Choosing an Accredited Business Program

Congratulations! You've decided to get your MBA degree online. Accredited business schools offer a variety of business training programs online and on campus, and combinations of distance and classroom learning options.

by Karen Lawson
klawson@mba-business-schools.com
MBA-business-schools Columnist

Accredited business programs provide training for scenarios you’ll experience in today’s rapidly changing business world. International business relations, technology, and information security are emerging as significant sectors in business training programs. You want to earn your MBA degree, but how do you choose a business program that’s right for you? Selecting from accredited business schools is your first step.

What is accreditation? Basically, accredited business schools have met academic and professional standards established by an official accrediting agency. The US Department of Education website provides a list of approved accrediting agencies. It’s worthwhile to do some homework before selecting a business training program, as the advent of distance learning has allowed education scams to flourish.

Common sense is a useful research tool; if a program requires little or no study, or otherwise seems too good to be true, it probably is. Determining that a business training program is accredited is not enough as you’ll want to make sure that it is accredited by a legitimate accreditation agency.

College work done through accredited business schools can be verified and accepted by employers and other accredited academic institutions. Unfortunately, some business students have found that their business degrees were worthless after learning that they were awarded by institutions that weren’t properly accredited.

Don’t be impressed by slick websites and promotional brochures depicting ivy-covered brick buildings and bearing lofty sounding names. Most schools provide their accreditation information on their website or admission materials. Verifying accreditation information before enrolling in a business training program can help you avoid problems later.

US Department of Education

Karen Lawson is a freelance writer with more than twenty years of business experience. She holds BA and MA degrees in English from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Posted on December 01, 2006 at 12:04 PM

Share this article: