Five concerns you might have about an Online MBA – and how these are tackled in the MSM Online MBA
Following an MBA is a big decision. It is not only an investment in money but also in time. You do not always have the option to follow a full-time MBA program, or you simply don’t want to, as you might not want to give up your current career. Combining your MBA studies with your job and private responsibilities might however feel like a mission impossible. It’s not!
The MSM Online MBA is specifically designed for working professionals. Other than weekend MBA’s or evening MBA’s, the MSM Online MBA gives you full flexibility on when and where to study. You can follow the program 100% online with no obligations for residential weeks.
Ok, this is quite a benefit but at the same time might raise some concerns. What about the quality of the program? And the levels of interaction with fellow students and professors? How do I stay committed? All valid concerns when studying an online education program. Let’s have a closer look at these concerns and how these are tackled in the MSM Online MBA.
1. What about the quality of the Online MBA program?
The MSM Online MBA provides you with the same high quality as MSM’s on-campus MBA programs. The program is accredited by AMBA, ACBSP, IACBE and NVAO. In addition, the MSM Online MBA is ranked as the #2 Online MBA program in the Netherlands by CEO Magazine. The Online MBA program actually follows the same curriculum as the MSM on-campus MBA programs and you will be taught by MSM’s international faculty who are highly experienced in the delivery of online courses. After successfully finalizing the MSM Online MBA, you will receive an MBA degree, not an Online MBA degree.
Current student Michael Morreira from South Africa is very pleased with the content of the program.
“The content is really relevant, the reading materials and course instructors are really good. I can put the theory from the course content into my job immediately. We do a lot of simulations and global case studies, and the assignments are very practical. So, it is really useful in my current position,” as he explains in this video.
After seeing his wife’s great progress and excitement about the MSM Online MBA, Maher Dakik from Lebanon decided to also start the Online MBA at MSM. He is very happy with what the program has to offer: “The MSM Online MBA is a well-structured program; it offers the latest business practices and solid theories. The courses in the curriculum are all interesting. I am highly interested to develop my management and data analytical skills.”
2. How do I stay committed?
Combining your MBA studies with job responsibilities is challenging and certainly not easy. But hey, an MBA is not supposed to be easy, is it? While an MBA degree will give you that extra edge in your career, you will have to go the extra mile to complete it. However, a motivating and well-structured MBA program can help you along the way. That’s exactly what the MSM Online MBA does, it helps you to stay focused and on track. Courses are delivered in 8-week modules in an active learning format. To guide you through the program you will fulfill practice-oriented assignments every week. You finalize each module with a final assignment. This way, you can complete the MSM Online MBA in two years.
In a recent Online MBA webinar, current student Carl Maduro from Curacao shared his experience in the program and about the structure in particular: “The structure of the Online MBA at MSM keeps you busy and helps you to not lose focus. It prevents you from falling behind.”
Anne Maree, a Dutch national living in Kuwait, started the Online MBA just recently in June. She finds the structure clear but also challenging: “The program is very structured with the courses consisting of four units. The schedule is clear for the coming 1.5 years. It needs some time management to schedule everything in your daily life, because it becomes a big part of it. Especially the last part of a course is very challenging with the assignment of unit 4 and your final assignment. Then right away after finishing your final assignment, you start with the next course. This back-to-back approach definitely keeps you sharp.”
Classmate Jodi Stabe from Germany adds that the Online MBA platform is easy to work with: “I find the Online MBA platform very convenient and self-explanatory. It offers checkboxes to ensure that no assignments or tasks are forgotten.”
3. Are there opportunities to interact with fellow students and professors?
Studying at your own location, does certainly not mean that you study in isolation. The interactive discussion forum is the place where you connect with your peers and professors. You will share experiences, pose questions, discuss real business cases and initiate debates. To optimally facilitate interaction and networking, MSM keeps its Online MBA intakes rather small with a maximum of 15 participants per intake.
Anne Maree explains a bit more about the interaction: “Two times per month we have a call with the professor from the actual course and you share every week the articles with each other on the online discussion forum. We need to respond to two or three articles of our fellow students, which makes it a nice interaction on the content. In addition, we have a WhatsApp group with the eleven participants to share some practical stuff.”
In an interview with Business Because, Phina Kamanyire from Uganda describes that she was impressed with the level of interaction: “I have been impressed that we can interact and everyone has an equal level of motivation. By having access to other students’ work, you learn from them, and because they also review yours, you learn and grow from it.”
Maher Dakik also values the diversity in the Online MBA class: “I am having great discussions with my fellow students, as we have a good mixture from different backgrounds which is expanding my thoughts during my research.” Jodi Stabe agrees: “My fellow students make the program truly enjoyable. We are only in our second class together, but we are very encouraging to one another. We have at least eight different countries represented and we come from multiple backgrounds. I look forward to meeting them at graduation in 2022.”
4. Is there an option for face-to-face classes?
Yes, there is! MSM offers a blended option. If you would prefer to have a face-to-face experience in the program, you can join the specialization courses or one of the other MBA modules at the MSM campus in Maastricht.
Sander van Knippenberg from the Netherlands chose the blended option and followed the MBA specialization courses last year at MSM in Maastricht. In this video, he shares how he experienced these MBA Summer School courses and the Online MBA in general: “Within the on-site specialization courses I was together with 18 different nationalities, a really diverse group of people. I feel that this added value as I got more insights from different cultures.”
5. What specialization options does the online MBA program offer?
Just like in MSM’s on-campus MBA programs, you can customize the Online MBA around your specific career needs. If you would like to follow the specialization online, you can choose the specialization International Business & Sustainable Development. However, if you decide to follow the specialization courses on-campus at MSM in Maastricht, then you have more options to choose from. You can find all the options here.
Want to know more?
Here are a few resources you can check to get more insight into the MSM Online MBA.
