Hi guys,

I'm 38y/o with 10 years of leadership experience. Despite having earned both a BS and an MS in business administration from a reputable and well-respected school, I'm eager to further intelectually challenge myself and potentially do an MBA. For various reasons, especially time constraints, an EMBA program is not the perfect fit for me -- irrespective of age and experiences (I know it would be the most obvious option). Instead, I'm thinking about doing an Online MBA at my own pace without being squeezed into a fixed schedule. I reside in Europe and want to stay here.

With that in mind, it seems like UNSW (MBAX) and Gies (iMBA) are among the best and most respected options that tick a lot of boxes. UNSW seem to be great because it allows attending another leading business school such as SDA, HEC, NYU or Berkeley Haas, for example, on exchange during their global networking week. Gies doesn't provide such an opportunity but as leading US school is perhaps better known compared to UNSW.

Any thoughts comparing the two programs would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Entry into an exchange program is almost certainly highly competitive. Unless you expect to have grades higher than the average in the full-time MBA, you will likely be limited to the international network weeks. 

Why not compare UIUC and UNSW alumni in your country to see if either has a network advantage? In Germany, for example, UIUC seems to have a smaller network but slightly more impressive people. No-one goes to Illinois as a lifestyle choice?