Much has been made about the importance of having a high caliber student body, but teaching faculty still count. After all, it’s the professors who design the course materials and lead their delivery, so it matters who is on the faculty at business school.
At the best teaching institutions, the Online MBA program will have been developed by the same faculty that teach on the school’s in-class programs.
Students in many Online MBA programs will have the opportunity to connect with professors for live classes every week, alongside asynchronous modules that students study at times convenient to them, and periodic residential periods spent on campus.
Schools strive to hire the best faculty from across the globe, as their global learning experiences expose students to new cultures and perspectives.
Traditionally, a faculty’s performance has been measured by their research, which informs teaching and provides the basis for case discussions. However, more recently, there has been a shift in focus away from publishing research in top journals to making academic knowledge more applicable in the real world.
At many schools, much of the faculty will have doctorates, which goes hand in hand with their research expertise. But increasingly, academic expertise has been making way for industry experience, with business schools combining teaching from professors and executives. The online format has given students access to a wider array of leaders at leading companies.
Timing is another consideration. The Online MBA market is one of the fastest-growing segments of management education, but it’s relatively new. Best practices are still being worked out at most institutions, aside from the few which developed their programs decades ago. Their professors have more experience in delivering education digitally.
Indiana University: Kelley is ranked number one by the Financial Times when it comes to program delivery, the extent to which alumni rate the online delivery of live teaching sessions, other teaching materials and online exams. The Kelley School was the first top-ranked business school to offer an online MBA in 1999.
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IE Business School in Madrid is ranked first by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) for faculty and teaching, with a score of 96.3 out of 100. The school consistently tops the most prestigious rankings, and its faculty is made up of leading academic and industry practitioners who not only apply knowledge, but forge connections with companies.
View School ProfileUniversity of Utah: David Eccles is ranked first by the FT for online interaction, based on how alumni rate the interaction with and the availability of faculty. The school is ranked second for program delivery, and students learn from the same world-class faculty who teach the school’s on-campus programs.
View School ProfileThe Tepper School is ranked first overall by US News in a ranking that includes teaching and learning as a key metric. The Online MBA program, focused on leadership and analytics and taught through live sessions, has been developed by the same faculty that teach on the school’s other programs.
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Imperial College Business School has by far the highest proportion of international faculty, at 97 percent. Their diversity of thought, academic excellence and industry knowledge enrich the MBA experience. The London school’s highly interactive Online MBA has been designed by a team of in-house education technology specialists.
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At Warwick Business School, 100 percent of the faculty have doctorates. But the school takes teaching and learning beyond the classroom by bringing in visiting professors and executives from across the world, to marry realworld knowledge with academic expertise. The school has built links with global companies such as Amazon, Citi and Bain.
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University of North Carolina: Kenan-Flagler scores second in the FT’s research ranking, which is calculated according to the number of articles published by faculty in respected journals. This research is the foundation for outstanding teaching in the classroom. UNC’s program is STEM-focused, designed by some of the sharpest strategic and analytical minds.
View School ProfileMilan’s MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Management scores highly for faculty and teaching in the QS ranking along with the classroom experience methodology. The school’s International Flex MBA is taught not just by world-class academics, but by top managers leading digital transformation in their companies, such as Amazon and Microsoft.
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University of Florida: Warrington scores highly across a range of crucial metrics for teaching and faculty: its FT research rank and program delivery rank is third, while it came second for online interaction and 96 percent of the faculty have doctorates. The course materials were developed by the same respected faculty that designed the school’s full-time MBA.
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USC Marshall scores especially highly for faculty credentials and training in the US News ranking. Every course is created and taught by USC Marshall faculty, who are accomplished experts. Each class uses real-world scenarios to help students develop abilities that today’s employers expect, including effective virtual and remote collaboration.
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