Mba?

hcb42

I also did the OU MBA, graduated in 2004, and it was an excellent experience (although demanding at times!)

jamesmorgan

From my experience (business consultancy, IT services) most of the people who did MBA's were disillusioned people in their 30's who felt they had not been promoted quickly enough. They failed to realise the reason was not their knowledge but their soft skills. An MBA purely addresses the knowledge aspect. Once they had completed their MBA they continued in their same roles for the same salary (but even more disillusioned). It may be true that some companies have a ceiling for staff without an MBA, but unless you work for one of those I doubt you will see much difference. Most good companies provide management training for their high flyers which is very similar in content to an MBA.

OllysMum_2

I disagree with this - I think there is a mix of motivations for doing an MBA. Some, not many, do it purely for the qualification because it helps them get up the ladder. These individuals tend to work in larger companies with structured career development paths.

I found most people in my courses were studying for the learning, and how that learning would progress their careers. They had the soft skills but what was lacking was the intellectual rigour that a tough programme of study gives you. Analysing real business problems and coming up with solutions, often working with people from totally different backgrounds and environments, is very enlightening.

I don't think my MBA studies gave me much knowledge as such. It was more about tools and techniques and a different way to look at the business and its context.

Generally, UK companies are not particularly good at management education beyond first line supervisory. Public sector and multinationals employees aside, some individuals decide to take control of their own learning and development, and this alone is viewed very positively by employers.

jamesmorgan wrote: »

From my experience (business consultancy, IT services) most of the people who did MBA's were disillusioned people in their 30's who felt they had not been promoted quickly enough. They failed to realise the reason was not their knowledge but their soft skills. An MBA purely addresses the knowledge aspect.

hcb42

jamesmorgan wrote: »

From my experience (business consultancy, IT services) most of the people who did MBA's were disillusioned people in their 30's who felt they had not been promoted quickly enough. They failed to realise the reason was not their knowledge but their soft skills. An MBA purely addresses the knowledge aspect. Once they had completed their MBA they continued in their same roles for the same salary (but even more disillusioned). It may be true that some companies have a ceiling for staff without an MBA, but unless you work for one of those I doubt you will see much difference. Most good companies provide management training for their high flyers which is very similar in content to an MBA.

I also, disagree, while I was in my early 30s when I started in 2000 I was also on nearly £80K a year back then. I did it for the learning in its own right, not to grow my career any further. In fact 13 years later, I earn a little more than half what I did, so could say I went backwards with mine - but of course I dont feel I have - life's priorities change, but I admire anyone who can do an MBA for three years, it is an enormous accomplishment in itself

jamesmorgan

OllysMum wrote: »

Generally, UK companies are not particularly good at management education beyond first line supervisory. Public sector and multinationals employees aside, some individuals decide to take control of their own learning and development, and this alone is viewed very positively by employers.

I guess I was lucky and worked for a large US multi-national. We trended to see MBA training as entry level and preferred our own in-house training for senior managers. I certainly agree that taking responsibility for your own personal development is essential - just question whether an MBA is a guaranteed way to enhanced salary. If you take a broader view of the benefits it may be worth doing.

Acc72

OllysMum wrote: »

I did the OU MBA and it was the best thing I have ever done. It is triple accredited, the support was superb and I was on the course with MDs of multinational businesses, senior nurses, entrepreneurs, engineers. A great mix and many have remained friends.

Interesting comments.

I have looked at the OU course but was put off by fact that it was home/self study and perceived lack of integration with other students.

How did this work for you ? - did you join informal study groups, or is there more interaction between students ?

OllysMum_2

Acc72 wrote: »

Interesting comments.

I have looked at the OU course but was put off by fact that it was home/self study and perceived lack of integration with other students.

How did this work for you ? - did you join informal study groups, or is there more interaction between students ?

There are monthly tutorials/seminars for most courses, and we were encouraged to form study groups, which most of my courses did. Every tutor I had (with one exception) was incredibly generous with their time and I think having tutor support from people with "real jobs" was far more beneficial than purely academic support.

There were also the residential schools which were fantastic but sadly I think they have greatly reduced them. The OU MBA attracts a lot of international interest so it was great mixing with carpenters from Germany and Microsoft employees from Russia to talk about competitive advantage. No matter the sector or country, it was always the same issues that required solutions

One of my friends did a full time MBA with a very well thought of business school. He believes I got a better experience. Most of his classmates were from the Far East and he felt this influenced the direction of discussion. He also thinks I had better tutor support.

TopQuark

Acc72 wrote: »

Interesting comments.

I have looked at the OU course but was put off by fact that it was home/self study and perceived lack of integration with other students.

How did this work for you ? - did you join informal study groups, or is there more interaction between students ?

Hello, I can also comment as I'm currently doing the OU MBA. My previous academic quals were acquired in the 'traditional' way - i.e. full-time study at established UK universities, so I was a little apprehensive about the OU style of study. However, I've been pleased with the format - I have regular (daily) interaction with fellow students via the course message boards and forum, plus we have online call/seminars and face-to-face tutorials every few months. There is a week-long residential each year, which so far has been brilliant. My tutors have all been great and provide plenty support as well as stimulating interesting discussions on related issues. Since I work full-time like most of the other students, I can put some of the things I learn into practice immediately, which is a great bonus.

Hope this helps,
TQ

Acc72

Thanks for the comments - for those who studied for an MBA via the OU, how long did it take you to complete and what was the average time commitment required to study per week ?

Also, does the course run continually throughout the year, or are there "terms" which offer a break ?

I have looked at this course, but in addition to the financial commitment the commitment to studying for at least 3 or 4 years is rather daunting !

guitarman001

Why the OU as opposed to Heriot-Watt online program, for example? I must check the league tables.