Online Education: How Much Do Online MBAs Cost? By Robert Levin

Getting an MBA or Masters of Business Administration has become a popular way of attaining this graduate degree without the time or cost of going through the full time school experience. The types of online programs typically fall into one of two categories. There are 'virtual' schools that are strictly existing in the online realm and that don't have a physical presence or location and there are those established, brick and mortar universities that offer an 'online' version of their standard MBA programs. So just how much does an Online MBA cost? I will walk through some of the top programs of both types in this article.

ONLINE ONLY

The most cost effective way to attain the Masters of Business Administration is with a degree program from a 'virtual school. While these programs are not as well known as the nationally recognized 'famous' brick and mortar university programs, their cost/return is unparalleled with per credit fees that often half or less than those of traditional schools. Some of the more popular programs of this type are administered by The University of Phoenix, Kaplan University and Devry's Keller School of Management.

As an example, The University of Phoenix MBA program requires a minimum of 36 credits at $625/credit for a total of $22,500 for the required classes. Additional credits, up to a total of 54 with the required courses, may be taken to achieve a 'concentration' in a particular area for additional fees. Thus a complete MBA with a concentration in Marketing for instance could cost between $25-$30,000 depending on what courses are selected and the concentration.

Devry's Keller School's MBA charges a 'per course' charge instead of per credit. Depending on state the per course charge is approximately $2,100 per course for a total of 10 'required' core courses plus an additional 18 credits from elective courses. These elective courses differ in cost but if using the same $2,100 average on a 4 credit course you'd have the complete MBA for somewhere around $30,000. This does not count additional courses for a concentration however which could up the total cost substantially.

WELL KNOWN 'FAMOUS NAME' ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS

Several well respected famous brick and mortar universities offer iMBA programs. If one wishes to have a nationally recognized and respected pedigree on their resume, the additional cost of getting your degree from one of these schools might be worth it. They often are not entirely online and require some limited time on campus, but if you're willing to make the time to do this and pay the higher fees you can obtain an MBA from such schools as Syracuse University, Babson College or what perhaps is considered presently the 'gold standard' of Online programs, Duke University's Global Executive MBA.

The fees for these programs are considerably more and range from $53,024 for Babson's Fast Track MBA Program which requires in-person classes about every six weeks and the rest online, to $3207 per course for 54 courses required at Syracuse for a total cost of the MBA of $173, 178 for this nationally known university. The Duke Fuqua Program runs a total of $135,500 for this illustrious degree.

MANY CHOICES

There are dozens of great Distance Learning MBA Programs available today running the gamut from the utilitarian to the prestigious nationally recognized Online iMBAs. For more great articles as well as links to top Online MBA Programs please visit MBAonline.me.