Online and Offline MBA Degree Programs – What Are the Differences?

Written by admin on November 20th, 2010

Online MBA sounds ideal for many people who have full time jobs. It means the MBA studies will be offered almost entirely online to the working people without traveling to the campus to attend classes. The essential tools for completing MBA degree online are just computer and a stable internet connection. Before deciding to apply for this course, it is good for us to know the differences about online and offline MBA.

Generally, there is no difference between online study and on-campus study in terms of duration and total number of credits. Most of the MBA degree programs typically require two years of full-time study with the total credit of 36 hours. Most MBA degrees comprise of one year of core business classes and one year of specialized study. In other words, the course contents, materials and syllabus for both online and on-campus MBA are the same.

The major difference between the online and on-campus MBA programs is the venue where the classes are conducted. For students who opt for on-campus programs, they are able to meet all the lecturers, professors as well as their classmates in person. If the students encounter any problem in studies, they can directly raise the questions to their lecturers immediately during the class.

However, for online programs, it is considered as a home study concept. The lecturers communicate with their students through web programs. Online classroom discussions, message boards, instant messenger, emails and so on are used to facilitate peer interaction and discussions.

In terms of searching for references, those students who study online are not able to look for references in the campus library. They will be offered by the university to use the services of online library and online journals. For on-campus students, they submit their coursework through hard copy. However, for online students, they need to complete their assignments and submit online within a time frame fixed by the lecturers.

The certifications for online and offline MBA are the same. The end result for study online and offline has no difference as long as you work hard on it to obtain necessary knowledge and skills. Online study provides full freedom, flexibility and convenience for the students. However, it is important to bear in mind that studying online requires a very strong time management skill, self determination as well as self discipline to achieve great success.

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