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QS Distance Online MBA Rankings 2015: Methodology
By Tim Dhoul
Updated November 11, 2015 Updated November 11, 2015Ranking the world’s best online MBA programs is a very different proposition to ranking the qualification’s full-time counterparts.
An online MBA represents an altogether different student experience and, therefore, programs can only truly be held up in comparison to those within the same format, regardless of the institution from which they are offered.
The QS Distance Online MBA Rankings were created with exactly this distinction in mind – to assess online MBA programs across a number of factors that are particular to a distance or virtual learning experience. However, as with QS’s full-time MBA rankings, there is still an emphasis on the reputation of an online MBA program among international employers.
Assessing online MBA programs across six areas
Broadly, a total of six areas come under assessment in the methodology for the QS Distance Online MBA Rankings 2015, each of which is given a weighting towards a program’s final score.
This is detailed in the infographic below. As you will see, a number of different indicators fall under each area of assessment in the online MBA rankings – to learn more about these and to see their individual weighting towards the overall total, simply scroll down.
1. Employability (Total of 30%)
2. Student Quality (Total of 15%)
[Indicators in this area are designed to measure the strength of an online MBA program’s cohort.]
3. Established in Online MBA Market? (Total of 15%)
4. Faculty and Teaching (Total of 15%)
5. Class Experience (Total of 15%)
[Indicators in this area reward online MBA programs that look to make students feel part of a cohort and recognize the importance of interaction with classmates.]
Does the online MBA involve? (Yes/no answers)
6. Diversity (Total of 10%)
The data behind the scoring system of the QS Distance Online MBA Rankings has two main sources. Employer reputation data comes directly from a survey of actively-hiring international employers. Additional data is sourced directly from schools, and independently verified by the QS Intelligence Unit.
This article was originally published in March 2015 . It was last updated in November 2015
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Tim is a writer with a background in consumer journalism and charity communications. He trained as a journalist in the UK and holds degrees in history (BA) and Latin American studies (MA).
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