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Off-Campus Alternatives

CFA

One of the most touted examples of this has been the CFA which has become the de rigueur in the investment management business. With no need for a full-time
commitment and a relatively low-cost outlay, it has seen its popularity soar. It is not uncommon to find MBA students building their CFA qualifications simultaneously while at business school.

CPA

Unlike the CFA, the US CPA is a general accountancy qualification akin to the chartered accountancy qualification in India. Again, this can be gained without a full-time commitment, and is often a mid-career option for many who have originally qualified as cost accountants or company secretaries.

Choosing the Right Alternative

Once you have successfully laid out your objectives, you should focus on identifying which programs are best suited for your needs. Lay out your financial considerations, familial circumstances, opportunity costs, career goals, etc., to evaluate your alternatives.

While specialist programs offer a lure in terms of their ability to give you exactly what you are looking for and the lower opportunity and financial costs, they still lack the recruitment power that the more main-stream MBA programs offer. What makes them even harder to assess is that they do not have the level the critical analysis that full-time MBA programs are subject to across the web and print media.

Concluded.

Atul Monga graduated from London Business School with an MBA in 2005, and currently works in the transaction support space with a leading professional services firm. Prior to that, he was with the Kotak Mahindra Group, and also spent time as an independent advisor. He has been counseling international MBA candidates for the last several years, answering questions relating to the GMAT, international MBA programs and careers. He is active contributor at CoolAvenues and Moderator of CoolAvenues' GMAT Forum.