Title: Comparing US for-profit and non-profit online MBA programs: a descriptive analysis of relevant issues

Authors: D'Arcy Becker, Robert C. Erffmeyer, Susan Behling, Robert Behling

Addresses: Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 54701, USA. ' Department of Management and Marketing, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 54701, USA. ' Department of Accountancy, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455, USA. ' Department of Finance and Banking, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455, USA

Abstract: In recent years the growth of online internet-based education has exploded, changing the way higher education is delivered to a large segment of the global population of MBA students. Sensing an opportunity to compete for online student tuition revenue, many for-profit educational organisations were founded to capitalise on this trend. In fact, for-profit institutions have been able to attract such a high number of online MBA students that traditional (non-profit) schools| online MBA programs could be in danger of being squeezed out of the market. This study examines the marketplace for the online MBA and addresses the challenges of competing for MBA students in the dynamic online arena.

Keywords: student recruitment; online students; student competition; MBA students; MBA programmes; master|s degrees; business administration; e-learning; electronic learning; online learning; internet; world wide web; small schools; online MBAs; e-MBAs; MBA growth; electronic MBAs; programme challenges; programme choice; student choice; non-profit programmes; non-profit education; for-profit programmes; for-profit education; USA; United States; higher education; universities; student tuition; tuition revenue; traditional schools; educational markets; education management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2011.042890

International Journal of Management in Education, 2011 Vol.5 No.4, pp.401 - 418

Published online: 12 Feb 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article