Hello

This may have been discussed in the past - if that was the case apologies for the duplication.

I am currently in a dilemma over whether to commit to the Open Uni MBA or go for the Hult EMBA. Hult will likely come to circa double the fees if I manage to secure scholarships, but is a structured programme which will mean that I will finish and graduate within two years. It also gives me the face-to-face learning experience and networking element being taught and not online. Hult however seems to have a mixed reputation online which I am struggling with a little. Open uni doesn’t have much other than generally satisfied graduates, however I find it rare to find graduates who completed their MBA within two years. It requires a lot of self-discipline for someone to juggle this with a full-time job and family commitments, so I am not surprised. Most finish it in 3-5 years, from what I gathered and I am keen to avoid that but know it is unlikely that I will finish in two years. I then also have the Imperial Global MBA on the back of my mind (I am an Imperial graduate and love that university) which is similarly priced to Hult but online (potentially similar concerns to Open Uni MBA, with overall duration dragging out).

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I would appreciate some advice.

[Edited by Khattab on Nov 18, 2019]

I don't understand why these are your only choices or what your goals are. I didn't hear of anyone paying full price for Hult. It's like a hotel room. Focus on the value you are getting not someone else's account of the discount.

I don't understand why these are your only choices or what your goals are. I didn't hear of anyone paying full price for Hult. It's like a hotel room. Focus on the value you are getting not someone else's account of the discount.

[Edited by Khattab on Nov 18, 2019]

I think that is a false economy. A better MBA would probably increase your lifetime earnings by around half a million dollars. I looked on LinkedIn to see which schools have the most alumni in the UK who are structural engineers and hold MBAs. They are:
London Business School
University of Cambridge
Cass Business School
University of Southampton
Imperial College Business School.

If those people have found it a choose choice to attend those schools, you might too.

These schools all have a much better international reputation than Hult or the OU. Indeed, with the online MBAs from Illinois or Boston, you can have really world-class qualifications for a lower cost.

[Edited by Duncan on Nov 18, 2019]

You might also consider a specialist qualification like https://www.henley.ac.uk/postgraduate/course/msc-real-estate-part-time

Thanks for your response Duncan. I can probably summarise my goal as studying a respectable triple accredited MBA within two years which can be done flexibly, with no trips out of London, and ideally for around the £20-£25k mark. There is a shortage of structural engineers with a strong business acumen, so an MBA would fast track my career. I don’t feel that I need to graduate from an elite school (e.g. LBS) as I don’t think that will have too much of an impact in the field I work in and plan to stay within.