I graduated several years ago with a BA (1st Hon.). I am considering to study for a MBA in either this fall or next year. I am working in the Middle East and since there is no renowned business school in the region (probably the best is London Business School-Dubai EMBA which is too expensive), I would like to pursue my study in distance mode.I am considering three distance MBA programmes offered from UK universities for application:(1) Imperial College London, Tanaka Business School(2) Durham Business School(3) Warwick Business SchoolMy questions are:(1) Is distance MBA highly disregarded by MC as a qualification, as there are already a huge crowd of FT MBA graduates from renowned business schools in the market?(2) An important value of studying for a MBA is that you could build up your network with other students from different industries. However, this value more restricted on distance learning because of lack of opportunities for face-to-face (informal) communication. Will this disadvantage be critical in diminishing the value of distance learning MBA?Your thoughts would be highly appreciated.Thanks.

go for the best. Go to HENLEY.

I am afraid yes and yes are the answers to your two questions.If you are looking to change career into consulting those options are highly unlikely to help - if you really want to do it you won't worry about considerations such as expense.

Why not ask each of these schools to provide you with an anonymised list of all the graduates from their most recent graduation year and the companies they joined + job title upon graduation. The careers services at these schools will definitely have this information. If the lists read like a roll-call of jobs you'd aspire to have a couple of years from now then your question is answered. If they haven't secured roles you'd want then avoid entirely. If they will not share this information with you then I'd be very wary.Hope this helpsTony RestellTop-Consultant.com

Yes, its worth it if you dont want to miss out on couple of years of professional experience, mony.. As far as i know apart of Imperial no other Business Schools from your list give you a speical "Distance learning MBA", so the degree you will get will be the same as an on campus student.Just MBA degrees are not much added value without good professional experience to back it up. As far as "Added Value" provided by the social interaction and networking is concerned, i doubt it very much. Even in FT UK MBA's more than 70-80% of the classroom is full of Indian and Chinese fellows, (who may not be working in the same geographical location as yourself after graduation), So am not sure how much advantage can this be...Its a wise investment of time and money if you can afford it.Good LuckConsultant Boy

Having been in your situation a few years ago, I can say unequivocally, yes! As an aside, my shortlist was much the same as yours, and in the end I chose on the basis of which school provided the greatest flexibility at the time. Look at the courses, look at the modules and choose on the basis of which fits your future career direction best. The distance learning provides a short-sharp way to improve your organisational skills, as well as the other skills that doing the course is about. It requires concentration and the ability to fit study around your normal life. Emphasize these skills in future interviews. The one draw back when I did the course was the lack of day-to-day interaction with fellow students, but different schools now have different solutions to that (if they offer campus based seminars, go to them, if only to meet the other students).Good luck!

Thanx. Your suggestions and experiece sharing are really helpful.