Are you a full-time professional wanting to opt for an MBA program? Then, zeroing in on the right MBA university and MBA course specialisation is vital. According to Fortune, online MBA programs surged by 85% from 2016–17 to the 2020–21 academic year. They work both ways since you continue to work & earn while upskilling to be a highly trained resource with corporates.
The right choice of a distance MBA or an MBA for working professionals integrates well with your work and life, upskills you through an engaging learning experience and propels your career to the next level.
Here are five things to keep in mind for making wise choices about MBA universities and distance MBA programs to opt for.
1. The University must imbibe the DE&I culture
Globalisation has brought to the fore the business advantages of having Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) of working executives in teams and workplaces.
A McKinsey study revealed a 25-36% financial outperformance of businesses having working professionals of diverse gender and ethnicity. According to a Forbes report, a culture of inclusion driven by equity, equality, openness and belonging amongst employees impacts business success.
A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone – Sundar Pichai, CEO, Alphabet.
Make sure you opt for premier MBA universities that have grown over several decades to imbibe DE&I in their leadership, faculty, alumni network and students enrolled in their MBA courses.
2. The program must deliver In-demand Skills
Did you know that the World Economic Forum has emphasised the increasing need for working professionals to continually re-skill and upskill? NASSCOM declared the shelf-life of skills to be a mere 2-3 years – an alarm for working executives to wake up and act.
Ensure your MBA university has a versatile range of tailor-made courses – distance MBA or an MBA for working professionals with various specialisations and a curriculum that delivers in-demand future skills.
3. Flexible work/learn hours and gig economy
The 21st century has brought about a revolutionary growth of the gig worker’s economy where work is no longer a 9-5 job in an organisation but a task/project. Fortune reveals that flexible work hours for working professionals are now being extensively embraced even by large corporations.
Select an MBA university that offers a distance MBA program or an executive MBA program imparted in open and distance learning (ODL) mode. It will be immensely convenient if your full-time work has flexible hours or you do full-time gig work.
4. An engaging, fulfilling learning experience
We live in stressful times where our availability status is always-ON by default unless we decide to switch it off! Such is the severity of the stress on working professionals that there are discussions in Europe and India to have a law that provides working professionals the “Right to disconnect”!
When you choose an MBA university for a distance learning program, be mindful about your program delivering an engaging learning experience. Obsolete course curricula are neither engaging nor valued. Rigid schedules add an unbearable burden and stress on you. Select a flexible learning experience to make the course a stress-free pursuit.
5. Omnipresence of Technology
Technology has percolated into our work, home and public spaces to become omnipresent. There is an underlying touch of technology in every aspect of our life: exercising, cooking, studying, working, communicating, travelling, transacting, entertaining and socialising.
We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand because it is the pen and paper of our time – David Warlick, Educator, Author, Programmer, Public Speaker.
Select an MBA university that is fully technology-enabled. As a working executive, you must ensure that all course resources of your Distance MBA for working professionals are accessible 24×7 from anywhere.
Conclusion
As a graduate or a full-time working professional, you must aspire for an MBA for career growth. Begin by making a wise choice of your MBA course specialisation in a premier MBA university such as NMIMS Global.
