Thinking about doing a part time MBA..advice?

buck65

I run a company and work from 8am to 6pm 5 and a half days a week but I know I've got gaps in my knowledge that I want to iron out.
Is it feasible to run a company and do an MBA? What kind of workload is involved, thinking of Griffith college Limerick, any one experience here?
thanks

TheCostumeShop.ie: Ronan

I think you would need to delegate most of the day to day operations before taking on an MBA, it really is a full time commitment (at least 12 hours a day) if you want to get the most out of it. Some people can blag through it if they are really smart but they do that just to get the paper and miss out on some of the real learning and value involved.

arbitrage

If you find out the average hours/week doing it part time can you let us know?

The reputation of the college is crucial if you want to use the MBA to get in to a top multinational.

buck65

TheCostumeShop.ie: Ronan wrote: »

I think you would need to delegate most of the day to day operations before taking on an MBA, it really is a full time commitment (at least 12 hours a day) if you want to get the most out of it. Some people can blag through it if they are really smart but they do that just to get the paper and miss out on some of the real learning and value involved.

Really ! 12 hours a day jeez I thought it would be a couple of hours a day with a bit of work at the weekend!

buck65

arbitrage wrote: »

If you find out the average hours/week doing it part time can you let us know?

The reputation of the college is crucial if you want to use the MBA to get in to a top multinational.

I am part owner in the company I work in and am doing this really to better myself and thus my company.

Forest Demon

2 hours a night reading and one full day at the weekends and you would be fine in general. It really is a lot of work but it is very possible to do it part time. The assignments as well as the amount of reading required will take its toll but it is possible. There will be times when assignments are due or coming up to exam time that you will be working all weekends and evenings but these times are mostly at the end of each term (4 terms over two years).

The one piece of advice I can give is when you are split into teams it is important to divide up the work from the offset based on the skill base/experience of the team. Make sure everyone pulls their weight from the offset. Don't leave team assignments to other members of the team without the full team reviewing them with enough time to make changes before submission. Presentations also take a lot of work and count towards your final results. It is important to prepare for presentations.

The assignments if not up to scratch can drag down your average and make your exams really difficult. It is very hard to get a really high score in an MBA exam. If you don't put the effort into the reading, assignments and presentations then you will be playing catchup.

The biggest issue is time management and application from the offset. No element is too difficult in itself (I struggled with accounting personally) but all together it is hard going due to the volume of work. It will be hard on family / partner etc.

buck65

Thanks a million for that Forest, gives me a great idea what to expect.