MBA online: is practical work experience necessary?

How did you respond to the trick question? "Of course!" "But what's the trick you ask?" Online or otherwise, MBA programs require work experience. Just because the program is online doesn't mean your requirements are lower to get the degree. You need good work experience to get the most out of the program.

Most accredited colleges and universities operate twenty-four/seven, offering both online and classroom coursework. Online courses don't differ in the rigorousness from traditional classroom experience. The biggest difference is the commute time. Why would your Masters in Business Administration be any different?

Online degree programs got their legitimacy through graduate level courses from major universities. Many of the first MBA online graduates were working in the field and needed a way to improve their professional standing while remaining employed. As more and more professionals in the HR departments completed online degrees to maintain their company standing, they recognized the extra effort an applicant took to continue a good employment history, while completing a graduate degree. It has become a sign of a proven achiever.

But why is work experience necessary for an MBA? You need to have managed somebody, some project in order to fully understand the dynamics and concepts of management. You need to understand what it takes to be in business for real, not just review a business plan for one. This isn't a bachelors, or basic degree, this is a master's program where you have to be able to demonstrate mastery in the field. Only law and medical communities don't demand prior experience. They make the work experience part of the program extending the time of the coursework by mandatory internships. This gives them control over the work experience and puts it as part of the grading process.

Administrating a business is a complex of operations requiring the individual to understand how people work together for a common goal, how markets work affecting profitability, and how the integration of technology can enhance or degrade the experience. The professional student needs firsthand knowledge of the practical as well as the theoretical. People rarely function the way the models predict. Understanding the stress involved in day to day running of a business operation is critical to applying new solutions to efficiency.

Think you've got the right work experience to successfully complete your MBA online. We have the practical experience to guide you to the right program based on your work history.