I was thoroughly impressed with the online MBA program at Capitol College. They give the option to take live classes in person or over the internet. I did a mix of both because of my professional and personal life. I was able to focus on my studies by taking 1 class for 8 weeks. This gave me time to thoroughly read the text, do all of the assigned homework, and be able to work with the professors on all sorts of topics involved in my studies. By being able to focus on one course at a time, I feel that I was able to learn more than if I had 2+ courses over the course of a traditional semester.
The coursework was valid to what is required in the business world today. I am an engineer and have been able to apply many of the topics that I studied in my professional work. I compared the textbooks and other material that we used in courses versus those published for many of the top tier MBA programs in the US and they were often identical or similar. I understand that textbooks and material are not the entirety of an education; however, the professors and lecturers used by Capitol all have many years of experience in the private and public sectors, unlike other schools. I greatly appreciated the discussions that we had about current financial and economic events. This helped reinforce what the book and coursework was trying to teach us.
In the end, I feel that I received a top notch education and have been able to use it to advance my career. Could I have learned more about business if I had been immersed in a 2 year, full-time program at a traditional school? Yes; about textbooks and theory. I was immersed in a full-time career with a Fortune 500 company learning about how business is actually done while learning the theory in the evenings and on weekends. I had many 'aha!' moments at work after reading or discussing these theories as I watched them unfold in front of me in the workplace. I feel that I gained more from this online program than if I would if I had quit my job and gone to a traditional full-time MBA program.
