The most relevant accreditations are AMBA, EQUIS, and AACSB. If a program has any one of those it's going to provide a good level of education.

The program you mentioned are all good. I don't think that Northwestern offers an Online MBA. Durham and Bradford are ranked by the FT.

What are your goals?

I think it is too early to say that the UoL online MBA will be good.

[quote]

1. University of London - Global MBA
2. Robert Gordon, University of Aberdeen
3.Northwestern
2. iMBA - University of Illinois
3. Durham University
4. Bradford.

[/quote]

3 things to consider
1) The accreditations ensure that the quality of a course is on good level. Up to a point
2) [b]For job searching, the reputation the university has in your area is equal, and in my personal opinion, even more important than accreditations, although you will find that good reputation universities also have good accreditations ;) [/b]
3) Career services of the school, if you are looking for job opportunities.

your list of universities
University of London, is not accredited and does not appear on any rankings, on anywhere else for that matter
Robert Gordon University is in Aberdeen. Is not University of Aberdeen. Those are two different universities
Northwestern is great great great. But it is not online. And you can't afford it

Durham. Durham has great reputation, has all three accreditations, and decent-ish career services. It is, in my opinion, the clear winner in your list by far. I would choose that if my options were only that list.

Other unis to consider based only on your price range:
With accreditations:
EU: Leicester, Birmingham, Strathclyde.
US: Umass Armherst, Florida State uni, Uni of South Florida
Without accreditations: Heriot Watt EBS is very cheap (like 10000euro)
Cheapest online MBA: Open University Cyprus (is like 6000euro)

All the universities you (and I) mentioned are real and recognised (you have to be aware of that if you look for cheap ones, there are many fakes out there)

TL;DR:
Durham for your price range
Without career services (yet): illinois
Cheap legit option: Heriot Watt

Not sure if Heriot Watt is a good choice without accreditation. Illinois is only a few grand more. Bradford is much better.

what about IE Global MBA?

Obviously one of the very best online MBAs

I would say if you're considering the IE program, you shouldn't even consider the others. Well, maybe the Amherst program, which shows strong salary growth and employment outcomes.

I'm a student in the iMBA program (Illinois)- same degree as on-campus, you can live and travel anywhere while finishing. We have students from 50 countries now. I know we have a few students from the UK. Would recommend it for an online program!

[quote]I'm a student in the iMBA program (Illinois)- same degree as on-campus, you can live and travel anywhere while finishing. We have students from 50 countries now. I know we have a few students from the UK. Would recommend it for an online program![/quote]

Hello, I just checked this iMBA program. Will you have the exactly same degree as full-MBA from Illinois?

Yes.

[quote]Yes.[/quote]

Hmm, then this is a real attractive MBA program.
Is this program only focusing on the theory studying? Any workshop or project?

Take a look at the program website on Coursera.

I know that most (if not all) of the specializations leading up to the MBA components do have projects / capstones.

What online MBA would you recommend under the following circumstances:

- 40 years old
- technical background (IT consulting)
- 6 digit earnings

The aim of obtaining an MBA is purely to develop more business and leadership skills and have a degree from a highly regarded institution without any loss of earnings during the process.

Is it worth the effort at all or would you suggest alternatives?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Warwick in Europe/Asia or UMass in the Americas.

Thank you Duncan.

What I like is the modular approach that Edinburgh Business School offers where I can pay for each course separately and take them at my own pace.

I would be grateful if you or someone who knows the program could answer the following:

What is your opinion on Edinburgh Business School? What are the best alternatives the offer the same approach?

Many thanks!

I don't think Edinburgh Business School is a strong choice. Stick to schools with AACSB, EQUIS or AMBA accreditation.

I think you'll struggle to find a good MBA that is totally flexible and would, for example, allow you to attempt to complete the MBA over ten years or 20 years. All the data shows that students who set out to complete in a few years do so, and the more open-ended the time period the less likely people are to complete. Indeed, I think the tend is towards cohort online MBAs where you aim to start and finish with your intake.

The longest MBA with international accrediation is the OUBS, which can take up to seven years. It has the advantage of intermediate certificate and diploma qualification.

Do you absolutely need an MBA 'degree?' If not, you might want to look into executive education offerings, where you can add skills in a more targeted fashion. Even a General Management Program (GMP) might be something to explore.

The advantages would be that you could target the skills you're looking for at your own pace, and build a great network (if you do the programs at a great b-school). The disadvantages versus a cohort MBA would be that you wouldn't get an actual 'degree' and there would be no career services support (the latter is also generally lacking in online / flexible MBAs and even many EMBAs.)

Thank you both. Very useful info.