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Earn Your MBA from Home through Online Programs

Who Are You?

As you consider an online degree’s value, you must factor in your own personality and lifestyle. If you have a family, will they leave you alone when you work at home? Can you stick to a routine, or are you a procrastinator who needs on-campus structure? Are you a fast reader, or someone who learns best by listening?

You also must think about hardware issues. Do you have a fast enough computer or a laptop if you travel? Do you have reliable Internet service? If you’re using your work computer, are there firewalls that will impede you?

Where Do You Want to Go?

If you’re looking to use an online MBA to launch yourself into a new career or job, you’ll need to be a careful consumer. Some degrees barely rise above the level of matchbook-cover-mail-order courses. At the same time, some incredible programs combine online and on-campus learning, including Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Purdue University’s Krannert Graduate School of Management.

While you’re checking out online programs — such as those offered by American InterContinental University and the University of Phoenix — you may want to compare them to on-campus programs. Surprisingly, at least one well-known school charges online students more than twice as much as on-campus students for the same degree.

To find out more about online MBA programs, visit MBA Depot, Dynamo Careers, The Graduate Management Admission Council and Accredited Distance Learning.

This article originally appeared on Monster.com.

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