Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone is thinking about MGSM's Global MBA? There are obvious comparisons to Coursera's other MBA program (Illinois), including similar tuition when exchange rate is factored. Both are accredited and ranked relatively high. Two key differences are the curriculum - the Global MBA program is focused more on 'future capabilities" in specializations such as Strategizing, Leading, Adapting, Problem Solving, Analyzing and Influencing. From first glance, it has more of a focus on soft skills as opposed to Illinois where the specializations are more of a traditional curriculum (e.g. finance, accounting, etc.) The other difference is admissions - MGSM seems a bit "easier" even when compared to Illinois.

My goals aren't ambitious other than to learn core business skills and have that credential on my resume. I have about 8 years of experience working in public and private sector. With that said, I'm not a numbers guy so I always had challenges with economics, stats, etc. However, I was wondering if anyone knows whether or not MGSM even teaches the traditional stuff in their program - eg) fundamentals of managerial accounting, financial accounting, process improvement, etc.

It looks very light compared to Illinois, and more aimed at freelancers than at corporate staff. If you want core business skills the Illinois iMBA, Maryland core MBA curriculum, or the LSE graduate-entry BSc in management might be better investments.

I am also interested in this program, to the extent that it would help me build my network in Australia.

I might take one for the team here and enroll in at least one course. I checked via email and reading the Student Handbook and it seems like they do integrate most of the traditional business subjects (with the exception of economics it seems) within the capabilities . They just brand it differently from other MBA programs as they see the integration and interdisciplinary approach more important. Yes, it does seem that soft skills are more highlighted than Illinois as well. The other benefit for me, though, is the fact that you can theoretically complete the program in 1 years if you power through. For Illinois, the min 2 years (3 usually) which is not really realistic given the courseload. My wife is expecting so I don't want to keep grinding through coursework 3 years from now.

I've taken an Illinois iMBA course this semester already, and honestly, it isn't extremely impressive (it doesn't go significantly deeper than the Coursera course). They do some innovative stuff like the Harvard case method for the weekly assignments, and have more options for live/recorded lectures/discussions, and the assignments are a lot harder/longer. But their high-engagement platform (Blackboard) is horrible. For the price though, it is still one of the best for sure.

For the Illinois program, once you're done with the courses that are available on Coursera, that's when you apply for the graduate-level for-credit courses, which are more engaging and deeper. You have to do the building blocks first though.

Hi Laurie, yes I completed both the Coursera course and the corresponding "High Engagement" portion ($1000USD) last semester.