Babson Reveals New Scholarships, Rankings, for Blended Learning MBA

What if you could earn your MBA with minimal time in the classroom? That’s precisely what the Blended Learning MBA program at Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business offers. It’s a unique MBA program that combines online classes with face-to-face instruction to provide students with flexible scheduling and the ability to continue working full-time.

Blended Learning MBA Format

How does the Blended Learning MBA program work, exactly? It’s 21 months in length and students can begin in either March or September. All learning is conducted online in approximately 20 hours a week. Then, once every seven weeks, students meet at their respective campus in Wellesley, San Francisco, or Miami for face-to-face sessions on Fridays and Saturdays. Beyond the flexible format, the curriculum is based on the full-time MBA program with many of the same faculty and courses available.

Where Does The Blended Learning MBA Rank?

Recently, the Babson Blended Learning MBA program was ranked fifth overall in the U.S. and sixth worldwide according to the 2018 Financial Times Online MBA ranking. This is the fourth year in a row that the program has ranked in the top ten globally. And when considering salary, Babson comes in first in the U.S. and third in the world with an average graduate salary of $167,386 (three years after graduation).

Paying for the Blended Learning MBA

As for paying for your Blended Learning MBA, in February, the school announced a new Blended Learning MBA Scholarship. This award is available to incoming students who are referred by alumni. Scholarship winners will receive up to $20,000 to help pay for their education and do not have to fill out any additional paperwork to be eligible. The scholarship is available to students accepted in the fall 2018 cohort in San Francisco or Miami and the spring 2019 cohort in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Also, if you’re a Babson alumni, you can head to the school’s website now to refer a student for the scholarship.

Inside the Blended Learning MBA: Interview with the Faculty Director 

To gain more insight into the Blended Learning MBA, we talked with Phillip Kim, the faculty director of the program. He was willing to answer a few questions for us and provide us with more insight into the Blended Learning MBA and what it offers.

MetroMBA: Why do you think the Blended Learning MBA has been such a success for Babson?

Phillip Kim: Our program integrates the best of the “full-time” graduate experience with a delivery format designed for working professionals, whose time is at a premium. Our students can complete their MBA in 21 months while working full-time. They learn from accomplished faculty, who are experts in their own disciplines and translate academic concepts into practical takeaways for our students. We are also the #1 school for entrepreneurship education, and this ethos is infused throughout the program.

Metro: What makes the Blended Learning MBA stand out against other online and in-person programs?

PK: Our program has a lock-step, cohort-based design, so students experience the program with a lot of built-in interaction with their classmates. Despite having a majority of the program delivery online, our students develop deep relationships with their classmates and form lasting bonds. Our faculty genuinely care about our students and teach in a way that maximizes the learning in this blended format. Students often tell us that they can use what they learn immediately at work. As a result, they see the value of their education right away.

Metro: Why should an incoming MBA student consider the Blended Learning MBA?

PK: There are many options for online programs these days. However, our program enables students to complete a high-quality graduate program, learn from exceptional faculty, interact with motivated students, and position themselves as entrepreneurial leaders who can put into practice right away tools and concepts they learn in their courses. All of this can be accomplished while working full time and in 21 months. Our students learn from faculty who are on the “front-lines” of the topics they teach – both as academic scholars and seasoned practitioners with considerable experience.

Metro: What are you looking for in a Blended Learning MBA applicant?

PK: We invite applicants who want to accelerate their careers with a top-notch graduate business education designed to allow them to become entrepreneurial leaders in their current workplaces or future endeavors. Typically, our applicants have a track record of increasing levels of management responsibility and accomplishments or have launched new initiatives in their careers. We look for team players who are willing to collaborate with others and find that a source of advantage in our program.

regions: Boston / San Francisco

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