Top 10 Online Certified MBA Schools
The ranking of schools have always been a controversial issue because different schools or education institutes have different strengths and weaknesses, and the rankings of each different strength and weaknesses are usually impossible to be measured in mathematical terms. The Top 10 Business Schools, The Top 30 Degree Programs, The Top 50 MBA Schools, etc – What exactly are the criteria that are required to be considered ‘a top rank’ online MBA school?
University of Phoenix Online.
From the basic perspective of online based MBA programs/schools:
Recognition and Prominence
Many skeptics criticize that an online learning module may not be as effective as traditional education models, and this has proven to be the first barrier to e-learning. To be ranked as a top ONLINE school, the first important criterion is to consider the degree of acceptance in the business/corporate field. To put it simply, the widest accepted online MBA certificate/qualification should be ranked as the best online MBA program, this requires accreditation and certification by independent (sometimes government) education institutes setting standards and requirements for a certified MBA program.
Demand of Graduates
It is also fair to consider the market demand for graduates of certain online schools. Businesses and employers alike are most likely to hire graduates whom they think are the best of the bunch. If a certain school produces MBA graduates that are not in demand in the labor market, it does not matter if the graduate has top academic results. Similar to the recognition and prominence factor, the widest accepted and demanded should be ranked highly.
From an educational perspective, the criteria of ranking online MBA schools should also consist:
Quality of Students
The most common attribute that people look for at all levels of academic infrastructure is the results of the student from a particular school. The more number of high academic achieving graduates, the higher ranking should be given to the schools. This is a common misconception because it is based on assumptions that could prove to be logically incorrect and numbers that tend to be misleading. For example, School A has 100,000 students while School B has 500 students. Judging from the perception that the more ‘good grade’ students each school can produce, School A will have more ‘good grade’ students simply because it has more students than School B. Does this prove that School A should be ranked well above School B? No, as mentioned earlier, the numbers were misleading.
Should people adopt the ‘quality of students’ approach of ranking MBA schools, the comparison is more suitable when made in terms of percentage over total student within a program or school. However, if the numbers are still to be used as criteria of determining the ranking of schools, categories should be made to assign similar size schools together for fairer comparison.
Education as Social Service
Education itself is considered the most important social service that determines the future of a country, both economically and socially. When treated as a business, education institutes no longer prioritize on the public service it provides. Attention is given to the smart and intelligent students because these are the graduates that will promote the school, bring in more students and thus generate higher profits. Less academically successful students may be rejected and neglected. This should not be branded as a top ranking school.
Progressive Learning Criteria
The level of improvement graduates achieve throughout their time in school should be accredited as it shows, to a certain extent, the delivery of quality education in existence. A student with a starting semester CGPA of 2.5 that turns out to be a CGPA 3.5 graduate proves the education institute to be successful at developing the student’s ability and attributes. After all, this is the least all schools must do – human development through education, to fulfill their most fundamental purpose of existence.
Using the five different perspectives described above, the final Top 10 Online MBA Schools that appear on the list are as follows: (Not in order of ranking)
- Grand Canyon University
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (NCA), offering 26 different online MBA programs. - Columbian Southern University
Accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), offering 13 different online MBA programs. - University of Phoenix
Accredited by the NCA, offering 22 online MBA programs. - Westwood College
Nationally accredited as a post-secondary learning institute. - Capella University
Accredited by the NCA, offering 37 online MBA programs (One of the largest online MBA schools). - University of Cincinnati
Accredited by the NCA. Classified by the Carnegie Commission as one of America’s Top 25 Public Research Universities. - Tiffin University
Accredited by the NCA and Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
North Central University (NCU) – Fully accredited. - University of London
Audited and confirmed in 2005 by Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) – UK independent body for safeguarding the quality and standards of higher education - U 21 Global (Singapore)
Online MBA courses are backed by accredited education institutes (National University of Singapore, University of Queensland, University of Hong Kong, University of Glasgow, University of Nottingham, and other related business schools).