typical

OU has got a very good reputation in the UK. Very few British schools have name recognition outside (Oxford and Cambridge are new to the game but riding off their histories; LBS and Cranfield are probably the best known of the others - LBS in particular is considered world class).

The main drawback as I see it: you'll get the knowledge and the piece of paper but the third piece of an MBA - the network - won't be anywhere near as strong as that you'd build from actually attending a school. Since graduating, the vast majority of my job interviews and all my job offers have come through the business school network one way or another.

spart

No - wouldnt hire someone (over another candidate) with a qualification from an institution like this. There are other places with better reputations for online MBA's.

Have seen some interesting 'degrees' from candidates here. Some don't stand up to much probing. Thinking of Sulaim Al Fahim here.

Try investigating some of the Australian programmes. I am part way through a Masters (online - not an MBA) and an MBA from a University with an MBA rating in the global top 100 will set you back in the order of $24,000 AUD - a long way away from $42k USD.

The Dean

All respect given, but I still haven't seen a convincing argument for any kind of MBA at all. Typical mentioned the networking and contact benefits which are undeniable but as an academic qualification I find MBA graduates a little too willing to fall back on them rather than relying on experienced gained 'in situ'.

And the world has changed - if the economic upheaval of the last couple of years hasn't persuaded employers that good old-fashioned experience is far more valuable than a piece of paper that says you can do 'financial modelling' and 'value at risk analytics', then God help us all.

spart

As an engineer, myself and colleagues refer to it as the Master of Bugger All...never met quite as many as I have here in the UAE.

I'm doing a Masters in Applied Finance - simply because I had quite bit of time on my hands working in the highlands of Malaysia and in outback West Australia. Only so much internet you can surf.

Tiger989

Thanks for the advice all, I have decided to take the MBA course with OU. Its simple, easy to register and has alot of accreditions. My main aim to have an MBA is simply a bonus card. I have enough engineering knowledge and experience but to reach to higher positions I would need a Masters in general.