You’ve got an extensive background in IT, but you’d like to gain more business skills. But how can you pursue an advanced degree at a university with the unrelenting demands on your time at the office and at home?

Many IT professionals have answered that question by enrolling in one of the many MBA programs that are offered online.

TechRepublic has compiled a list of eight online programs. Download the resource document, “Earn Your MBA Online” to access this information now.

Attending a virtual classroom not only allows you to avoid the commute to a campus, it also gives you the flexibility to select when you will complete the coursework.

Some of the programs outlined allow you to take classes entirely online while others require a few campus visits.

For instance, the MBA program offered through Drexel University requires that students visit their Philadelphia campus on three occasions. The university makes these visits convenient for busy professionals by scheduling them over long weekends.

Benefits beyond convenience
Kathryn Courtright, a student taking online business classes from Dallas Baptist University, applauds more than just the convenience of her virtual classroom.

“…The interaction with others, the interaction with the professor…has been much better and more rewarding than the traditional classroom ever was. Definitely, a two thumbs up rating!!!” wrote Courtright.

Her comments are included on the eCollege.com Web site, a comprehensive site that helps students locate online graduate, undergraduate, and certificate programs.

The extensive database of eCollege is just one indication of how the availability of all types of online classes is growing. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the number of colleges offering courses over the Internet has grown from 28 percent in 1995 to 60 percent in 1998. Although not as many colleges offer advanced degrees online, the numbers in this category are on the rise. You’ll notice in the download that several of the online MBA programs we included were launched this year or will begin instruction soon.

If you’d like to learn more about your options online, download our list, “Earn Your MBA Online.”
What are the drawbacks to an online MBA? Would you miss out on meeting business professionals who often visit college campuses? Post a comment below or send us an e-mail.