I am planning for a MBA in blended learning mode.

Which one among this is the best ?

1. Durham Global MBA
2. Imperial DL MBA
3. Henly MBA in flexible mode.

I came to know Imperial DL MBA is tough and has 50% passing rate. Also fee is very high.Other than that how employers value distance learning degree from Imperial ?

Also I am including Manchester Part time Global MBA to the list

there are several threads about this.. Imperial got a really bad rating by Economist (Warwick at lower price looks much better)

there are several threads about this.. Imperial got a really bad rating by Economist (Warwick at lower price looks much better)

Hi Speedster, if you read The Economist survey you can see the method. Some of the data obviously is from the school (fees etc) but much of it comes from a The Economist's massive survey of MBA graduates. They just sliced out the data for distance learning programmes, and schools cannot do anything about that -- any more than a school could prevent itself from being in any of the other rankings.

Just request Imperial to post their MBA broacher to you.
You won't even find a word about their DL programme. Imperial cares only about their Full time and Exec. I have been to their open days. Their professors are not comfortable talking about their DL programme.

I think Durham, Henley, Manchester and Warwick are all good choices. I think many students benefit from finding the programme with the maximum face-to-face time they can realistically make work for them, especially if that's in a cohort setting where you meet the same people.

One major difference is the balance in the programmes is how much is taken up with the core (for example; quite a lot with Manchester, rather less with Warwick). I think it's more important to have strong core courses, especially for people who are not super-strong on accounting and finance. The extra time makes a big difference. I would also look for lots of small assignments, to make sure the learning is working.

@georgep : They have a seprate broucher for Imperial DLMBA itself.

First of all its very costly.But I somehow don't trust on the Economist rating. If ranking is proper, then why it didn't include Manchester ?

@georgep : How long it takes for DBS to get back with admission decision ? Do they conduct interviews for Global MBA ?

In the last year I've seen different rankings for online mba... in Europe the best one are always IE and Euro*mba.. Warwick, Manchester, Durham, Bradford come a little distance (with Warwick almost always coming first).. Imperial is even hardly considered.
When 50% leave the course it means:
1) the adcom didn't do a great job (if it's so difficult then require an high GMAT,,,like IE does)
2) the course lacks of interest
By the way some months ago I talked with a canadian who choose Imperial.. he said that this school is better known in North America.. I don't know if it's true but it depends what you search.
By the way ask them to show you their online platform or their sample material and compare with (for example)

openmultimedia.ie.edu/fichas/_dr_mark_i.html

@maubia : Thank you for your reply.

IE requires high GMAt score. Also fee is very high. Almost equal to the Full time programme, which i can't afford.

Warwick and Durham looks good.

How is Manchester Global MBA ?

I got my admission in 3 weeks at DBS. There was no interview.

As Duncun mentioned the importance of Finance, I am not good at finance and the first core module I took is "Managing finance". The material gives solid fundamentals in Accounting and Corporate Finance. There are more electives focused in advanced Finance are coming up next year.

In my batch, there are 6 people from the US, 4 from Canada, 3 from South America, many from Europe and Asia. I think the triple accreditation and moderate fees and possibly the university name attracts worldwide participants.

I asked my US classmates for fun, "Did you guys any chance got mixed up with Durham Business School and Fuqua School of Business in Durham, North Carolina (Duke University ) and joined here by mistake?". They laughed and obviously knew the difference (country, name and sky-high fee) and what they are doing.

Manchester seem to be good but my requirements (optional residency rather than compulsory) were not met. Every module requires 3days face to face. It is a great option if you prefer that mode of study.

@georgep : In the DBS application, It is required to choose a college ? Is choosing college makes any difference for global MBA ?

It doesn't matter for DL students. Durham collegiate system is different from that of Oxford and Cambridge.

Just select Ustinov College as it is the post-graduate college, but anyway you are not going to live there, except for the residencies - if you opt for. You could stay outside the Uni as well for less cost.

http://www.dur.ac.uk/ustinov.college/
http://www.dur.ac.uk/ustinov.college/interactive/

I heard that it is a kind of status for Americans to get a degree from top British Uni - especially people working in public/Govt sectors and international organisations such as UNESCO, WHO etc.

University League Table 2012:
http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings

After lot of research, I have narrowed down to Durham and Manchester.

Manchester looks quite intensive but for a almost twice than Durham.

Is Manchester worth spending money ?

I think these are quite different programmes. Durham is mainly a distance-learning course, with optional attendance. It's more of an academic programme, without a focus on case studies or projects. It won't be so good at building face-to-face group skills like cross-cultural work, influencing and so on. There's no personal development programme, business simulation or research training - while there is a Manchester.

The research elements are also different: Durham has a short personal dissertation, Manchester involves a real in-company project.

The structure is also very different. The Manchester programme places an emphasis on the general management core. It has 11 core courses and 3 electives. Durham compresses the core into six core courses, in order to allow 5 electives.

As a result, I think the prices are quite in line with the differences in the programmes.

The MBA at Durham is 23K full-time and 14K part-time (61% of the full-time fee), while this excludes the personal development programme element in the full-time programme.

The MBA at Manchester is 37K full-time and 23K part-time (62% of the full-time fee). Bearing in mind the big differences between the two degrees, and the much greater weight of the Manchester experience (and the MBS brand). I think they are both fairly priced.

Indeed, because the two programmes are similarly discounted but the Manchester programme includes personal development, a live business project, case-based and project-based learning and the cohort experience that comes from group, face-to-face learning, I think the MBS option is much better value for money.

If the additional attendance at Manchester's global centres makes sense for you then it's the better choice.

If the additional attendance at Manchester's global centres makes sense for you then it's the better choice.

Duncan. Thanks. Joined Manchester finally. So far so good.

I think it would be fun for you and George to compare the two and report back.

Speedster, let me know if you're ever able to attend a London alumni meeting for MBS. We can meet up ;-)

Duncan. Thanks. Joined Manchester finally. So far so good.