MBA from the Open University

bhz-2

I'd welcome your views about the MBA from the Open University please.

Although it's expensive for distance learning, it would suit me better than the ones from local unis because it's much more flexible. The part time courses available in my area would require me to take about 1 1/2 day off work per week (ie I would have to work reduced hours), which would of course reduce my income.

Is the MBA from the OU widely recognised and respected in the UK? Do employers take it seriously or do they prefer an MBA from other unis (not distance learning)?

Other unis seem to require quite a lot of interaction between the students for classwork, assignments, etc, which is not something easily achieved with the OU. What do you think about that?

I would also be interested to know what difference an MBA has made to your life with regards to career prospects, income, level of responsibility in your job, confidence, etc.

Many thanks.

cazziebo

I finished my MBA in 2006 and thoroughly recommend it. It's an excellent well thought out course with superb materials. I decided on the OU because it fitted with having young children, being a single parent and working long hours. The OU Budget account made payment much more feasible. It is triple accredited, which means it features amongst one of the best MBAs and because it is gained usually while working, carries extra weight with employers.

I have a few friends who did part time MBAs and the level of support I received was better (imho). Tutors were very supportive, and because most of them worked in the "real world" were able to put a good perspective on theory (some were academics). In almost every course I was part of an informal study group who met weekly, and I still meet 3 or 4 of my fellow students socially. I keep in touch with a dozen more through email. The residentials were brilliant, although I understand they are cutting the number of residentials which is a very bad move.

To be honest, I don't think the actual letters MBA after my name have made a jot of difference. However, the learning, the experience, the self discipline and organisation I've had to adopt to pass the courses, the self confidence - have all contributed to the fact I now have a job I could only have dreamt of at possibly 4x what I earned when I started. Hey - next week I'm delivering a leadership course at Oxford University and the following month I've been invited to advise the government on policy. In 2002 I was a miserable recruitment manager....

One word of caution. Learning with the OU is an addicton you might just not recover from. I've just finished another Masters course with the OU and done a couple of undergrad courses "for fun". I swore blind I'd never do another but now find myself looking casually over the prospectus...

Best of luck!

bhz-2

Wow, Cazziebo, it's amazing you managed to juggle an MBA and so many family and work commitments! Talk about self-discipline! Well done!!!! :T

Glad it enriched your life in all senses and you feel more confident.

How long did it take you to finish your course and which modules did you take? Which were the most useful ones? Which one(s) do you wish you hadn't taken?

What is the OU budget account exactly? Can you pay your fees in instalments at all? The first module costs nearly £4K (ouch!) and I need to research funding opportunities. Being distance learning, I don't think I would get much financial help, but I'll see what's available. Did you have a grant/scholarship?

I'm going nowhere in my current job and have been looking for a course for ages. This MBA seems to be a good choice, but I need some time to think about it and see if I can afford it.

Many thanks for sharing your experience and advice with us.

cazziebo

It was structured differently when I started and because I was self funding, there were stretches when I didn't take any courses. I did the certificate, diploma, masters route because after 20 years since I'd last studied, I wanted to do a bit at a time just in case I couldn't manage it. One chap I got to know well took just under 10 years to do from start to finish - he's now a CEO with one of the rail companies. I think I took 6 years altogether.

Best course by far was B820 Strategy, and I enjoyed (B824) HR and (B825) Marketing. Most people rave about B822 Creativity and Innovation but tbh it didn't live up to expectations (I was also made redundant just as the course started so that might have affected my perception!)

OUSBA is a low interest loan and you pay monthly over the time of the course. My current employers let me pay my last course by salary sacrifice so effectively I took a salary reduction for that year. I'm not aware of anyone getting any kind of financial assistance from anyone except their employer. sPublic sector employees seemed to get 100% paid, most private sector people had to make some contribution if their employer was helping them.

A lot of people seem amazed that I did this as a single parent with young children. To be honest, I think that was much easier than it was for most people. I had no partner to worry about, young kids are easier to manage, and early bedtimes make for good study time. I did this last course with two stroppy teens and latterly, a partner. That was HARD!

bhz-2 wrote: »

Wow, Cazziebo, it's amazing you managed to juggle an MBA and so many family and work commitments! Talk about self-discipline! Well done!!!! :T

Glad it enriched your life in all senses and you feel more confident.

How long did it take you to finish your course and which modules did you take? Which were the most useful ones? Which one(s) do you wish you hadn't taken?

What is the OU budget account exactly? Can you pay your fees in instalments at all? The first module costs nearly £4K (ouch!) and I need to research funding opportunities. Being distance learning, I don't think I would get much financial help, but I'll see what's available. Did you have a grant/scholarship?

I'm going nowhere in my current job and have been looking for a course for ages. This MBA seems to be a good choice, but I need some time to think about it and see if I can afford it.

Many thanks for sharing your experience and advice with us.

bhz-2

Cazziebo, I'll investigate the modules you mentioned.

Good luck with your new career!

bhz-2

Any more views on the MBA from the OU please?

RobHolyhead

I’m currently studying for my Honours Degree in ICT and many people i have talked to say that people that take a course with the OU are more employable, not only does it give you your qualification but in an employer’s eyes it also gives them reason to believe you are extremely self-motivated and have impeccable time management skills! Whereas students coming from a university are more likely to be in a party phase not only that but all their motivation comes from the tutors and they hardly have to manage their time it’s all done for them! Nor do they have full time jobs or family’s (I juggle Work and my Wife and 3 Year Old) to cope with alongside their study’s!

Put it this way, if i was an employer (which i hope to be in the next few years) i would take an OU student over another student!

Also PLEASE LISTEN to the warnings about OUA (Open University Addiction) it’s a real thing! I’m half way through my Degree and i have already planned a Post Grad Diploma and MSc in Advanced Networking :rotfl:

bhz-2

RobHolyhead wrote: »

I’m currently studying for my Honours Degree in ICT and many people i have talked to say that people that take a course with the OU are more employable, not only does it give you your qualification but in an employer’s eyes it also gives them reason to believe you are extremely self-motivated and have impeccable time management skills! Whereas students coming from a university are more likely to be in a party phase not only that but all their motivation comes from the tutors and they hardly have to manage their time it’s all done for them! Nor do they have full time jobs or family’s (I juggle Work and my Wife and 3 Year Old) to cope with alongside their study’s!

Put it this way, if i was an employer (which i hope to be in the next few years) i would take an OU student over another student!

Also PLEASE LISTEN to the warnings about OUA (Open University Addiction) it’s a real thing! I’m half way through my Degree and i have already planned a Post Grad Diploma and MSc in Advanced Networking :rotfl:

Thanks for your post, Rob.

I've never studied with the OU, but I can understand people's 'addiction' to it. So many interesting courses and so littlle time/money!

I need to look at my finances and see if I can really afford the MBA. With the recession, we never know how long we're going to keep our jobs for. I really want to take the course, but I don't really know what I can expect salarywise after my graduation. I'd rather be realistic and on the conservative side.

Anyway, best of luck with your honours degree!

Rich8003

Hi,

I am completing B821 (Finance) and B830 now, and have completed B825 and B820.

I also completed my undergrad degree with the OU. This has stood me above other graduates I am certain (have been told after interviews).

Does the MBA though? It is hard to say. My salary has interested a lot since starting, but it would have anyway.

I would strongly recommend the OU and it is amongst the top in the country (check triple accreditation, especially the US accrediation), I have been told everyone should understand finance and B821 and B820 are both very challenging and fun.

My advice would be that the qualification itself probably will pay for itself over a few years, and so purely financially is worth it (to answer your question).

However you must do an MBA because you want to learn about strategy and top management. You cannot underestimate the hard work that is needed and I have known a few people drop out and indeed fail 2 retakes of modules. If you enjoy the learning you will pass, if you just want the letters you might not!

Also look at Natwest's MBA loan (it is deferred until you graduate at a cheap rate).

Good luck
Rich

Running_On_Empty

Best advice is to research prospective employers with the question you have asked here.
OU graduates, and I am OU graduate with two OU degrees, will tell you OU is best thing they ever did etc but you really need to test the market. Use your network to do this.

If you have a full time job it would be foolhardy in today's economic climate to give it up to study a full time MBA even at one of the few top business schools in the UK and a part time MBA from a less highly regarded university is not going to impress employers as much as the OU MBA.

What are your existing qualifications?