The advent of online MBAs has made access to quality higher education a great deal easier. A great many people are unable to attend classes and need a flexible learning option that allows them to fit study around work and other commitments.

A major consideration with regards to choosing an appropriate online MBA course is that of accreditation. There are many suspect MBAs vying for your business. The obvious ones to avoid are those offered by diploma mills. These are usually offered by distance but may appear on searches for online courses and will often give ridiculous credit for life experience and sometimes (but not often) require one written paper in order for you to be awarded an MBA.

For a worthless piece of paper, the prices are high: anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars. These qualifications can be potential future embarrassments so you need to do your research as they often have names very close to legitimate universities.

There are unaccredited universities that offer high quality and recognized courses but for the most part unaccredited universities should be avoided. The best valued online MBA degrees are accredited degrees. Forty eight percent of American universities offer online degrees so finding an online course from a desirable university is easier than it ever has been. University is easier than it ever has been. While there are a number of universities who have become online degree specialists such as Phoenix University, other universities with superior reputations are also offering online programs.

Many online MBAs require residential schools. This can be difficult for some people so it needs to be factored in to your decision. You can sift through online MBA courses and find one that meets your needs and does not have residency requirements or you can look at the course offerings of local universities and see if they offer online MBA programs. At least if they are local, you do not have to deal with travel time and costs and you can probably get away with staying off campus. Furthermore, if you have any problems you will be able to make an appointment to talk to someone face to face.

The costs of online MBAs can be prohibitive. However, there are in fact a wide range of prices for MBA programs and you will have to do your research to find the best value MBA for your needs.

If you have had a solid background in business management, there are online MBAs that will take that into account and save you months of study. Some online MBAs will only take you twelve months if you have relevant prior learning and experience.

Most MBAs share common subjects including Financial Management, Marketing, Communication, Business Psychology, Economics and Commercial Law. Many MBAs also offer modules in Entrepreneurship, e-Business, Import/Export and skills for dealing with different governments. There are many more related possibilities. Universities are competing for your education dollar, so don’t assume that a course you looked at two years ago is the same.

The average price for an online MBA from an American university is $90,000 with many premium MBA programs offered through quality branded universities at around $120,000. However, you shouldn’t let these figures scare you. Some people have been able to obtain MBAs for as little as $20,000 particularly where they possessed substantial experience and/or prior learning that could be taken into account.

Phoenix University, Regis University and Kaplan University are very experienced in providing high quality online MBA degrees. Other universities who are gaining good reputations for their online courses are Duke University, University of Michigan and the University of Maryland. In fact, there are a great many of excellent universities offering online MBAs and it will take you some time to research their offerings.

It may well be worth your while to consider the high quality educational offerings available outside the United States. In particular, Australian Universities offer high quality, accredited degree programs at comparatively affordable prices. You can also take advantage of the exchange rate which at the time of writing provides you with an additional seventeen percent advantage. Compared to the cost of studying at American Universities, Australian education prices are significantly lower. These degrees are well accepted in the United States.

Finding the right online MBA to suit your needs will take a little time and effort. However, your effort will be well rewarded when you find a course that is the best value for money for your educational and career needs.