Is a One-Year Online MBA Worth It?

One-year online MBA programs have their advantages. In addition to the convenience of studying from home, you can finish in half the time. However, there are several questions that must be asked before committing – chiefly concerning accreditation. Nicole Willson considers the issues.

If you are considering a one-year online MBA program, it is important to take the issue of accreditation into consideration. The majority of these programs are offered by for-profit or regionally accredited universities. Since these are not accredited by EQUIS, AMBA or AACSB, there is no guarantee that you will be provided with a quality education. Additionally, US MBA employers usually look for graduates from AACSB-accredited programs.

However, there are signs that this will change. Cleveland State University’s Monte Ahuja College of Business is now offering what it calls its Mobile Accelerated MBA program. Since this is the first one-year MBA program from an AACSB-accredited school, it is being marketed as the AACSB-accredited one-year online MBA program. The course is taught entirely on an iPad 4G, (included in the cost of tuition), and offered in conjunction with textbook publisher McGraw-Hill through the latter’s Connect learning platform.

It should be noted, however, that AACSB accredits business schools as opposed to programs. So, while the Mobile Accelerated MBA is being offered by an AACSB-accredited school, this does not mean that AACSB endorses the program itself.

One-year online MBA programs also lack one of the biggest online MBA selling points: the ability to continue working while getting your MBA degree. It is impossible to get a part-time MBA degree in only a year. In addition some MBA experts feel that a one year isn’t enough time to get an MBA education through an online program. We may not know for sure, however, until the first group of MBAs graduates from the Mobile Accredited MBA program re-enters the professional sphere.