Hello All,

I am currently in the process of choosing an online MBA course from the four listed Universities in the subject (Bradford, Birmingham, Aston and Aberdeen). I know that four might seem a bit much but I am having a difficult time deciding or at least excluding from this list.

Honestly speaking Bradford and Birmingham seem better since Bradford's online MBA is listed in the FT (but on the other hand the University itself is low in the rankings) while Birmingham is the best ranked University out of the 4. However, I've also heard good things about both Aston and Aberdeen.

I would like the MBA to gain a solid business knowledge + to open future career options.

Any help and suggestions would be very appreciated. I'm finding this decision way too tough!

It's more likely that you have heard good things about Aberdeen Business School, which is part of RGU, rather than Aberdeen University.

The quality of the course and schools matter much more than the whole university.

Otherwise, everything else depends on your career goals and the value of the alumni network.

I'm in a similar situation but also considering UMass Amherst. Does an FT ranking make a lot of difference if the really important factors are course + school quality?

This depends on your goals.

The FT ranking is a good resource because it has a lot of verifiable information that can factor into your decision process. Look for example at post-career salary and salary increase - this is not information that is typically provided independently for most Online MBA programs. I would argue that the higher a school is ranked in that ranking, the better its program will be.