Employers Value Both Online & In-Person Learning Equally — But Favor In-Person MBA Skills

GMAC’s new survey shows a preference among employers for the skills MBAs learn from in-person programs

Among students and employers, opinions have fluctuated between a preference for online MBAs versus a preference for in-person MBA programs. As of lately, it seems as though there is a nearly even split among employers on whether they value in person or online MBAs more.

During the pandemic, students felt negatively towards their hybrid or online learning experiences. Even so, there was a boom of online MBAs globally, with Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited online programs more than doubling in 2021 from the numbers they saw back in 2017. And by 2022, online MBA students outnumbered their counterparts in the B-school classroom.

But how do employers feel? After all, these programs are students’ way of finding the right job and career. Back in early 2022, AACSB Insights conducted a survey in which 34% of the 569 corporate recruiter respondents indicated that employers view online learning and in-person learning as equally valuable. Many were undecided, and 37% responded that they didn’t value online and in-person programs equally.

EMPLOYERS VALUE IN-PERSON MBA SKILLS

How do employers feel now? The verdict is in, and the opinions have shifted slightly.

According to the new Corporate Recruiters Survey from the Graduate Management Admission Council, opinions are nearly evenly split among employers — but tip slightly over the centerline, with 54% of employers considering graduates of online and in-person programs to be of equal value.

Though half of employers say they value the learning formats equally, the report also found that two-thirds of employers (66%) believe that graduates from in-person programs have stronger communication, data analysis, and strategy skills, which employers most highly value.

PERCEPTION: IN-PERSON GRADS HAVE BETTER SKILLS

“As time moves further and further away from the Covid and lockdown era, we’re seeing a small increase in favor of in-person programs by employers worldwide, especially in the U.S.,” says Europe Regional Director at GMAC Nalisha Patel. “It’s not that a vast majority of employers see online programs as a worse education experience for graduates, the preference overall is only slightly higher in favor of in-person programs.

“But employers have a perception of graduates, one where the in-person candidate has stronger business acumen than the online candidate.”

Employers from the U.S. and Asia differ from the global average in several aspects. Central or South Asian employers (90%) and East and Southeast Asian employers (71%) believe that online and in-person degrees hold equal value. To the same extent, approximately 75% of employers from both regions place higher value on in-person graduates’ leadership, communication, and technical skills compared to online graduates.

Read the full GMAC report here.

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