Hi everyone!
I am an officer in the army with almost 10 years with work experience in human resources, management and logistics.
I am looking for a distance learning MBA in UK.
After a thorough search I am thinking Imperial DLMBA, Warwick DLMBA, Durham Global MBA and Leicester DL MBA.
What do you think is the best for me taking into account my background?
After finishing the MBA will I have any career change opportunities ?

Hi Maraki,

You should read through the discussions on this website about those programmes. I'm pretty sure you'll eliminate Imperial after doing so.

Warwick and Durham have much better standing than Leicester because of their top-ranked full-time MBA programmes.

You should also look at the Manchester Global MBA and Henley's DL MBA. Manchester also runs some heavily-subsidised executive education courses programmes aimed at officers transitioning out of the army:
For officers: http://www.mbs.ac.uk/programmes/executive-education/programmes/leadership/advanced-management.aspx
For NCOs and WOs: http://www.mbs.ac.uk/programmes/executive-education/programmes/leadership/enterprise-management.aspx

Duncan,
Thank you very much for your response.
The reason I decided to write in this forum is exactly because I read the comments about the Imperial MBA.
I have one more question though; they say that they changed the whole structure and the people in charge after this summer, so I don't know if the comments are about the previous one.

As I am not interested in a seminar I will reject the idea of Manchester program for officers. But thanks for the idea.

I've read about Henley that they provide specialized MBA in music and HR. Is that true?

Between the two (Warwick and Durham) which is considered best? Do you know their differences? Are they both of equal difficulty? In which field is each University specialized (eg finance, HR...)?

Hi Maraki,

The comments will, indeed, be about the previous one. The reality of distance learning is that here are huge differences between the programmes because of the massive overheads in developing high quality support and learning materials. A small programme like Imperial, in which there's no serious maketing investment, just cannot get the scale it needs.

Henley (and also Manchester) run both general management MBAs and a number of specialised MBAs, including corporate MBAs. I think the general MBA might be the right choice for you but if you prefer the streams for HR or music I am sure they are well designed for those industries.

Take a look at my comment on Durham on December 10t at http://www.find-mba.com/board/22882/last/#last Generally speaking, what I say about Manchester there is similar to Warwick. Personally, I would pick Manchester or Warwick over Henley or Durham.

These are all large schools, so they are good at every business function. If they have specalised MBAs, then that's because of the specific needs of those industries rather than because the schools are only good for those topics. Generally the higher ranked a school is, the better the quality (of students, teaching and outcomes) will be.

Thanks again for your answer.
I read your review about Manchester vs Durham.
Can you write a summary for Warwick program also? That would be very helpful for me!

I think that the Manchester MBA needs physical attendance also and I can't do this more than 1-2 weeks per year. Also I can't afford it.
I am also considering the Leicester MBA, which is affordable (10K) and has a Greek organization (i-Con) that helps you with studying (library,tutors) and is also an exam center. What is your opinion about this?

Other than that how employers value distance learning degree and an MBA from Imperial, Warwick, Durham and Leicester?

Thinking like an MBA, are you sure you cannot afford it? If an MBA increases your salary by 75% and doubles the rate of salary growth, what is the added value created by the MBA? Work that out in a spreadsheet.

I think that, if you look at the variables I discuss in comparing Manchester and Durham, you should be able to compare them yourself for Warwick by looking at its marketing materials. Like Durham, it compresses the core courses in order to allow more electives. And also like Durham it allows you to choose how much time you spend on campus, with the minimum of the Warwick Weeks. I recommend you maximise your time in face-to-face learning.

The value of the degree is more or less in line with the fees. The fees (and salaries) for DL students are around 2/3rd of the full-time MBA students and perhaps half that of the 'on-campus' executive MBAs. Employers understand that you'll have the book knowledge, but less experience of applications, and much less opportunity for soft skills and networking.

I don't think the Leicester MBA is affordable in comparison to the Durham one, since one cannot see the return on the investment. Durham is a world-class university with a triple-accredited MBA that's in some of the top rankings. There's a very clear RoI on its full-time MBA, which can be extended to the part-time one with some confidence. I can't see any data that suggests that the Leicester MBA has a clear RoI in excess of what the students would have otherwise gained. Its full-time programme is almost unknown. An MBA from an accredited Greek university would almost certainly give you a better learning experience and a meaningful alumni network.

Dear Duncan,
If I decide to stay in my current position (armed forces), which is rather possible having an MBA will not affect my salary. The only way I will get my money back is to have a career change. This is why I asked you about the role of the MBA in UK employment. Are army people like me, with 10 years of working experience in army management and logistics and with MBA are likely to be hired in UK? And how a good university helps you to find a job? I've heard that job interviews are pretty hard in UK and the CV one has plays a big role.

People with army expertise are valued highly. You'd be an interesting candidate to logistics employers, with or without an MBA. The value of an MBA isn't just to do with how 'good' a university is, but to do with the quality of the students, the education and the alumni network. However, a DL MBA won't give you the full-time MBA experience, and that's why it's discounted.

Job interviews are hard everywhere, but in Britain people are likely to ask how far you already have the skills needed for the role - so a job that uses your past experience should be very appropriate for you.

Goodmorning everyone!
Duncan, following your previous comment I would like your opinion about the kind of companies that usually hire people with my experience.
Ι didn't mention that except my logistics support background, I have also 2,5 years of experience as a Battalion finance manager and procurement officer.
After thorough research, I have narrowed my selection of DLMBA's to the following:
Warwick
Manchester
Durham
(and perhaps Aston ?)

In your opinion what fits me best and is more relevant to my background? And also which one will help me network among companies that are closer to my experience and past military career?

The key industries are:
Information Technology and Services
Defense & Space
Government Administration
Hospital & Health Care
Telecommunications
Financial Services
Security and Investigations
Management Consulting
Computer Software

Top employers for former army staff include Booz and SAIC. Also look at IBM, Dell, Boeing, Bank of America and AT&T.

In the UK, would look at:
J.P. Morgan
BT
HSBC
Citi
Deloitte
Deutsche Bank
McKinsey & Company

All those firms have employed ex-army MBAs,

Once again, Duncan, you have proved very helpfull to me. Thanks again!
One last question, from the universities mentioned in my previous post and offer distance learning MBA, which one in your opinion would suit me best in terms of their curriculum, knowledge and networking-job placement ?

See my answer above on Jan 9th. Manchester or Warwick.

Duncan, I re-wrote the question as I thought that there maybe slight changes after the FT 2012 ranking.
I believe that Warwick or Manchester are both running programs of great value. I also believe that since they both don't mention on the certificate the "distance learning" term, they are both accepted and recognized by employers. Also, they are both great business schools with high rankings and accreditation.
As far as soft skills are concerned because of my background and experience I don't really care. I want an MBA degree because I want to learn in theory what I practise in my everyday routine at work. And also to broaden my horizons.
One last grey spot from me is which of the 2 universities (Warwick vs Manchester) will help me best network,help me with the process of career change and of course help me find a well-paid job, if i decide to do so, even with the distance learning mode of studying.
Duncan, if you have an opinion about this, it would be really helpfull!

Well, I think Manchester is the better option: it has a slightly larger base of ex-army alumni, and the curriculum is better. I understand that the attendance mode is difficult for you, so perhaps you are not free to choose.

In terms of course delivery, both MBS and Warwick have very robust technology platforms - both based on the Blackboard live videoconferencing software - so you shouldn't worry that one will be better than the other in terms of how you'll experience the content.

Whatever you choose, try to take advantage of the program's on-campus sessions - Warwick requires one week per semester on its campus and Manchester encourages students to come to one of its centers for some time. The face-to-face interaction will be invaluable in terms of networking and your development of soft skills.

I think Manchester is similar: a six day module per semester, one of which you can waive and do with an extended essay. What's nice with the MBS Global MBA is that you can take these modules at campuses all over the world.

On Blackboard... well, there is a learning curve there. I know some people found it really frustrating for the first semester.

The online classes are sychronous or asychronous?
Also, which one has the best access from Heathrow and is easier to get there?
Duncan, I heard that MBS gives you the opportunity to attend the on campus week per semester in one of its global centres (eg Dubai) without having to pay for residence (hotel). You only pay the tickets to get there. Is this true?

The online classes are sychronous or asychronous?

Duncan, I heard that MBS gives you the opportunity to attend the on campus week per semester in one of its global centres (eg Dubai) without having to pay for residence (hotel). You only pay the tickets to get there. Is this true?

It is true. The schools pays for your hotel. I am not sure about meals.

@ maubia

Duncan, I heard that MBS gives you the opportunity to attend the on campus week per semester in one of its global centres (eg Dubai) without having to pay for residence (hotel). You only pay the tickets to get there. Is this true?