Student Quality Perceptions and Preferences for MBA Delivery Formats: Implications for Graduate Programs in Business and Economics

Utilizing a sample of undergraduate students enrolled in on-campus business courses at a small Midwestern university, this study examined student perceptions and preferences for on-line, blended, and fully in-class MBA delivery formats. Results indicated that a majority of students in the sample felt that the quality of on-line degree formats was inferior to in-class formats. Students with higher GPAs were more likely than students with lower GPAs to express a preference for in-class over on-line and blended formats. When comparing potential variations in preference levels for degree formats by academic major and gender, Accounting and Finance majors were less likely than other majors to express a preference for blended formats and females were less likely than males to express a preference for fully on-line degree formats. A majority of all respondents felt that the quality of blended formats was superior to that of fully on-line formats. Overall, over 76% of respondents in this sample expressed a clear preference for pursuing an MBA degree in a fully in-class format, while only 6.5% expressed a preference for a fully online format, suggesting that it is unlikely that in-class MBA degree formats offered by institutions such as the one in the study would be “cannibalized” by delivery of an on-line version. Implications for institutions seeking to promote on-line and blended formats are discussed.