168 universities offer online
MBAs. That amount of choice, reports Chief
Education Analyst, Vicky Phillips, is paralyzing potential learners.
The counselors at GetEducated are
inundated daily with questions from consumers about "which" online MBA. Which is the most prestigious? Which costs the less? Which
will my employer recognize? Which will lead to
a better career?
"For the first time in history the Internet has created a national
marketplace for university degrees," explains Phillips, "and online learners are desperate
for tangible information from the colleges themselves that will help them narrow the
choices."
"For most of the last century
people had little if any choice in where to go to college," explains Phillips. "By default, most chose the university closest to
their work commute route. But today learners
can choose from a frightening long list of MBA providers, each varying in terms of cost,
credibility, major offerings, and prestige."
"Universities have yet to realize
that consumers have this much choice, and that they are indeed shopping around. Many universities do nothing to help consumers
differentiate their university from other educational brands.
"Shopping for an online MBA these
days is much like walking down an aisle in the supermarket and seeing the same generic
packaging applied to 168 different cereal options. The result is mass confusion in the minds
of potential students."
"Universities that offer online
programs need to develop clear brand messages.
These brand messages must convey to learners the unique promise of each university
program."
"The problem," according to
Phillips, "is that less than 10% of the 168 online MBAs GetEducated surveyed in 2008 have
any unique brand message. Therefore their name does not evoke any unique identity in the
mind of a potential learner."
How do you find your brand
message? Phillips recommends starting with a
list of what's truly unique about your MBA program.
A brand is all about promise. What
promise is your institution making to learners?
Are you more affordable? More
prestigious? Will earning one of your degrees lead to a higher salary? Do you offer unique majors? Once you've found your brand differentiating promise integrate this
message in all your marketing materials.
Case Illustration: Brand Differentiation
One way to secure a memorable
spot for your MBA program online is to offer a compelling major that simply isn't available
from the other 167 providers.
Phillips points to two programs
new to GetEducated's national survey of online MBAs as stellar examples of brand differentiation among online providers.
Green Mountain College - Master Business Administration in Sustainable
Business
Green Mountain, a small private
residential university, headquartered in Poultney, Vermont, promotes the entire
university as "Vermont's Environmental Liberal Arts College." Their online MBA is a logical extension of this unique residential
brand. Their promise: to serve environmentally
sensitive learners with a congruent curriculum both on-campus and online.
"Vermont," comments Phillips, "is
frequently cited as the greenest state in the USA. An MBA with a green emphasis is a natural
fit with the image of this state, which already enjoys national brand clout as an
environmental haven."
"Anything environmental is hot
today," says Phillips. "Consumers crave this
type of career-oriented learning from colleges, yet rarely receive it from traditional brick
and mortar institutions."
Utica College -
Master Business Administration in Fraud
Management & Master of Science Economic Crime Management
"Utica
College in New York has made a national name for themselves by developing specialty business
curriculum tied to economic crime and fraud," comments Phillips. "They have wisely begun leveraging this unique brand online."
In fact, Utica, in New York
State, is part of a first-of-its-kind identity Fraud Management Center. Utica's hard-hitting partners in anti-crime include the
Secret Service, the FBI, LexisNexis, and IBM.
Utica's specialized cyber-degrees in white collar crime are academically unique, and
charged with compelling career potential.
As identity theft and database
hacking - crimes tied to the Internet - escalate, the demand for cyber-crime professionals
also surges.
"Utica's distance business degree programs are
uniquely positioned to dominate this hot new career niche," predicts Phillips.
More About 168+ Online MBAs
Consumers can explore all their
online university B-School options by downloading a FREE copy of the clearinghouse's
2008 guidebook
GetEducated.com's Best Distance Learning
Graduate Schools: Business & Management
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