Distance MBA VS Regular MBA

Author: Rahul Sharma

There exist more than 1000 B-schools around the globe offering varied MBA Program , but before making a choice, it becomes vital for an candidate to consider how one differs from another.

It is significant to note that people often misconstrue regular MBA as a preferred choice over distance MBA, but in reality, these 2 programs actually hold equal importance. What differentiates them are the purpose and the format of delivery, thereby leading to 2 entirely different experiences.

Prerequisites for Admission

The 2-degree programs are crafted for professionals who are at different stages of their careers and hence vary in their requirements for admission.

Distance MBA are often planned for working professionals having extensive work experience and are a part-time study. The individuals have the advantage to continue with their present positions at work on a full-time basis with the learning taking place simultaneously either through offline (weekend classes) or online mode. Also, it is presumed that applicants of distance MBA programmes are pre-equipped with knowledge about business; hence they are not necessary to opt for any entrance examination and are rather admitted directly based on their work profile.

Unlikely, for a regular MBA course, entrance examination like CAT/MAT/GMAT is a precondition and hence more emphasis is laid on the test scores apart from the academic qualifications. The students pursuing the regular course are often struck in exhaustive class schedules, and taking any job while studying is however discouraged or not allowed in many institutions. To say that figuratively, while distance MBA is often viewed as a series of sprints, a regular MBA is like a marathon.

Monetary Perspective

One of the major differences between both the modes of education is ROI (Return On Investment). While distance MBA students can continue with their job, they are actually earning while studying and thus do not have to incur the cost for lodging and boarding and even relocating for the study. furthermore, in many cases, the tuition fees are covered by the employer when they see it as an investment worth making. This would let one to apply newly acquired skills to their work. While students pursuing a regular MBA are overwhelmingly self-funding the expenses linked.

Both distance and regular MBA candidates after finishing their degree can expect to have a huge sum coming up through their salary. The distance masters in business administration graduates can expect an average hike of 30% in their salary as per the industry norms, while a regular management course who tends to be a fresher and is in his early career can expect an increase of 60 percent according to a 2018 QS ROI report.

Lifestyle

To get an enriching student experience, a regular MBA is a good choice as it gives the chance to live on or near campus and allows the students to engage more in extracurricular activities like clubs, sports, conferences, and student-run events and socials, This would let students to get acquainted with their peers. A regular MBA student is also expected to have fellows or classmates of their age while the situation might be completely different for a distance study.

Since there is no hard and quick rule to choose between a distance or regular MBA because it primarily depends upon one’s circumstances. Whereas a distance MBA applicant would prefer to upgrade his current knowledge with tangible, immediate takeaways, the regular MBA applicant who is actually in the early phase of their career would focus more on rounding out their skill set and exploring new career opportunities.

So, it is completely your discretion where would you want to consider yourself distance or regular?

If you are looking for full time Masters in Business Administration (MBA) Program? Then you must go for Mangalmay Institutions , Mangalmay Institutions offers a two year full time Masters in Business Administration (MBA) Program is affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow (formerly, Uttar Pradesh Technical University) and approved by AICTE, Ministry of HRD, New Delhi.