After combing through all of the submitted applications, in August, the USC Marshall School of Business launched its online MBA program with an inaugural cohort of 16 meticulously-selected students. Though nearly all of the program is online, it includes a required residential intensive: one week of classes and networking events that allow students to meet each other and faculty face-to-face, complete group projects, and further solidify their place in the Trojan family. Students and faculty from cities across California and the U.S. came together in Los Angeles and attended classes on topics ranging from leadership communication to management and strategy, as well as in-person and mobile gaming exercises. The Marshall School is thrilled to bring a cohort of ambitious entrepreneurs and future business leaders with such diverse backgrounds into its family. The group consists of several managers from top companies, and the average work experience of each student is 7 years. The on-campus component of the program is important, as it prepares students for their future virtual relationships. As Phil Griego, the Director of Online Learning, stated, “It makes it that much easier to communicate and connect with each other in a virtual experience since they’ve already made those friendships ahead of time.” Students also appreciated the value of kicking off the MBA online degree program with an on-campus event: “One of the great things about everyone coming together for this first week is the amount of diversity within the class. We have people involved with financing, pharmaceuticals, and some of them have multiple master’s degrees already. Several students are active duty or former military members. Everyone brings something to the table, so they can collaborate and share their ideas and experiences.” – Greg Sisa, Online MBA Student, U.S. Marine Diving Instructor, Naval Special Warfare Although it may have been fun for the students to be on-campus—many for the first time—the week included serious coursework. After breakfast each morning, students participated in two seminars before breaking for lunch, which served as a networking opportunity for the newest members of the Trojan community. After lunch, three more sessions built on what was previously learned. During the week, students were put into teams that were presented with a real challenge by a top 10 entertainment company in the Los Angeles area. Everyone visited the company to gain perspective on the task at hand and gave team presentations to company executives, who selected a winning group. The faculty had an equally wonderful experience getting to know their students. Judith Blumenthal, professor of marketing and a former USC Chief Alumni officer, explained: “I’ve just completed the first week of the online residential program, and the students that I met were terrific. And they are in the careers with serious jobs. Honestly, they would not be able to enroll in a program that does not have the flexibility that they require.” USC Marshall just finished recruiting its next cohort for the Spring 2016 session, which began in early January. Though demand for the USC Online MBA has continued to grow as awareness of the program has spread, the plan is still to keep interactive class sessions small while selectively accepting more students into the program. About the USC Marshall School of Business USC Marshall is one of the premier business schools in the U.S. and internationally recognized as a home for path-breaking research that emphasizes entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership and social responsibility. The USC Online MBA from the Marshall School of Business is built to help students succeed in the digitally driven business landscape, providing a curriculum focused on the practical skills expected of today’s global leaders. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Marshall brings undergraduate and graduate students a unique perspective on the world, including global opportunities for experiential learning. The vibrant and active Trojan alumni community includes more than 89,000 people in 92 countries.
Each course has been designed by USC Marshall Faculty members specifically for our online learning platform. The program combines self-paced, asynchronous coursework with real-time, interactive class sessions via webcam. As a result, the curriculum provides an opportunity to gain practical skills in virtual collaboration and working with remote teams that can help graduates distinguish themselves in a competitive job market. Graduates exit the program with a compiled e-portfolio highlighting the work they have completed as a student – a valuable resource for future professional opportunities.
Throughout the program, students also gain hands-on practice working with the latest analytics and metrics technologies to make informed decisions and improve existing processes. This provides students with a multifaceted perspective on business leadership and prepares them to examine challenges from all angles. Courses explore business fundamentals – topics like finance, accounting, marketing, and entrepreneurship – as they relate specifically to the overall theme of the course. Individual topics are taught by different faculty members with focused expertise in the subject matter, meaning students will engage with several top-level instructors as they work through each course. This gives students the opportunity to actively engage their critical thinking and communication skills while considering all aspects and perspectives when solving business problems. The program blends USC’s heritage of academic excellence with the flexibility of online learning and provides access to the renowned Trojan alumni network. This allows students to benefit from a top online MBA experience that can help them explore new opportunities for growth.
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Business professionals who desire to attain executive positions are increasingly earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) to help them achieve this goal. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 1999 and 2009, the number of MBA degrees presented to students increased by approximately 50 percent. A MBA degree allows students to gain an in-depth understanding of marketing, finance, management and other specialties that are specific to the business world. While there are no guarantees of employment or advancement, people with a MBA report less unemployment, higher raises and more promotions than people with any other type of degree. From fast-track Executive MBA degrees to Energy Management MBA programs focusing on sustainability, MBA Online Program is your path to the MBA program that can help you reach the next level in your career. The highlighted programs are designed to benefit adult learners and working professionals while our Career Path and MBA Guide pages are designed to give an informed outlook on continuing your education. We distinguish ourselves by directly connecting you to the top colleges and universities that offer quality online MBA programs. This way, we can provide you the best information to make an informed decision. You can easily request information – such as catalogs and other curriculum-based information – about several online MBA programs at once, without visiting multiple sites. And more importantly, you can feel comfortable knowing that your inquiry will be received as quickly as possible. MBA Degrees for Busy Working Professionals Individuals who enroll in a MBA program have already been in their chosen career for several years. Although they may need a MBA to advance, they can't afford to leave their jobs or reduce their hours. bestonlinemba.weebly.com provides information on MBA programs tailored to the unique needs of adult learners. We connect MBA candidates to some of the top programs in the country. At MBA Online Program, prospective students can request information from several accredited colleges and universities at the same time. Students save time and money by not having to visit or contact each potential school individually. A representative from each school will follow-up to answer specific questions about enrollment, curriculum, financial aid and other common concerns. What You Should Look For In Your MBA Program Students who are considering enrolling in an online MBA degree program should take the time to ensure that the college is accredited. Accreditation means that the school has voluntarily subjected itself to a rigorous review by a third-party accrediting agency. It assures students that they are receiving a valuable education for their investment. Accreditation also means that the school has fair admission policies, practices sound financial management and holds itself accountable to its mission statement. Colleges may choose to apply for regional accreditation, specialty accreditation or both. The Benefits of Accreditation By attending an accredited college, students increase their credibility to employers and other schools that they may transfer to in the future. Many employers don't consider a degree earned from an unaccredited college to be valid. Also, some lenders will not provide financial aid to students who attend an unaccredited school. Students who choose to complete their MBA degree online sometimes have to contend with outdated stereotypes that they aren't as serious about their career as students who went the traditional route. Accreditation helps online students gain the respect they deserve. Fitting the Online MBA into a Busy Life Earning an online MBA degree has many advantages over typical classroom instruction. The convenience factor is the one advantage that working adults find the most attractive. Online learning allows adult students to study, write papers and listen to classroom lectures when it fits into their schedule. The only thing that is necessary is a computer and an Internet connection. It doesn't require advanced technical skills to complete an MBA program online. MBA candidates don't have to quit their job or rearrange their family's schedule to complete the training they need to get ahead. However, it does require effective time management skills and the ability to prioritize. Most people enroll in an online MBA degree program because they want to earn more money. Employment statistics indicate that people with a MBA degree earn significantly higher salaries on average. In many organizations, it is impossible to get promoted to a management or executive position without a MBA. Hiring managers usually understand that completing a MBA degree takes a considerable amount of self-motivation. This is exactly the kind of quality that employers want in people in leadership roles. In a competitive business world, people with advanced degrees get noticed. Some business people with great potential never enroll in a MBA program due to concerns about the cost. This is unfortunate, since there are many ways to reduce the out-of-pocket cost of earning a graduate degree. Prior to enrolling in a MBA program, employees should check their company's policy on tuition reimbursement. This is a common benefit that many people fail to take advantage of. Employers may offer full or partial reimbursement based on years of service or the grade earned in each class. Grants and scholarship are also free money that does not have to be repaid. All avenues of free sources of financial assistance should be explored before applying for student loans. When climbing the career ladder, it is important to have a wide network of business associates for future job leads. Online MBA students widen their network significantly by interacting with instructors and students from multiple locations. This is another advantage that the online MBA degree has over the traditional classroom experience. Start your search for the right online MBA program With this site, you can quickly review several MBA online programs and request the information you need to make the right decision. By referencing our accessible listings of hundreds of schools, you can easily narrow your search to the online MBA program that best fits your schedule and professional development.
When entering your information you will be reaching out directly to colleges and universities to receive more information about the specific program of your interest. We have relationships with every school we list, and constantly update our listings to provide the most relevant, up-to-date information for our users. MBA Online Program is designed to create a clearer picture of what to expect throughout your learning experience. In addition to program-specific information, there are many considerations to make when weighing your decision. This year is perhaps the year of volatility, so much so that no one seems to agree on whether we should be worried. In May, one markets reporter noted that there seemed to be little impact on stocks, despite a highly chaotic social and political climate. Two days later, another noted that we should still be concerned about volatility in 2018. It appears that we’ve reached a point of being uncertain about uncertainty. And, as the adage goes, markets hate uncertainty. We spoke with USC Professor and economist Kevin Murphy about some of the complex issues that lead to this kind of volatility, and some of the things he’s learned through his research. His research during the Great Recession provided some unique insight into the intersection of politics, social influencers and business decision-making. In addition, Murphy highlighted what implications these kinds of issues have for business education programs. Kevin Murphy is an internationally recognized business scholar, and one of the first economists to focus on issues surrounding executive compensation. In addition to teaching for USC’s Online MBA, he has held faculty positions at the Harvard Business School and University of Rochester. Professor Murphy is not only widely published in academic journals and news, but he brings an abundance of insight from his work in consulting with some of the world’s largest firms as well as the U.S. Treasury Department and more. The Great Recession, Compensation and Business While The Great Recession officially ended in the U.S. in 2009, the repercussions continue to manifest in the ways organizations operate as well as in their relationships with shareholders, tax payers and customers. The movements that followed, such as Occupy Wall Street, placed a cultural hyper focus on compensation and pay structures in business. Although there were no doubt flaws in both the way companies paid their leaders as well as in the regulation that followed the recession, the relationship between compensation, regulation and the economy can’t be boiled down to a handful of issues. When we spoke to Professor Murphy, he cautioned against the oversimplification of issues as complex as these; the danger being that ineffective legislation is counterproductive both for government and for the businesses that must respond to changes in law. “[Compensation regulations,] often passed to curb perceived excesses in executive compensation, have largely backfired and produced unproductive unintended consequences. I expect more attempts, especially if there are (widely anticipated) changes in the composition of Congress.” One example of this phenomenon in action is with the regulations that followed The Great Recession. Although the stated intent behind acts like Dodd-Frank was to mitigate risk taking, the outcome of the law was to curb high compensation in the financial services industry, especially for organizations that received government aid. As Murphy illustrated in Pay, Politics and the Financial Crisis, this logic was flawed for several reasons:
Looking toward the future, it’s likely that businesses will face a new wave of complex issues, like the ones that led to The Great Recession. As we look toward an environment charged with political uncertainty in the U.S. and internationally, business leaders will be challenged to respond to these issues in a way that is both ethical and that creates value for their organizations. “Like most economists, I believe that the changes to the corporate tax rates, and the move away from regulations, both improve the business environment. Similarly, like most economists, I believe that the move to tariffs and trade wars will be bad for business.” The complexity of these challenges has created demand for well-rounded business leaders with a comprehensive skillset. This is perhaps part of the reason that business education programs around the world are experiencing high growth, with the majority reporting an increase in volume in 2017. Yet, many leadership-building programs will inevitably fail. Why? In looking at the failure of many leadership training programs, McKinsey & Company highlighted an important key to success: Context. In its article, the company was referring to context in the sense that a strong leader in one scenario is not necessarily the best leader in another. However, understanding context has far broader implications. The best leaders also understand it from a market perspective. They are aware of external forces that may influence their organizations and they have a sense of the pulse of their companies. The focus on context, not just a list of skills, is what separates a modern, forward-looking business education from MBAs relying on outdated pedagogy. The Role of Business Education in Managing Chaos The overarching challenge that the recession’s long-lasting impact on businesses illustrates is the need for dealing with the chaotic intersection of cultural pressure, politics, law, markets and business leadership. This creates an interesting challenge for MBA and business Ph.D. programs—how can they effectively teach intangible skills like managing and responding to chaos? It is important that even the core fundamental business courses teach students how to think rather than what to think. Achieving this comes from group projects that actively encourage collaboration, classes that adopt a global perspective, and, for MBA online programs, enabling students to develop authentic professional relationships with each other and faculty. While MBA programs must teach practical business skills, the issues that modern global businesses face are complex in that they represent an intersection of politics, ethics, economics and countless other issues. As a result, the best MBA programs will be those that also provide students with frameworks for thinking and problem solving both in and outside of work. The benefits of this approach are that graduates are not only equipped with the ability to stay ahead of disruptions, but with the capacity to articulate their own values throughout the work they do. “Although the course I teach is more introductory, we’ve made a geographically dispersed class feel more like a smaller residential program. We prepare students for business through rigorous group projects, cases, and group discussions about current business issues. Ultimately, I hope that exposure to economics will affect not only how they think about business decisions, but decisions in all walks of life.” About the USC Marshall School of Business USC Marshall is one of the premier business schools in the U.S. and internationally recognized as a home for path-breaking research that emphasizes entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership and social responsibility. The USC Online MBA from the Marshall School of Business is built to help students succeed in the digitally driven business landscape, providing a curriculum focused on the practical skills expected of today’s global leaders. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Marshall brings undergraduate and graduate students a unique perspective on the world, including global opportunities for experiential learning. The vibrant and active Trojan alumni community includes more than 89,000 people in 92 countries.
The 2019 Times Higher Education/Wall Street Journal study of international business schools found that a Master of Business Administration degree remains a vital credential for professionals who are striving to advance in their careers and earn higher salaries. A graduate education from a top business school is an opportunity to build your strategic insights and soft skills while connecting you with extensive resources and peers who share your drive for success. Carefully choosing an top online MBA program could be a major step toward becoming a proactive leader in the workplace and achieving your long-term goals. An online master’s program offers a convenient way to gain a widely respected credential as well as a top-tier education in leadership, management, analysis, decision-making and communication. With a growing number of programs available in 100 percent online or hybrid formats, you’ll first need to narrow down where to apply. Here are some of the most important things to consider when choosing an MBA program. Questions to Ask when Choosing an Online MBA Program
Traditional MBA vs. Online MBA A high-quality graduate program equips professionals with the knowledge and skills to stay ahead of the curve in a fast-paced, complex and frequently volatile business landscape. Whether you earn an MBA online or attend classes on campus, you will likely study many of the same concepts and complete similar assignments. In either format, you can learn data-driven strategies and effective problem-solving from renowned experts in the field. Taking online courses can provide greater flexibility to fit your graduate education into a busy schedule. Poets & Quants noted that online programs are particularly well-suited to the needs of professionals who are already working full time and provide the opportunity to accelerate their business careers. What Accreditation to Look for in Colleges Offering an Online MBA As part of your research into online business schools, it’s important to check what accreditations they hold. Educational accreditation is a quality assurance process for institutions and programs that can have a big impact on how your degree is perceived by employers and whether credits earned in one program are transferrable to another. A regional or national accreditation may be required to meet your organization’s standards for tuition reimbursement. Certain accreditation agencies are respected around the world, and their seals of approval may mean that your graduate education is more likely to help you achieve your goals. When it comes to U.S. schools of business and accounting, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is widely regarded as setting the gold standard. With a history stretching back to 1916, the organization accredits more than 800 institutions around the world, including the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. The AACSB reviews business schools based on standards in four categories:
Getting the Most Out of an Online Business Education To maximize the value of your online MBA, it’s vital to matriculate at a reputable institution where expert faculty teach the most advanced thinking in the field. But there are other distinctions among business schools that can affect students’ readiness to face challenges in the workplace. These are a few key differentiators that may impact what you take away from a graduate education and into the office: Integrated Curriculum Increasingly, the problems that today’s companies address are not broken down into silos. Instead, every aspect of a business shares information and strives to come together and achieve larger objectives. An integrated MBA curriculum meets the demands of today’s interdependent and constantly connected organizations by demonstrating how communication and cooperation across all functions lead to more efficient and productive operations. Opportunities for Live Interaction An MBA isn’t just about learning updated business skills and tools. Growing your network by meeting peers, instructors and interacting with other leaders is an essential part of the experience that can produce long-term benefits. Graduate programs facilitate these interactions by offering plenty of chances to meet with classmates and faculty in real time. Through online and in-person projects, discussions and networking events, students deepen their understanding of business processes while forming lasting connections. A Cohort of Experienced Professionals Working with your peers can be especially rewarding when they are knowledgeable individuals with backgrounds from many different industries. In an online MBA that attracts individuals with extensive professional experience in fields like financial services, consulting, healthcare and government, you can learn from a variety of perspectives. And those relationships don’t have to end when you complete your degree. A vibrant alumni community is a powerful resource that can enable you to identify opportunities and develop your ideas. Flipped Classrooms In a flipped classroom, students watch recorded lectures and read materials on their own before spending classes engaged in discussions and activities. This model has become increasingly popular over recent years because it makes synchronous hours of instruction more active and personalized. In an online MBA program, a flipped classroom allows professionals to focus on building their skills as strategic thinkers by working with peers and designing solutions to complex problems. Applications for Analytics and Communication To excel in today’s data-driven marketplace, professionals must be capable of leveraging information into meaningful intelligence and conveying their insights to a wide range of stakeholders. That makes an MBA education that emphasizes analytics and soft skills in every area from finance to marketing invaluable to tomorrow’s leaders. When robust analytics and powerful communication are built into all aspects of a program, leaders graduate prepared to drive sustainable growth with sophisticated methods and tools. Merging Practical Skills with Long-Term Strategy Organizations never sit still in our world of big data and instant global transactions. The exponential growth of technology and push for digital innovation means that changes in markets and businesses happen at a faster pace than ever before. Therefore, professionals get the greatest benefit out of their advanced education by completing a curriculum that draws on cutting-edge technology to integrate strategic business functions and enable forward-thinking decisions. It is not just about learning the latest processes and tools but learning to apply them to complex problems and developing a mindset for continually evaluating and improving processes, approaches and operations. About the USC Marshall School of Business
USC Marshall is one of the premier business schools in the U.S. and internationally recognized as a home for path-breaking research that emphasizes entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership and social responsibility. The USC Online MBA from the Marshall School of Business is built to help students succeed in the digitally driven business landscape, providing a curriculum focused on the practical skills expected of today’s global leaders. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Marshall brings undergraduate and graduate students a unique perspective on the world, including global opportunities for experiential learning. The vibrant and active Trojan alumni community includes more than 89,000 people in 92 countries. |