I completed my fifth online MBA class on Thursday. The relief that I feel to have accounting behind me is palpable. I was dreading it going into the program. It wasn't as bad as I feared, but I can't say that I really enjoyed it either. Economics and marketing are all that stands between me and actual MBA level classes (and the completion of a resolution).
Given that I've almost completed the pre-requisites for pretty much every MBA program in the country, I did a little poking around to see if any prominent business schools have introduced an online MBA since I started last year. The B-school at UNC has introduced an online option for their MBA this year. I did a little poking around to see whether it might be an option for me after I wrap up my foundations classes at Marist. Before I go into what I learned during this investigation, it should explain why I was thinking about changing programs in the first place.
I went into the MBA program knowing that I was in it for a credential. I didn't expect to have a life changing educational experience (I've already had that). I was just looking for training that would open the door to a broader range of opportunities than what are currently available to me. I was also looking to signal my intention to eventually leave R&D to various people in my current organization. I chose Marist because they waived the GMAT, the price was right, and they don't require me to ever step foot on campus. While those considerations are still valid, another reason I liked Marist was the availability of classes to address my deficiency in the basics of business education. Once I finish the foundations classes, there is really nothing stopping me from switching to a different program. If I'm looking to get a credential, why not get a credential from an institution with a higher Q score than Marist?
The details around UNC's new online option gave me the answer to that question. The schools that get the high rankings from US News or any other source hold themselves in very high regard. There are certain aspects of the program that a student MUST participate in if they are to receive the maximum benefits of University X's educational opportunities. UNC requires participation in immersion weekends, classes that are held online, and the curriculum offers very little flexibility. The school, and a good number of other more highly regarded online programs, offers a program that will shape you into their ideal of a future executive. You go there to receive the education they offer. You are expected to accept the molding that they offer. Given that most people happily pay many thousands of dollars for the opportunity to be molded in this manner, the schools are under no pressure to change they way they go about offering classes that lead to a credential.
Note that I didn't say anything about offering an education. I've gotten an A in every one of my foundations classes. (I'm pretty sure I have an A in accounting, my professor has been posting various grades while I've been writing this post. Those grades match the assumptions that I used to estimate my grade before I started writing. I do like to live on the edge though. One more question wrong on the final would have put my score in the A- range.) I would be hard pressed to give you specifics about what I learned in every class, with the exception of organizational behavior. I've actually gotten good at giving the minimal amount of effort required to get an A.
Why should I try any harder? I'm not going to get anything out of learning the material from a textbook. These classes are changing how I think about business organizations, but I could get the same thing by reading a few books on my own. The deeper I get into this program, the more I realize that traditional classroom education is a waste of time. Everybody talks about online learning changing education, but it's really nothing more than a change in delivery of the same old material. Most online programs just try to make the online experience get as close to a traditional class as they can. That's not a revolution, that's just a revision.
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