Hi Ralph, appreciate your feedback, however the reason for me to consider doing a full time MBA is 1) i feel i have stagnated in my current job & in order to move higher up the corporate ladder along with my experience an MBA would better my chances & the knowledge gained would enhance as well as sharpen my skills. 2) I intend to make a shift in my career from real estate post my MBA. whilst Courses like a Havard GMP yes i do agree, would be probably be better for me, they probably would not give me a certificate so i am really not sure how much value they would add to my qualification when i start looking for a job post completion. what are your thoughts?

I agree that an MBA will be a better option. Also look at the Sloan fellows programmes...

I agree that an MBA will be a better option. Also look at the Sloan fellows programmes...

I intend to make a shift in my career from real estate post my MBA. whilst Courses like a Havard GMP yes i do agree, would be probably be better for me, they probably would not give me a certificate so i am really not sure how much value they would add to my qualification when i start looking for a job post completion.

I think thjis also depends on the school. Ironically, a 'high quality' school might be the least good fit if it has a very ' narrow standard deviation ' - like a school like INSEAD where the students are close in age and go to a few employers.

On the other hand, these third tier schools have students with an average of eight years work experience:
Emory University (Goizueta) (GA)
Temple University (Fox) (PA)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)
Miami University (Farmer) (OH)
Portland State University (OR)
San Jose State University (Lucas) (CA)
University of Texas--El Paso (TX)
University of North Carolina--Charlotte (Belk) (NC)
University of Massachusetts--Lowell (MA)
Boise State University (ID)

thanks for the feedback, i also had a feeling that i might to be a bit old for an MBA but your response seems encouraging. i am currently considering schools in Canada, i also had another question & wonder if you could help me, would business schools consider accepting a student who would fulfill all other criteria such as GMAT, references, work experience etc except than not being a graduate? Could you possibly help me with a few business schools who would take a holistic approach to the overall applications & consider accepting such students? your help on this would be highly appreciated.

I think you might find that very hard. The MBA is a major academic process, and a candidate without a degree has a high chance of failure.

If you take a certificate programme, then perhaps that will be away forward? Many DL programmes is have a certificate as an access route.

thanks for the quick reply, so you suggest that looking at certificate programs in canada with an access to further on to an MBA? can you think of any business schools or universities in canada with similar options?

No, but I did a Google search:
https://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=pre-mBA+certificate#hl=en&safe=off&sclient=psy-ab&q=pre-mBA+certificate+site:.ca&oq=pre-mBA+certificate+site:.ca&gs_l=serp.3...2993.5800.0.6529.9.9.0.0.0.0.81.580.9.9.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.2V02Vns5AkI&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=66a4114761f62281&biw=1522&bih=819
and found this very quickly:
http://www.oia.uvic.ca/?q=node/1009

You won't find top-tier programmes with this sort of open access scheme in Canada.

In the UK, I know the University of London and the Open University both have distance learning MBAs with alternative entry points for people without degrees.

Wow, great thread! It seems like there actually are a lot of good MBA programs that will consider older candidates.

Lovely thread. Thanks for the inputs.

I'm 47 years old and looking to do a MBA program.

Haha, just kidding, just following the trend :-P

You might be kidding, but it is true that people well into their 40s and beyond also occasionally pursue MBA programs. I'm actually looking at some now, and have asked a few schools about this, and the feedback I've gotten makes me a bit relieved.