speaking with an army recruiter, they say what ever it takes to get me in. It seems like they are not upfront about the downsides of distance learning and their MBA full time statistics are not relevant. They don't produce any statistics to show how good their DL programs are.

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ezra

85 59

Posted Aug 09, 2012 15:50

I guess it comes down to for me, is IE's reputation good enough, as a top 10 business school to overcome the bias against distance learning.

I don't know if it's as much as a bias as it is not knowing a lot about a learning method in transition. The technologies that enable these programs are still evolving, so employers don't always know what exactly they're getting when they hire somebody with a distance learning MBA.

That said, I think IE's program is one of the better ones - it requires face-to-face sessions, which I believe are essential ingredients for soft skill development. And the lectures aren't delivered by recorded video, but done in real time so that it feels more like a real class. I had the opportunity a while back to sit in on a lecture, and was pretty impressed by how the interactivity had the energy of a real classroom.

For a skeptical employer, I'd argue that you could make the case that a program like this provides a similar education to a classroom learning environment.

I have narrowed it down to Durham, Manchester and IE.

All well-established programs. In any case, take as much advantage of the on-campus residencies as possible.

<blockquote>I guess it comes down to for me, is IE's reputation good enough, as a top 10 business school to overcome the bias against distance learning.</blockquote>
I don't know if it's as much as a bias as it is not knowing a lot about a learning method in transition. The technologies that enable these programs are still evolving, so employers don't always know what exactly they're getting when they hire somebody with a distance learning MBA.

That said, I think IE's program is one of the better ones - it requires face-to-face sessions, which I believe are essential ingredients for soft skill development. And the lectures aren't delivered by recorded video, but done in real time so that it feels more like a real class. I had the opportunity a while back to sit in on a lecture, and was pretty impressed by how the interactivity had the energy of a real classroom.

For a skeptical employer, I'd argue that you could make the case that a program like this provides a similar education to a classroom learning environment.

<blockquote>I have narrowed it down to Durham, Manchester and IE.</blockquote>
All well-established programs. In any case, take as much advantage of the on-campus residencies as possible.

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Erisa123

3 6

Posted Aug 09, 2012 21:45

ezra - all great points.

I had my interview with IE a few days ago and will be hearing back from them in a few days. I think they are my top choice. What I would like to do is get my MBA with IE and a MSc in finance (1yr) from an other top 10 business school.

It is complicated for me because I'm dyslexic and getting a good GMAT score is out of reach. I did ok in my undergrad so convincing the GMAT board I need extra time is near impossible.

I'm hoping with a non distance learning Master in Finance and a DL MBA from IE will grant the credibility I need.

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ezra

85 59

Posted Aug 28, 2012 16:09

I had my interview with IE a few days ago and will be hearing back from them in a few days.

Good luck!

It is complicated for me because I'm dyslexic and getting a good GMAT score is out of reach. I did ok in my undergrad so convincing the GMAT board I need extra time is near impossible.

Not impossible, but you have to jump through a couple of hoops. You need to officially request it by filling out a form, and then have an evaluator (usually your doctor) submit supporting materials. The process takes some time (6-8 weeks,) and all the doctor's reports have to be up-to-date; but usually they'll give you either extra time or rest breaks, on your doctor's recommendations.

<blockquote>I had my interview with IE a few days ago and will be hearing back from them in a few days.</blockquote>
Good luck!

<blockquote>It is complicated for me because I'm dyslexic and getting a good GMAT score is out of reach. I did ok in my undergrad so convincing the GMAT board I need extra time is near impossible. </blockquote>
Not impossible, but you have to jump through a couple of hoops. You need to officially request it by filling out a form, and then have an evaluator (usually your doctor) submit supporting materials. The process takes some time (6-8 weeks,) and all the doctor's reports have to be up-to-date; but usually they'll give you either extra time or rest breaks, on your doctor's recommendations.

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