Best online MBA programs

An MBA degree can enhance virtually any training one has as employers look for candidates whose skill sets go beyond just their technical expertise. Holding down a 9-to-5 job and pursuing a degree in a brick and mortar campus is seldom practical. Online MBA programs offer degrees at your own pace from the comfort of your couch. Finding the best online MBA programs 2012, is based on not just name recognition but a whole slew of tangible factors that go into determining the ranking of a program. The most important factor to make the top ranked online MBA programs is that the schools offer more than half their campus MBA options to online candidates demonstrating that online learning is a priority.

While several universities have jumped on the distance learning bandwagon, the jury is still out as to which ones are in it for the right reasons. Distance education is certainly where the future is headed and universities are well aware that a potential student could be having his lessons streamed into an igluvigak in Anchorage! That said; some universities have stepped into these untested waters in the fear that they might be left behind.

The other criteria that went into determining this list were scores required for acceptance, graduation rates, financial aid and most importantly retention rates. Surveys from graduates of these programs were another tool used to compile this list.

1.      University of Phoenix

2.      American Intercontinental University

3.      Post University

4.      Florida Tech University online

5.      Kaplan University

6.      Walden University

7.      South University online

8.      Grand Canyon University

9.      Ashford University

10.  Everest University

Besides the rankings alone, considering the individual concentrations of these programs is essential to tailoring your education to your specific needs. While not having to relocate for the perfect program is a plus, every MBA program is not created equal. So find one that offers everything on your list without undermining the importance of a support net; be it professors or classmates. It can really mean the difference between success and failure.