editor If you are thinking about pursuing an MBA but are not sure about whether to go for a distance MBA or not, let us help you.
The demand for online or distance education is increasing every year in India.
The data released by the University Grants Commission (UGC) clearly shows a more than 40% increase in distance learning enrolment in 2022 from 2021.
The data also highlights that the MBA is India’s top sought-after online education course, with around 30,000 enrolments.
Not only this, people are also getting significant salary hikes as well.
This article has discussed the scope of distance MBA in the context of specializations, job opportunities, and salaries. This will help you to decide whether a distance MBA suits your career goals or not.
What exactly Distance MBA Is?
Before evaluating the scope of the distance MBA, let me tell you what exactly a distance MBA means.
There are so many things that separate a regular MBA from a distance MBA.
The significant difference is you don’t need to attend classes physically as you do in a regular MBA program. Distance MBA is much more flexible as compared to a regular MBA.
You can attend classes from wherever you want. Along with live lectures, universities also provide recorded lectures so you can learn at your own pace.
Distance MBA is the best option for working professionals and physically and geographically challenged students.
If you are also a working professional seeking growth in your career without quitting your job, then you should definitely enroll for a distance MBA.
The duration of a distance MBA is the same as a regular MBA, which is two years, and you will receive the course completion certificate immediately after completing the course.
Common Misconceptions about Distance MBA
There are a lot of misconceptions among students regarding distance MBA. You might also have them.
Let’s discuss some of the major misconceptions one by one.
Quality of Education
One of the first questions you may ask is about the quality of education distance MBAs provide. After completing the whole education through traditional or regular methods, I expect this question from you.
But you don’t need to worry about the quality of the education in the distance MBA program.
Just because you are not physically sitting in the classroom and not directly interacting with the faculty and other students doesn’t mean distance MBA provides low-quality education.
In fact, you will get the highest quality of education from the institutions because their experienced faculty uses the latest technology for teaching as well as for developing study notes.
Due to this, you will receive updated notes and study material, which will help you improve your overall academic performance.
Limited Career Opportunities
You might think regular MBA graduates have more career opportunities than distance MBA graduates.
People also believe that business organizations do not prefer distance MBA graduates over regular MBA graduates.
Fortunately, this is not the truth.
Every employer just wants to hire an experienced, talented, and skilled person in their organization. They don’t really care about your MBA program method.
However, organizations love the discipline and flexibility that distance MBA graduates bring in their work environment.
Read: Mastering Parent-Teacher Interactions: A Guide for Educators
What is the Difference between Regular & Distance MBAs?
Let me quickly tell you how a distance MBA is different from a regular MBA, and it can help you achieve your career goals without disturbing your personal life.
| Aspect | Regular MBA | Distance MBA |
| Study Mode | Need to attend classes physically | Online classes |
| Duration | 2 years | 2 to 3 years, it varies because it can be self- paced |
| Cost | Expensive | Affordable |
| Learning Environment | Traditional Teaching, briefly structured | Much more Flexible |
| Work-life Balance | Hard to balance work-life,Demands full time commitment | You can easily balance your personal and professional life |
| Use of Technology | Limited because of traditional teaching methods | Heavy use of new technology which makes concepts easy to learn and simple to understand. |
| Job opportunities | High | High |
Specialization options in Distance MBA
Nowadays, universities are offering a wide range of specialization options for students. Human resources, marketing, and international business are some of the in-demand MBA specializations.
Almost every university is providing online programs for all kinds of MBA specializations. You just need to choose the right specialization that will suit your career goals.
Personal interest, career goals, job opportunities in the market, and your strengths & weaknesses are some of the factors that you should consider while choosing the MBA specialization.
Career Options
After choosing the right MBA specialization, you should only focus on your studies and build a robust skill set, and you should stop worrying about the job.
Because, if you have skills that employers are looking for then you would definitely get a job. There are enormous job opportunities available in India and the global market.
If you are still worried about the job opportunities, then let me show you some data.
The data released by mbacrystalball shows that the top Indian business schools, such as ISB and IIM, have almost a 100 percent place rate for distance MBA programs.
Not only Indian but the US and Singapore-based business institutes also have their placement rate above 90%.
Salary Expectations
As mentioned above, if you have the skills and talent that business organizations are looking for, then you don’t need to worry about the job and salary.
Again, just keep in mind that your career growth and salary would be directly proportional to the value you provide to the organization.
If you successfully complete the two-year distance MBA and adopt core business skills, then you can expect around 700 thousand rupees as an annual salary in India. This number may increase in the context of the global job market.
Let me give you a rough idea about salaries in the Indian market for various MBA specializations. So you can choose the suitable MBA specialization and plan your career goals.
| MBA Specialization | Average Salary (INR) |
| Marketing | 7,00,000 |
| Human Resources | 8,00,000 |
| International Business | 11,50,000 |
| Business Analytics | 12,00,000 |
| Finance | 14,00,000 |
Conclusion
I hope that the above discussion makes it clear how enormous the scope of a distance MBA program is. Now that you have a good understanding of distance MBA, you have an idea about how it can give you an extra edge in your career.
Now, if you are thinking about enrolling in an online or distance MBA program, then let me tell you there are plenty of eminent universities that are providing online MBA programs at affordable prices in India.
Author’s Bio:
Swati is a seasoned Career Counselor at EduKyu, brings a wealth of expertise in guiding students to select the most suitable graduation and post-graduation courses. With a focus on MBA, MCA, MA, BA, BBA, BCA and specialized programs.
