How to Choose a Flexible Online MBA Program

This article will tell you about how you should choose a flexible online MBA program. We will describe the kind of classes that you will likely take in an online MBA program, and the different things that you will learn about business management. Also, we will provide advice for choosing the best flexible, online MBa program. We also will make recommendations about an online university to consider for your online MBA.

What Is a Flexible Online MBA Program?

For many years, the most popular way to advance one’s business career was to earn a traditional, in class Master of Business Administration. The MBA generally will provide you with advanced skills in business management.

It is a degree that provides graduate education in core business functions, including finance, accounting, marketing, statistics and management. The MBA is an excellent degree choice for a business professional who wants to obtain more education to move up the corporate ladder.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of flexible, online MBA programs that allow students to earn their MBA mostly or entirely online. Many universities now offer flexible online MBA options that cater to many different interests. For example, online MBA programs may offer many concentrations including:

• Accounting
• Finance
• Entrepreneurship
• Supply chain management
• Information Technology
• Marketing
• Health care management
• Healthcare Administration
• Health Informatics

Another way that the online MBA can be very flexible is that it can be taken over one or two years, or possibly in three or four years, depending upon which program you choose. So, regardless of your current work and personal situation, you may be able to find a good online MBA program that meets your scheduling needs.

What Earn an Online MBA?

Statistics show that earning an MBA is beneficial for your career. And earning an online MBA often is a very good move because it is often very affordable, and does not require you to relocate or attend classes in person. Also, consider these benefits of an online MBA:

• Career advancement: The majority of professionals who earn their MBA report that they get a salary increase and an increase in responsibility within a few years of graduation.
• Higher salary: The median starting salary for new MBAs was over $165,000 in 2019, according to a survey by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).
• Employers often pay: Many employers want to retain their best employees, and some may pay for some or all of your MBA.
• More job security: An MBA gives you more business skills, and this can give your job more security in a down economy.
• Network: You will likely form vital friendships and business relationships in MBA school that are just as valuable as what you learned in the classes.

Flexible Online MBA Options

As you consider getting your online MBA, US News and World Report recommends that you consider these four factors:

• Is a flexible online MBA really for you? For many people, an online MBA sounds great, but it does take a certain type of person and personal flexibility to thrive in these programs. Can you be highly productive in your home environment? Can you finish your assignments on time without having the professor reminding you? Also, do you work well on your own, or do you need to have the interaction with students and professors to do your best?
• Is the program accredited? It is a good idea for your program to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) or the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
• Make sure the program truly is flexible if that is what you need. If you needed to put your MBA program on hold for a year, would the school let you do so? Also, can you start your program at several points during the school year?

With those above factors in mind, we recommend the following flexible, online MBA program:

Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins U offers a flexible, online MBA program through its Carey Business School. This is a powerful and highly respected business degree that can be earned either online, on campus, and on a schedule that works for you.

In this flexible MBA program, you will learn from business and educational leaders from across the top ranked schools at JHU. You also will work hands on with the school’s career development team, and be able to connect with the 200,000+ strong alumni network of JHU.

Johns Hopkins U is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The Carey Business School is in the process of being accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Class Flexibility

This highly ranked business program consists of 54 credits, and you can take up to six years to complete your degree. Also, you have the option of taking some or all of your classes at the Baltimore, MD campus, or take all of them online. Courses are offered in evenings and on weekends, as well as the online classes that you may take on your schedule.

Curriculum Flexibility

This program offers you the flexibility of several different concentrations. Online, you can choose these options:

• Financial Businesses
• Health Care Management
• Management

If you choose to earn your degree on campus, you can also choose from these specializations:

• Entrepreneurship
• Information Systems
• Marketing
• Real Estate
• Enterprise Risk Management
• Interdisciplinary Business

All students whether online or on campus will take classes in these core areas:

• Business Communications
• Business Law
• Information Systems
• Corporate Finance
• Marketing Management
• Investments
• Operations Management
• Decision Models
• Negotiations
• Economics for Decision Making
• Accounting and Financial Reporting

Also, you have the flexibility to choose from many exciting and unique electives:

• Data Analytics
• Fixed Income
• Cybersecurity
• Design Thinking
• City Lab
• Global Strategy
• Marketing Strategy
• Wealth Management
• Corporate Governance
• Power and Politics
• Discovery to Market
• Entrepreneurial Ventures
• Evaluating Health Care Innovations
• Real Estate Funds and Portfolio Management

Flexibility in Career Development

Successful partnerships are very important to the careers and success of JHU students. The university’s Career Development Office is successful in bringing together students, alumni, and employers to create relationships that last for years.

The Career Development Office team is located in Baltimore and Washington DC, and it consists of professionals with a wide background in both industry and academia. The mission of the office is to offer MBA students the skills to conduct a career search that is self directed. That is why the Carey Career Development team has many events and resources to help you build your career development competencies in these areas:

• Individual Exploration and Skills Assessment
• Value Proposition Development
• Resume and Cover Letter Creation
• Networking
• Applications and Search Process Management
• Interview Skills
• Negotiation and Job Preparation

Flexible Alumni Benefits and Services

As you earn your MBA and after you graduate, you will be able to tap the substantial and flexible resources of more than 200,000 alumni. Also, Johns Hopkins offers alumni these services and opportunities:

• Hopkins Knowledge Net: Provides alumni around the world with total access to information that could be prohibited in their country.
• Lifetime Alumni Email Account: You can continue to receive emails at your jhu.edu account after your graduate.
• Alumni Directory and Networking: You will be able to access more than 200,000 alumni to advance your career with the website GoHopOnline.com.
• Membership to the Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union
• JHU Library Services – features more than three million books online