How good is MBA from the University of Essex Online
All about the University of Essex Online, the MBA, Real Student Reviews, and More
You’ve probably heard a lot about how graduates of MBA programs have a higher earning potential than those who have only completed their bachelor's degree. In 2020, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) decided to see what the fuss was all about by conducting a Corporate Recruiters’ Survey in 2020 to gain insights into why recruiters from Fortune 500 companies preferred candidates with a graduate business degree.
Why Do Corporate Recruiters Prefer MBA Graduates?
Among the top three reasons for preferring MBA grads, you’d be surprised to learn that the recruiters from Fortune 500 companies surveyed did not include the actual business knowledge gained. Instead, recruiters placed their faith in business schools to develop the following three skills in their post-graduate students:
- Strategic thinking
- Strong communication skills
- Versatility
Recruiters believe that it’s these transferable skills that will help candidates take leadership roles, to navigate the challenges of technological disruption, and to handle a complex business environment and succeed in their organisations.
MBA Salaries Are Higher than Comparable Business Degrees
Corporate recruiters believe that the skills and abilities acquired by MBA graduates during their business school experiences make them a valuable asset, especially in these uncertain times. The survey found that despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, MBA graduates still commanded a premium when it came to their salaries. In fact, the median salary for MBA grads was 75% more than those with a bachelor's degree. Additionally, new hires sporting MBAs at Fortune 500 companies could expect higher median salaries than those with masters’ degrees in management, accounting, finance, and data analytics.
As you can see there are plenty of good reasons to get an MBA beyond personal growth. An MBA can help you open up new career opportunities with better remuneration too. However, if you’re already in the workforce and have other personal commitments like those towards your family, taking an entire year of to pursue a master’s degree can seem like a far-fetched dream. Read on to learn how an online Master of Business Administration at the University of Essex can help you achieve your goals.
The University of Essex Online – A Brief Background
The University of Essex Online has been offering online degrees since 2007 in partnership with Kaplan Learning. With over 80 industry-led programmes, the University has had students from over 140 countries enrolled in them, with over 5000 alumni.
The ethos behind the University of Essex online has been to offer accessible study by breaking down barriers for a range of learners to help them to thrive in their chosen fields. The online nature of the study has enabled students to foster global links, share ideas, and learn together despite the physical barriers of geography.
Already covering subjects that range from business and computing to law and psychology, the Online University is planning to expand its offerings significantly over the next five years.
What Previous Students Have to Say:
It’s only natural to want to look up online reviews from past students of a program. We’ve picked out some reviews of the University of Essex Online – both good and bad – so you don’t have to trawl the Internet to find what you are looking for.
Whatuni user Elle says, “I seriously can't commend the support provided by the university enough… because this is an online university, it is a much more personal experience than a normal university where you are just a number.”
Katie echoes Elle’s words on Reed saying, “The flexibility of online study allows me to plan my studies around a busy work and home life, and the tutors and student support advisers are always on hand for support or to answer any queries I have. I would highly recommend this Masters course for anyone looking to develop their knowledge and practice within management or looking to progress within their career.”
Another Whatuni user tends to disagree saying she did not like the support provided by the staff. However, the user also claims to have had minimal contact hours with people from the university i.e., ‘1 hour a week’ vs Elle’s ’18 hours a week’.
When reading online reviews one can tend to forget that you can only gain valuable experiences if you put in the right amount of effort.
University of Essex – National Student Satisfaction Survey Results:
The National Student Survey (NSS) is held annually in the UK to gain honest student feedback across the country’s further and higher education sectors so that prospective students can make well-informed decisions about where to study. The University of Essex Online received great scores in the NSS from its current students. A few statistics of note include:
- Business and Management students gave their programs a whopping 95% for overall satisfaction
- 93% agreed that their programs of study were intellectually stimulating
- A further 87.5% agreed that the University gave them ample opportunities to provide feedback on their courses
- 82% of the participating University of Essex Online students agreed that they received timely feedback on their assignments
The University clearly takes feedback from its students seriously as it has shown a year-on-year improvement in specific areas of its business programmes. There was a huge 20% increase in the number of students who reported that there was a feeling of community between the Online University’s staff and its students while there was a 13% increase in students who felt they had the right opportunities to connect with their peers.
Now that we’ve established that an MBA can be a good idea – especially an online one, and that the University of Essex Online has quite a few good things going on – let’s have a look at what you can learn while earning your MBA at the University of Essex Online and why it may be a great fit for you.
The University of Essex Online MBA
The University of Essex MBA online degree programme has been created to help students develop a global outlook and hone their critical thinking skills and drive innovation to help their organisations succeed. The global nature of the programme and its students along with the industry experience of the tutors can help you learn from the experiences of others in a way that you would not be able to in a regular brick-and-mortar classroom.
The MBA is designed to be conducted 100% online with state-of-the-art online learning technology. Most lectures can be taken at your own pace giving you plenty of flexibility when it comes to how and when you learn. However, students are still expected to collaborate with their peers on various assignments and interact with their tutors through synchronous learning experiences.
Who Should Join the University of Essex Online MBA Programme?
The University of Essex Online MBA programme has been developed for driven individuals who want to effect real change in the world around them and break convention to do so by combining enterprise, profit, and sustainability. One of a handful of programs that have achieved the Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation, the Essex Online MBA is ideal for entrepreneurs, current managers, career changers, or business graduates with a few years of work experience under their belts.
What You Will Study During the MBA Programme
The MBA programme covers several intrinsic business topics along with subjects aimed to drive sustainability in business, online marketing, and understanding international business. Some of the courses you may take include:
- The Management of Innovation and Organisational Change: This module is designed to help you learn to lead innovation projects in diverse organisational settings and use tools essential for the successful management of innovation.
- Sustainability and Operations: This module helps you understand the different models used to manage operations of various scales.
- Strategic Marketing: This course can help you understand the principles of marketing strategy, practices on a local and international level.
Student Tools and Support
Enrolling in an online course of study is no small undertaking. The University of Essex Online understands this and has several resources to help you stay motivated and on course.
Director’s Workshops: A weeklong, highly motivational series of workshops led by industry experts to give students opportunities to explore real-world business challenges from different perspectives and apply their knowledge to commercial scenarios.
Student Advisor: Each online student has a student advisor to mentor and support them throughout the programme of study. Module tutors provide academic support.
Online Resources: Essex Online MBA students get all core e-books completely free of charge as well as access to the University of Essex e-library.
Funding and Scholarships: Students enrolled in the programme can apply for an Academic Scholarship that partly funds their tuition. Additionally, the University also offers a simple monthly payment plan to help spread the cost of your fees. Additionally, it also offers a 21-day money back guarantee so you can test if online learning is right for you.
As with any online programme, you need to build your self-discipline skills to stay the course (pardon the pun!). We hope this detailed look into the University of Essex Online has answered your main questions about the University’s MBA programme.
You can register for the programme or learn more here.
References:
Celebrating 15 years of online learning, University of Essex Online, https://online.essex.ac.uk/blog/celebrating-15-years-online-learning/, April 22
National Student Survey – NSS, Office for Students, https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-information-and-data/national-student-survey-nss/ , accessed August 2022
The Essex Online MBA prospectus 2020-21, University of Essex, https://online.essex.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Prospectus/MBA_2020-21_V01.05.pdf, accessed August 2022
University of Essex Online ranks high for overall student satisfaction, University of Essex Online, https://online.essex.ac.uk/blog/university-of-essex-online-overall-student-satisfaction/, August 22
University of Essex Online reviews, Whatuni, https://www.whatuni.com/university-course-reviews/university-of-essex-online/341694/, accessed August 2022
University of Essex Online, Reed Courses, https://www.reed.co.uk/courses/profile/university-of-essex-online, accessed August 2022