MBAs Abroad More Flexible Than Ever

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As U.S. MBA programs try to continue to capture international students, they're doing so by becoming more flexible with online components that make it easier to learn from anywhere.

International first-time graduate enrollment to business programs rose by 9 percent, according to 2011 data by the Council of Graduate Schools, but it also noted that overall enrollment to master's-focused institutions dropped 5 percent for the second consecutive year.

Data for 2011 from the Graduate Management Admission Council also found:

• International applicants make up 53 percent of full-time MBA programs applicants, on average.
• Applicants from Asia-Pacific account for 57 percent of international students applying to U.S. programs.

To stay ahead of the global competition, particularly from schools in Asia, flexibility is essential. Having online offerings is one way that MBA programs are seeking to stand out. Here are a few examples...

Thunderbird School of Global Management, Glendale, Ariz.
Program: Global MBA On-Demand program

The world's No. 1-ranked international business school brings learning to international students, at their own home or workplace through the Online Global MBA. The program, which spans 19 or 28 months, enables students to learn from any international location. It says about 75 percent of learning occurs online, and for the remainder, students convene in sessions at locations in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa.

Duke University, Durham, N.C.
Program: Cross-Continental MBA

The 16-month program enables full-time professionals to study in locations including Dubai, New Delhi, St. Petersburg and Shanghai/Kunshan, as well as online. Offering instruction in those economic regions brings Duke's program closer to international students and also helps them learn about world markets and economies, and experience cross-cultural communication in those settings, the school says on its website.

Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
Program: Global Executive MBA

The 21-month program, for managers for 10 to 15 years of work experience, has about one-third of the coursework delivered online. The curriculum's global content is delivered globally, too. Student attend six residencies (of two weeks each) in Brazil, India, China, and Europe, as well as Charlottesville, Va., and Washington D.C. Students' visits to those countries will include visiting firms, gaining cultural and work knowledge, and attending case method classes.

Assistant Dean Maureen Wellen said in a Forbes.com story: "We asked a lot of people around the world and there was definitely an appetite for the school's expertise globally -- especially from people who were unable to come to Darden for the two-year residential program. Also, it's clear that students in both the US and abroad want to attain a level of global literacy that most traditional programs simply cannot offer."

As more schools choose online and teaching settings outside of U.S. borders, they are offering flexibility that professionals seeking MBAs these days expect and need.

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