Here it is the announcement:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/programmes/distance-learning-mba

Don't they already have one, which is outsourced or in some way not administered by Imperial?

Will this be something new then ?

BigD

Just listening an Imperial mba presentation and the adcom replied this to a question about their online mba
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Hi - we are developing a distance learning programme, which will be launched in 2014. Applications are not available for this programme yet but more ifnormation will be made available in the near future.
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During all the presentation they have never mentionned the DL program; there was a question about that and I posted the reply. I can't see it anymore here:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/programmes

Don't they already have one, which is outsourced or in some way not administered by Imperial?

Well, their program was pricey and even not to well recognized; by the way it seems that their weekend emba already incorporates some blended elements.
So in 2014 there will be their new DL program and also the new Manchester emba.

Yes, I noticed that as well on their website. They have suspended taking any further students on their previous DL program and the next intake is on 2014 on their revised version. I guess its a good sign that schools like Imperial is focusing on their DL mode of study..shows that the market demand for DL does exist, if not undervalued. Hope the revised version is not as pricey compared to other schools like DBS and WBS

I'm not sure that it shoes greater focus on DL. They will replace it with a blended learning programme - one which includes compulsory face-to-face sessions. The classic DL method, without residencies or team projects, is not producing strong outcomes. I think blended programmes like the Manchester Global MBA are going to dominate the DL niche.

I'd be suspect of any completely online or completely DL MBA with no residential component at all, it's not like a DBA where you are researching your own topic, an MBA I think requires interaction and working with international teams or groups, and especially being thrown into working with strangers on short notice, such as the on-campus team sessions - challenges!

Consider that WBS recently refined their program and increased the interaction requirements at the request of the student cohorts, there has to be something of value here - there will be time away from home and some cost but the benefits far outweigh them. I think a real commitment to getting value for your efforts and some cost will be better in the long run.

Ok..I am following George's method of elimination now. I am convinced that the proper starting point for selecting an MBA is:

- Accreditation
- Ranking (FT, Aspen, Economist)
- Mode of Study and if DL then reputation of the school is a BIG deal

Based on above and the mode of study i.e. DL, I have selected schools with triple accreditation only which guarantees quality of school and maintains the reputation of the parent university. In addition, my profile, requirements and expectation from a school has been blended to come up with the list:

Tier 1 - Warwick, Henley & Durham: Both WBS and DBS are equally reputed schools, same fees of £19k but no Jan intake by Durham. WBS has compulsory residential modules whereas DBS are optional. Henley also has some on-site modules and I believe provides stronger career support than the other two.

Tier 2 - Strathclyde & Aston: Again, may be not as well reputed (ranking wise) as above schools but they are highly recognised and are considered to be decent programs. Fees wise Aston £18k with scholarship up to £3k possible. Strath fees £12.5k which seems great to me as the school is triple accredited.

Tier 3: Bradford/Royal Holloway: Bradford double accreditation and RH single, but these programs have been marked as decent and fees are £13.5k and £12.5k respectively.

Now, I have been offered a place by WBS and I am keen to say yes. So far I had some decent opinions by ppl like Hudson and Canuck abt WBS which builds confidence. I know I have been advised many times about not to be concerned abt finances, but being in a jobless position, I need to be absolutely sure that a DL program will fly, irrespective of the school that delivers it, I hear the the controversory that it may not be welcomed by all recruiters. In that case, what am I losing if I choose Strathclyde or Aston, the tier 2 schools. Will the reputation of WBS rank a DL program higher and make one more employable or it wouldn't make a difference? Is that extra 7k I am paying for just brand equity or there is more to it like learning and networking?

I also wanted to hear from students about the contents of the program. I noticed some programs have variety of electives and some has few. As long as we are sure about what we want to learn and it is delivered by a school, does it matter if a program has more electives?

Anyone has any thoughts about the delivery method of a school. Is there anything special that gives an edge to a school that I should watch out for other than the norm like forums, blogs, live lectures etc?

Look forward to your usual support and advice.

Agree Duncan. I think Imperial being such a highly reputed school but their DL MBA not perceived as well in equilibrium to their FT/PT version did raise an alarm for them. But the whole reason why they suspended the intake for a year to revise it rather than either completely abolishing it or leave it as is, perhaps because they noted a demand for DL courses in the market. A blended program may raise the profile of their course and allow more potential students to join them. Does it not mean, they are understanding the need of this mode of study and responding to market demand? Good news for DL-ers I'd like to say.

I would put Durham and Bradford both in Tier Two, and add Manchester to Tier One.

I think it's possible that Imperial's blended programme will absorb its international EMBA track. I can't see Imperial getting real scale in the crowded DL MBA market, but where is does have a niche to exploit is in countries where Engineers are high status. For example imagine a blended programme with face to face options in the countries where the Imperial brand has real roots, like Singapore, Greece, Pakistan, Australia and the UAE.

Wow..do you think Bradford DL program is good to be in tier 2 with Aston and Strath? It doesn't even have the triple crown (although they say they are working towards their AACSB)

I had an offer from Manchester back in my UAE days for the global MBA but again too expensive..£25k I think. No wayy..

I would put Durham and Bradford both in Tier Two, and add Manchester to Tier One.
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Only Bradford has been in the FT full-time MBA ranking both this year and last year. I think they are similar in standing. Bradford's DL MBA is bigger than Aston and Strathclyde's put together, so it has great scale -- which means strong resourcing.

Yeap..that's what I thought. I think there's one too many times I heard from this blog that Bradford MBA is strong as long as we can take benefits from their on-site resources i.e. FT mode. With DL programs which are conducted by RDI (which itself holds a different reputation) I was feeling skeptical about Bradford. Otherwise, it did sound fair to me when I joined the forum.

Can you please elaborate on "scale"? When you say its bigger than strath+aston put together..means? I also just learnt that Aston PT MBA can be done off campus by attending ONE day per term on campus only. I live in London, and one day per term seems perfect. But then again Aston is not Warwick..sigh!

Only Bradford has been in the FT full-time MBA ranking both this year and last year. I think they are similar in standing. Bradford's DL MBA is bigger than Aston and Strathclyde's put together, so it has great scale -- which means strong resourcing.

By scale, I mean the number of students taking the programme. RDI, indeed, has a pretty negative reputation.

Don't underestimate the positive benefit of time on campus. Kingston has a good weekend MBA. Warwick and Henley are great value.

so what is the story of RDI? I have seen RDI on FT league table, so far their website looks great and admin looks friendly too. Why the bad reputation? Is it because they are linked with university of wales? I dont understand why Bradford would associate its brand integrity with something as controversial as RDI??

By scale, I mean the number of students taking the programme. RDI, indeed, has a pretty negative reputation.

Don't underestimate the positive benefit of time on campus. Kingston has a good weekend MBA. Warwick and Henley are great value.

Search the discussion boards. With their Leicester MBA, for example, the feedback is poor about the administrative and tutorial support from RDI.

PS But speak to former students. Get your own data.

Thanks Duncan. I am on it! Did some search and I don't think Leicester is connected with RDI, not anymore. However, nothing about RDI itself I found on this forum which is strange. I have put forth a query to Bradford staff to understand the connection between RDI and Bradford as from the web it seemed like Bradford will be handling the tutorials and RDI will only be handling admin tasks like application processing and fees handling.

Saying that, I am kind of finding Bradford interesting. With 2 f2f modules (optional) included in fees as opposed to 1 by WBS seems cost effective. Plus their EMBA could equally be flexible and similar cost to DL version of WBS. I guess what I am asking myself is if I were to choose between EMBA Bradford against DL WBS, which should I go for? Brand of school or mode of study? Thoughts??

Search the discussion boards. With their Leicester MBA, for example, the feedback is poor about the administrative and tutorial support from RDI.

PS But speak to former students. Get your own data.

I think I would choose the Bradford EMBA over the DL MBA at Warwick, but look at the courses and the network you get from their schools. The DL MBA at Bradford is a great bargain. I had thought that with RDI they arranged 'university approved' tutors, but they were RDI contacts and rather uneven. I could be out of date about that. Speak to current students.

My response is only based on what I found out during my 12+ months research on the best DL MBA to do. First I will say that I received an offer from Imperial College DL MBA; based on my engineering background I thought it was only logical to try Imperial with their renowned reputation in engineering and medicine. Without even looking at the £24k price tag, something didn't quite feel right about their DL MBA. First, I wasn't aware that they offer it through a third party until I received an offer with the "Study Group" logo on it. This wasn't mentioned when I was doing the interviews. I have no problem per se with outsourcing, but if I am paying a premium for a product I prefer it to come from the original source. Second I discovered that most of their lecturers are also lecturers at other top Business Schools, including Warwick. So I decided not to go ahead with Imperial; and I am sure their decision to discontinue their particular DL MBA might be because they were losing clientele.

Regarding Bradford, it was actually on my Tier 2 list; only because it isn't quite triple accredited. At GBP14.5K with 2 f2f attendances (though not compulsory) I thought it was quite good value for money. They said they were working on the AACSB accreditation. (Correction - in the case of WBS, it's 1 f2f module offered in the fees, but also 3 compulsory residential attendances; 2 in first year and 1 in second year, so I think there at least Bradford and WBS are even, at least). But now as Sharneel says their EMBA is priced same as DL MBA (have you factored in travel and accommodation costs?), I think it's not too bad. It wouldn't be a bad option if one chose to go the Bradford EMBA route. However, if it was me making the choice, I would choose Bradford EMBA if my other realistic choice was a school below Bradford in ranking and reputation. Because, compared against WBS (even the DL option), if you are based in the UK, you could still claw back some of the perceived disadvantages of their DL option by choosing to attend a couple more modules f2f (albeit for a bit extra). I am sure financially you will still be in the same position with Bradford EMBA where you have to attend all the modules f2f (factoring transport and accommodation costs). Plus with a vibrant and interactive online cohort for Warwick (where I understand there are some group assignments), I think you will find the level of interaction still good enough. Also given that WBS is flexible, you can always decide to go the Executive route for some modules, which you can't with Bradford.
Sorry if I am sounding more and more like an agent for WBS I have just received my enrollment information and am quite excited about it!

I received a call today from RDI and had some clear understanding about the role RDI plays for Bradford DL MBA. Good news is their role for Bradford is only to handle the admission procedure like applications handling and fees processing. They are NOT involved in any way in the education process of Bradford unlike with Anglian Ruskin for which the agreement is different. This means a DLMBA with Bradford is purely from the university itself with its own professors and lecturers and study contents. Also to add, the application process seemed very straight forward, no essays to write! But then again I wonder, with such easy application process, are they accepting better quality students??

The DL MBA at Bradford is a great bargain. I had thought that with RDI they arranged 'university approved' tutors, but they were RDI contacts and rather uneven. I could be out of date about that. Speak to current students.

I guess the standards will be similar. The fact that the DL course allows up to three modules of five days is amazing. Exec ed courses in top schools are often 1000 a day so the MBA pays for itself just with that!