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Guide to your online MBA

Capt. Kenneth Asahan is a full-time military technician in the Hawaii Army National Guard, but he’s earning his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The school’s online program allows Asahan to work toward his MBA from a university thousands of miles away.

“I earned my bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Hawaii and knew that an advanced degree would lead to bigger and better things,” Asahan said. “I did a cost comparison and also looked at the program and technologies UMass Amherst uses. This one was the best one for me, and I’m taking it at my own pace.”

Earning an MBA online is practical for service members because they’re not limited by geography. And while many instructors initially weren’t convinced that online coursework would provide the necessary interaction between students and teachers, technology has made that possible.

Asahan doesn’t consider online learning better than being on campus — just different.

“There are times I miss going to class, but this is the closest thing to it,” he said. “If the professor poses a topic, I can read what other people are saying. And after I respond, they respond to what I’m saying. I get to interact with people I’d never talk to in the classroom. And I definitely don’t feel isolated.”

But there two sides to the story. An online MBA has the same value as one earned on campus, but there are some hidden benefits — and pitfalls — to keep in mind when choosing the computer over the classroom.

Read the fine print

The number of online MBA programs continues to rise, along with the number of colleges and universities offering programs online — now about 96 percent, according to The Princeton Review.

You should take a good look at the course catalog or, even better, talk to an admissions counselor before selecting a school. Just because a university advertises an online MBA, it doesn’t mean you’ll be exempt from all classroom attendance.

“Keep an eye out for the words ‘100 percent online,’” said Amy Bergin, University of Massachusetts Amherst’s marketing director. “When you’re talking to admissions counselors, make sure you ask whether the program is 100 percent online. Resident requirements are sometimes overlooked, and you don’t want that to come as a surprise.”

MBA fast track

You can cut the time it takes to earn an MBA to about 18 months if you choose the right online program — one that doesn’t require elective courses and boils the program down to degree requirements, such as certain programs offered by the University of Maryland University College.

Class participation

Teamwork and interaction are at the core of MBA coursework, so many academics were slow to embrace the idea of offering degrees online.

“The computer is exactly what provides the interaction,” said Michael Evanchik, head of UMUC’s online MBA program. “Students have an unlimited ability to interact with each other and with the faculty. I’m not limited to getting to know my students based on their in-class participation. Every single online MBA student interacts with me. They also have more time to process what others are saying and more time to formulate their own thoughts. Unlike many other students, they’re coming to class prepared.”

Evanchik still believes that a full-time, on-campus student gets the best education. But he says an online MBA is better than one earned going to school part-time. And he’s not alone.

“There absolutely are more ways to interact online,” Bergin said. “In our program, students are networking with other students in 50 states and 15 countries, exchanging information and ideas with people they would never meet in the classroom.

“They’re having conversations with people of other cultures and in every profession, from medical to health care, engineers and entrepreneurs.”

Careful where you log on

If it’s a real degree, it’s a good one. The trick is to know whether the school is legitimate, said Vicky Phillips, who runs Get Educated.com, a counseling center for students with the only online directory of nationally accredited schools.

Diploma mills — fake online universities — target service members in particular because of military education benefits.

“Their Web sites look clean — sometimes better than those of the best schools,” Phillips said. “They claim to be accredited, but the degree is worthless. If employers check on it, they’ll see that it’s fake.”

How to be safe? Geteducated.com offers Diploma Mill Police, a free service that allows students to enter a school’s name and receive an accreditation report within 72 hours.

Is convenience costly?

It used to be. But with more schools offering online MBAs, students have more choices. A student can spend $5,000 or more than $100,000. But the average cost for an online MBA is about $30,000 — about the same as on-campus programs, according to BusinessWeek Online.