The Economist Magazine recently came out with their ratings for online MBA programs.  Unfortunately, all but two of the schools that are in the top 10 are outside the United States (University of Florida and Thunderbird).  The good thing is that someone has finally got the ball rolling on evaluating some of the online MBA schools.  

I think that a lot of emphasis (and rightfully so) has been put on the undergrad world of online education.  If you will notice, there has been a trend over the past few years where more and more traditional brick and mortar schools are offering online programs.  It’s not just limited to the schools that function primarily in the online world. (i.e. Kaplan, Phoenix, Walden, etc…)  As more and more traditional institutions catch up with the rest of the world and realize that distance education can not only be a positive expansion of their programs, they will also realize that the benefits provided by the revenue stream and diversity of the student body is also a benefit that comes with online education.

As a follow up to the article in The Economist, I found a blog posting that asks some really good questions about online MBA programs.  Robert Salomon is an Assistant Professor of Management at NYU.  He asks some good questions that any potential online MBA student should ask before enrolling.

Some of the things he touches on include the quality of enrollees, quality of curriculum, reputational impact of offering distance-learning programs, value of the social networks, and more.  One good thing about Mr. Solomon’s post is that he seems open to the idea of distance MBA.  He didn’t provide a negative word about the concept.  He simply asks some really good questions that anyone should consider.

This is my “vacation week” at Norwich.  They make you take one week off during the term.  This is mine.  I will spend my free time catching up on some reading I have missed.  This is exactly how I came across this information.  

Be informed!

Hope all is well with everyone!