Coronavirus: Is An MBA Still Worth It In 2020?

Chris Healy of Alliance Manchester Business School walks you through whether you should still pursue an MBA in this uncertain time

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to force business schools online, applicants hoping to start their program this fall face a lot of uncertainty.

In this week's Applicant Question, Chris Healy, head of MBA marketing and recruitment at Alliance Manchester Business School (MBS), weighs up whether you should hold off or continue with your MBA application for 2020.

The Answer

It goes without saying there has been a lot of change in the world in 2020.

In a space of a month I have gone from sitting down with an MBA candidate working for the autonomous car arm of Mercedes Benz in San Francisco, and hosting a Negotiations Masterclass for 60 NHS doctors, to being in lockdown with all our MBA events and meetings taking place virtually.

Assuming you’ve already decided you want an MBA, the first question is to decide whether you need that MBA in 2020 or can you wait until 2021?

This will always come down to personal circumstances, however I will give some general considerations.

Courses may move online

One reason why someone may reconsider an MBA in 2020 is if the program you were considering moves to be online, then it may not meet your expectations or aspirations.

MBAs should be experiential, they should allow for networking, for collaboration, for collegiality, for sharing a beer or coffee with a classmate. All these things can technically be done online, and we are seeing that happening more now of course as we are in lockdown.

Indeed, in 2030, the majority of MBA students may want just that, but that is not what...