Is Doing an Online MBA Really Worth It?

Having just left his job at a US consulting company, Charles Reynolds faced a tough decision: either get an MBA or pursue business opportunities overseas.He decided to do both, enrolling in Warwick Business School's distance learning MBA program while trying to grow an English-teaching business in Hong Kong.“I opted for a distance learning program that would allow me the opportunity to spread my studies out if business was fruitful in Hong Kong,” says Reynolds.Reynolds is one of a growing number of people choosing the flexibility of distance learning, or online, programs over traditional campus-based ones. And many are finding that – though different than the traditional classroom experience – distance learning can be a favorable alternative. But can distance learning programs provide the same level of education as face-to-face ones?Bert Valencia, director for Global MBA Programs at Thunderbird School of Management, was so concerned about this that he compared the grades of online students with those in Thunderbird’s traditional full-time program.