Whether you want to improve your qualifications to boost your business career or want to improve your chance of running a successful company of your own in the future, the option to get an online MBA has made it easier for all aspiring business professionals. No matter where you want your business career to take you, it’s now easier than ever to add this highly prestigious and sought-after credential to your resume, thanks to flexible online programs that allow you to fit in studying around working full-time and other commitments. If you like the idea of getting an online MBA but aren’t sure how it could benefit you, here are some of the main reasons why more and more professionals are choosing to study for the MBA online and what you should consider when deciding which program is the right choice for you.
Break Through in Your Career
At some point, many business professionals will hit a point where it feels like they have reached a roadblock, and additional training and qualifications may be needed to overcome it. If you feel like no matter how hard you work, something is holding you back from getting where you want to be in your career, getting an MBA online could be your ticket to future career success, allowing you to be eligible for more promotions or even take your business career into another direction by exploring a different industry.
Increase Your Career Opportunities
No matter what your future career goals might be, an online MBA can be one of the most ideal ways to improve your employment opportunities and get noticed by more potential employers. In addition, it can also make you a more suitable candidate for promotions in your current workplace and can make it easier for you to achieve success if you want to start running your own business. Whether you want to work your way up the career ladder at your current company, want to change careers to an entirely new industry and move into something different, or start your own business from the ground up, an MBA can provide you with the tools, skills, knowledge, and resources that you need to make it happen.
Earn Respect With Prestigious Credentials
An MBA degree qualification on your resume can instantly earn you more respect in the business industry. Most business professionals understand the sheer amount of work and dedication that will go into achieving an MBA. And, since studying for your MBA online often means even more work and commitment to putting in the time and energy while studying from home and fitting it around your life, it can sometimes earn you even more respect from employers who can see just how dedicated you are to your career.
Become a Better Leader
Whether you want to move up into a senior management position or start your own business, better leadership skills are something that every ambitious business professional could benefit from. Getting your online MBA will give you plenty of chances to develop better leadership skills in practice by getting involved in role-playing projects and working together with your classmates to prepare you for leading a team in any organization in the future. You’ll learn how to lead not only by good communication skills and management skills but also by inspiring others and setting the best example.
Improve Your Teamwork Skills, Too
Getting an online MBA isn’t just about preparing you to become a better manager – with this qualification, you can also go on to improve your skills as a team player and become an even more valuable member of the team whether you find employment or start your own business in the future. Any good leader knows that in order to effectively lead a team to success, they also have to be in it with their team members and work well with others regardless of their position. Learning online can also help you develop the increasingly important skill of working with a team remotely.
Benefit From More Flexibility
For many business professionals, the idea of getting an MBA was often out of reach before online MBA programs came on the scene. Online MBA programs offer more flexibility and make the qualification more accessible to all. Unlike the traditional classroom-based MBA, which would often require students to take time out of work in order to study full-time for at least a year, the online option is much more flexible, so you can fit it around your working life, family, and anything else that might get in the way otherwise.
Save Money
Another great reason to get an online MBA is that it can be an ideal way to save money on your further education. While the cost of tuition for an online MBA will often be around the same as you could expect to pay for the campus-based alternative, the difference here is with the opportunity cost and the associated costs. With students able to continue working while studying, the loss of income is often much smaller. And, there’s no need to consider the regular costs that would quickly add up such as the cost of commuting to campus daily.
Build Your Professional Network
Networking has always been an important part of the MBA program, and the good news is that there is little difference when studying online. Online programs will often have a lot of strategies in place to ensure that students are able to communicate and network with their peers on a regular basis to help build their professional and personal relationships while studying.
What to Consider Before Getting Your MBA Online?
If you’re looking at the top online MBA programs from Suffolk University, there are several important things to consider before you decide on the best program option for you. Even if you are set on getting your MBA online, bear in mind that not all programs are the same and there will be several factors to think about to help you determine which option is going to be right for you. Some of the key things to consider before applying for a program include:
Is Studying Online Right For You?
First of all, it’s important to ensure that studying online is the right choice for you. While online study has many benefits, it’s important to make sure that it is actually the right option for your lifestyle. Studying online is more well-suited to some people compared to others, so it’s important to ensure that you are aware of what it entails and that you’re up for the task. If you find the idea of working at home by yourself challenging and work better when you are in a physical classroom surrounded by fellow students, an online MBA might not always be ideal. A blended MBA, where you can combine both classroom and online learning, might be more suitable for you if you still want to take advantage of flexible learning options.
Time Constraints
It’s worth considering how much time you have to complete the program before deciding which online MBA to sign up to. One of the main benefits of getting your MBA online is that many programs are not tied to the usual time periods that you would expect from a traditional MBA. You can often take more time than usual to complete the program if needed, or even get it finished faster if you have some extra time to put the work in. Accelerated options, or a flexible program that allows you to complete it earlier if you’re willing to put in the extra effort, might be ideal for you if you want to get the qualification as quickly as possible for a certain position, for example. On the other hand, if you want to avoid stress and make sure that you can easily fit the degree program into your life, a longer, part-time option might be better for you.
Program Flexibility
Not all online MBA programs are going to be the same in terms of flexibility. Some programs might require that you are logged on for classes at a certain time of the day, while others will hold classes that you can choose to join when you are free to do so or catch up with later if you’re unable to attend. The level of flexibility that you will require may have an impact on the degree program that you choose. Consider your lifestyle needs, especially if you are planning to work full-time while getting your MBA, to help you decide on the right pathway.
Networking Opportunities
While online degree programs, in general, are getting better at helping students network, and social media has made it easier than ever to form strong relationships with your peers from class regardless of whether or not you are actually in a classroom together, it’s important to consider how well the school or program that you want to attend actually handles this issue. Find out more about the networking opportunities that they offer, such as whether they offer networking events that you can attend throughout the year, and what they provide to help students network in the online setting.
Business School Accreditation
Once you have decided on the type of program that you want to attend, it’s time to start narrowing down your business school options. Today you can choose from several traditional schools that started off by offering campus classes and have moved into offering online degrees as they grew in popularity. There are also online-only schools that were set up specifically for the purpose of delivering education online. Whichever you decide is best for you, one of the most important things to determine is if the school is accredited by a suitable accrediting agency like The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs or the International Accreditation Council for Business Education. These independent agencies will provide an accreditation of the business program, rating it based on a number of factors including the quality of teaching, services, faculty, and more.
Online Program Experience
If you decide to attend a business school that is not an online-only school, it’s worth taking the time to find out more about how much experience they have with offering online learning. Bear in mind that just because a school has a good reputation as a business school in general, it might not always mean that the same will be true for their online program, especially if offering distance learning is new to the institution. Many business schools today have only started offering online learning as a response to the COVID19 pandemic and are therefore relatively inexperienced.
Tuition
Another key question to ask is how you plan to pay for your tuition. In some cases, your employer may be able to cover all or some of your tuition, but bear in mind that they could have an approved list of schools and programs that they are willing to provide tuition assistance for. On the other hand, if you want to save money and get financial support, the type of scholarships, grants, and other student assistance programs on offer from the school might be an important factor for you to consider when choosing where to study.
Student Services and Support
Finally, it’s worth looking into the type of services and support that are offered to students on the online MBA programs before you choose where and what to study. This is especially important if you are planning to take an online MBA while working full-time and upholding other commitments in your life since this can be a very intense and stressful experience with so much to do at the same time. A supportive college with understanding staff and additional services such as counseling that students can take advantage of when needed can often make all the difference to your experience and your success.
There are undoubtedly many reasons to consider getting an online MBA, and several questions to ask before you decide on the right one for you. Overall, it could be the perfect choice if you want to boost your business career without taking time off work in the meantime.
