Dear all,

The question at hand is in the title - is an online MBA worth it?

Please, share your opinions.

Kind regards,
Atanas

That depends on the MBA, your goals and the effort you put it. Few people find it to be a poor investment.

Personally, I think it's generally worth the investment, *if* it's done at a ranked business school.

The Online MBA programs that are ranked in the FT all show verifiable salary increases, which means that for most students, the investment into these programs will pay off, usually within a couple of years.

If you're looking at other (non-ranked) programs, I can only suggest to do a program that is accredited - either through an institutional accreditation such as AACSB or EQUIS; or AMBA, which is a programatic accreditation. Although it's harder to verify salary outcomes for accredited, non-ranked programs, these do also tend to be positive investments.

Most used answer in MBA is "it depends" So Online MBA worth it or not? - it depends.
IMHO it's not worth it. A lot of learning happens from peers inside and outside of classroom.
For the College it's an easy revenue stream, but recruiters, companies and students know the traction it has (or not).

If you are in a Director level and those 3 letters are stopping you from becoming VP then go for it!

Yes, it depends. I think many applicants think that an online program will have provide the same career mobility as an in-class program, which is a mistaken view.

For some people it makes sense. If you already have a solid foundation in your career and just want a small bump within your company or industry, then yes, doing a good program is worth it.

But if you're looking at a more substantial shift or huge salary increase then these exceptions are probably unrealistic.

Also, many students need face-to-face time, interaction with peers and faculty, etc. These elements are somewhat compromised in an online program (regardless of how well they market them.)