Online MBA Forum

I'm just beginning to get involved in the planning stage of a paper-based Masters degree around the professional development of IT managers. The team is considering the format of the degree, and how it will be studied by the students.

We keep going back to the format of the MBA - papers plus practical projects - as being the most suitable for applied study. It seems old hat, but there is little that is as effective for professional development. And one year full-time, two years part time again come up as being the ideal. Almost everything we do has to be able to be delivered both in the classroom and online, so this is automatically a part of the design.

It's interesting that we should try to get away from a tried and true formula; of course, we won't be able to and will end up with an MBA type degree. But it will be none the worse for that, and we will have re-examined why we are using this formula.

I've been reading an article that looked at companies' attitudes to employing MBAs. Interestingly out of the five multinationals, there were two who didn't actively recruit MBAs, although they admitted that the skills that can come along with the people can be very useful.

The single sentiment that came through from the five companies was that MBA graduates needed experience and specialist knowledge as well as the knowledge and skills they learned on the MBA program. The comments centered around the fact that an MBA indicated potential, but that the person had to work to fulfil that potential and that there were no guarentees that holding an MBA gave automatic access to the top jobs.

Interestingly, those companies who actively recruited MBA graduates said that although they had relationships with some business schools, they would consider graduates from any MBA program.

I'm struck by Failing Economist's remark about selecting people who were good at doing MBAs. I have to say that I think that there is a great deal in the idea that people get selected for education on the basis that they are going to be successful on the program - not that they are going to learn the most that will be useful to their future careers.

In fact many universities select on this basis - especially the best universities. They become self-perpetuating in that they select the people who meet the profile that the selectors themselves fit, and therefore gain success at university.

I can't personally make up my mind how good or bad this is. My experience employing graduates from Cambridge University in the UK is that you get a certain kind of person, not necessarily the most original thinker, or the person who can cope best with life, but someone who has bags of confidence (even arrogance)and who can use their intelligence well.