Since returning from Edinburgh, I have an serving as the EBS Alumni Ambassador for the Edinburgh Business School. As alumni ambassador, I often get questions from potential students about Heriot-Watt, the EBS program, or just studying in the UK in general. Rather than repeat myself over and over, I have decided to post the common questions I get here, as well as my answers. Disclamer: My opinions here are mine alone do not reflect those of Heriot-Watt University, or the Edinburgh Business School. As alumni ambassador, I am a volunteer, and have no say in how the program operates. Any direct program questions like, "How do I change my exam date" or "When is graduation", you will have to contact the university directly. First, a little bit about the program.... The EBS MBA program has been around as a distance learning (DL) program since 1991. Unlike other programs that started as an on-campus program, and then went online, this program was designed from the ground up as a distance learning program. It is not a "cohort" program where you start and stop with a group of people. There is no groupwork, no video lectures, no required discussion boards, no homework that is turned in. Everything (except exams) is controlled at your own pace. Courses are contained in massive, custom designed textbooks using programmed learning. In addition to the texts, you have an online tool called the "Profiler" used to asses your strengths and weaknesses, as well as a faculty board for Q&A. Each course has only one long three hour, closed book, final exam. And yes, they are very difficult. There is very little networking with other students, and you don't even need to speak with a professor if you don't want to. Because of this, the way it is structured is not for everyone. I find this program works best for people who are busy professionals who are pretty well situated in their career, and just need an MBA to move up. It is also well suited for the entrepreneur, who maybe never had a chance to attend university because they were too busy working, and need an MBA as a missing credential. If you are looking for an MBA to change careers, this is probably not the program for you. Really for career changers, I wouldn't recommend any online MBA program. An on-campus program with a lot of networking possibilities would be more suited for you. UPDATE: This great video of Professor Lumsden talk about the history of the EBS MBA program: http://vimeo.com/12020689 Now that is out of the way, on to the questions...... Question 1 (my most common question): Why did you choose the EBS MBA? I first considered doing an MBA while I was working in Japan. Moving up from my position required an MBA. Programs for working adults in
Japan at the time were few and very expensive, so I started looking into distance learning. After
spending about 6 months researching various programs, one program really stood out for quality and flexibility, and that was the EBS program. What attracted me most about this program, it was built from the ground up as a distance learning program based on research in management education. This is quite different from other universities that take an on-campus program, and try to make it "online" by throwing some PowerPoint slides on a website. Question 2: How is an MBA program from a British university like EBS perceived by US employers? That really depends on the employer. My experience with large multinational companies have been that employers have generally impressed with someone from the US completing a program from a non-US school. My experience with small and medium firms has been that they really didn't care what country the degree was from, or if you had an MBA at all. They just cared if you could do the job. Question 3: Is it a reputable program? Yes, Heriot-Watt University is a Royal Chartered university and has origins back to 1821. Edinburgh Business School is the graduate business school of Heriot-Watt. The faculty of the business school have also taught at Stanford, INSEAD, London Business School, and other top schools. Yes, it is a real program. Question 4: What about other accreditations, like AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS, etc? Does the EBS MBA program have any of these? In a nutshell, no. In the early days of DL, organizations like AMBA and AACSB thumbed their nose at the concept of distance learning. (They certainly changed their tune now.) As I said before, the EBS MBA was built from the ground up as a DL program based on years of research on management education and experience with major industry executive education programs. After years of success, EBS sees no reason to change their program just to satisfy an outside marketing agency. Question 5: Will not having AACSB accreditation affect my ability to get a job or into a PhD/DBA program? I have never heard of a case where someone was not offered a job because their program was not AACSB. Most employers and universities require regional accreditation or the foreign equivalent. The foreign equivalent to regional accreditation in the UK is the Royal Charter, which Heriot-Watt does have. I haven't heard of any employer that requires AACSB accreditation for employment. Some employers might require it for tuition reimbursement, but I don't know of any. As for doctorate programs, some AACSB doctorate programs might require taking additional "leveling" courses. Some might not. I had no programs getting into my program at University of Florida with the Heriot-Watt MBA. In fact, they allowed me to transfer 30 credit hours from the EBS MBA towards my PhD. Question 6: I heard the EBA MBA program doesn't require a bachelors degree. Is that true? Yes, it is true. EBS has long felt that their MBA should be awarded based on the student's ability to learn the material and apply that knowledge to solve business problems. Not having a prior degree one should not limit your opportunity to learn, and based on management research, mattered little anyway. This concept is an anathema to many people and so-called "HR Specialists." However, I have never heard of anyone in the private sector not get a job because of it. That being said, not having a bachelors degree might affect you in some situations. If you plan on applying to a doctorate program in the US, all of them require a bachelors degree, even if you already have a masters. Also, some government jobs may require a bachelors degree, regardless if you already have a masters. There are a few EBS MBA grads who went back to school of a bachelors because of this. Question 7: Any discussion boards where I can talk to more students from the program? My first recommendation is the EBS Watercooler. It is the unofficial website of the EBS MBA program. Although not so popular anymore since EBS has started their own student forums, it has been around for a long time, so you might be able to search for some information, or find some old-timers there who could offer advice. It is at http://sites.google.com/site/ebswatercooler/ . Another is DegreeInfo. It is the oldest and largest online forum for distance learning on the internet. You can find it at http://www.degreeinfo.com/content/ Then there is Facebook. EBS has an official page at http://www.facebook.com/EdinburghBusinessSchool . Many current students follow that, and you can post questions. Both Heriot-Watt University and the Edinburgh Business School has groups on LinkedIn also. Question 8: What is the relationship between Edinburgh Business School and the University of Edinburgh? Other than geographic proximity, none really. Some faculty teach courses at both places from time to time. Edinburgh Business School is the graduate business school at Heriot-Watt University. University of Edinburgh is a separate institution. |