亲爱的安妮:我对您专栏中提到的网络学位课程非常感兴趣，因为最近我们公司的部门主管职务正在招聘，我面试了几位候选人。之前任职这个岗位的员工都具有MBA学历，我现在比较中意的几位应聘者也都有MBA文凭。但我现在有个小问题：他们中有两位经验非常丰富，但都是通过网络学习获得的学位，而且其中一位的学校我从来没有听说过。（不过这实际上并不代表什么，因为我对这个领域并不是很了解。）您能告诉我如何评判网络MBA教育项目的质量吗？——SoHo区一名为难的读者

    亲爱的“为难的读者”：感到疑惑的人不止您一个。塔维亚•埃文是亚历山大公司（Alexander Group）休斯顿办公室专门物色高管人员和董事会成员的猎头。她认为，猎头和招聘经理们关于在线MBA的观点非常不一致。许多客户向埃文提出了和您类似的问题，因此她列出了四条指导方针，帮助大家评判网络MBA教育项目的优劣。

    埃文说，网络MBA教学的内容通常与大学校园里的MBA课程毫无二致，可以满足人们真正的需要。“许多高管的行程排得很满，有些人甚至一周五天都在四处奔波，”她说，传统的课堂学习对他们而言很不现实。“所以大学也就有了相应的对策，像杜克大学（Duke）、约翰•霍普金斯大学（Johns Hopkins）、麻省理工学院（MIT）和北卡罗莱纳大学的肯那福莱格尔商学院（University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School）等著名学府，都开始为这些忙碌的专业人士提供网络课程。”

    然而，就像您说的，许多并不知名的学校也纷纷效仿。接下来我就教教您如何鉴别那些不知名的学校授予的网络MBA学位是否货真价实。

    1、看看学校是否获得了认证。埃文说：“要衡量一所大学的远程教育学位的价值，最重要的评判因素是看这个项目是否获得了认证。”真正的研究生商学院都应该经过国际精英商学院协会（AACSB）的认证。该协会将全球所有通过认证的机构都列在了网站上。埃文还推荐经过欧洲质量发展认证体系（EQUIS）和英国工商管理硕士协会（Association of MBAs）认证的商学院，尤其是那些不在美国本土的学院。

    2、看看课程的要求。“远程MBA教育的准入要求参差不齐，很不一样，不过它们的标准都越来越严格，”埃文说。“那些需要捍卫自己声誉的学校更是如此。”

    一个优秀的远程MBA教育项目应该对网络课程的申请人和面对面授课的申请人一视同仁。这些要求包括最低的本科平均学分、GRE或者GMAT的分数、推荐信，还有特定的专业经历。建议您去访问课程的网站，看看招生委员会设置了多高的门槛。

    3、看看教学项目是否提供校内课堂的教学环节。埃文说，为了回击那些对于远程教育价值的质疑，许多大学现在“对远程教育学生提供浓缩、密集的校园课程”。这些都是混合式的学习课程。面对面的授课大概持续3至5天，学生们可以在此期间互相了解和交往，建立起对今后职业发展有价值的关系网络。埃文说：“如果一个求职者向你描述他或她的学校经历，以及这些经历的价值，你或多或少能了解到整个MBA课程的严格程度。”

    4、问问求职者选择这个课程的理由。埃文说：“读研究生，不论是从时间还是金钱上都是一次不小的投资。候选人要能陈述他们选择某个学校的理由。‘方便’这个原因并不足以说明问题。”

    Dear Annie: I was intrigued by your column about online degree programs, because lately I've been interviewing candidates for a department head position at my company. The people who have held this job before have been MBAs, as are the most promising people I'm considering right now, but there's a catch. Two of them, both highly qualified in terms of experience, got their graduate business degrees online -- one from a school I've never heard of (which I realize doesn't necessarily mean anything, since I'm hardly an expert on the subject). Can you tell me how to evaluate an online MBA degree? — Stumped in SoHo

    Dear Stumped: You aren't the only one wondering. Headhunters and hiring managers hold wildly differing views on the merits of online MBAs, according to Tavia Ewen, a recruiter in the Houston office of the Alexander Group, which specializes in C-suite executive and board member searches. Ewen has heard some variation of your question from so many clients that she has come up with a list of four guidelines for evaluating an online MBA.

    Long-distance programs are usually made up of exactly the same course content as campus-based MBAs, Ewen notes, and they answer a real need. "So many executives now maintain rigorous travel schedules, with some on the road up to five days a week" that traditional classroom learning just isn't practical, she says. "So universities have responded accordingly, with prestigious institutions like Duke, Johns Hopkins, MIT, and the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School offering their programs online for on-the-go professionals."

    As you point out, however, many lesser-known schools have followed suit. Here's how to evaluate a long-distance MBA with an unfamiliar name.

    1. Find out if the university is accredited."This is the single most important component of assessing the value of a distance learning degree," says Ewen. Bona fide graduate business schools should be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which lists every institution it accredits worldwide on its website. Ewen also recommends the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the Association of MBAs, particularly when the program in question is outside the U.S.

    2. Take a look at the program's entry requirements."Entry requirements for distance learning MBA programs run the gamut from minimal to highly demanding, but they've generally become more stringent over time," Ewen says. "That's particularly true for schools that have strong reputations to maintain."

    A good online MBA program will hold its virtual applicants to the same standards as its in-person students, including a minimum undergraduate grade point average, a threshold for GRE or GMAT scores, letters of recommendation, and specific professional experience. Check out the program's website to see how high its admissions committee has set the bar.

    3. Find out whether the program offers an on-campus classroom component.Aiming to combat skepticism about the value of distance learning, many universities now include "condensed, intensive campus sessions for distance learning students," Ewen says. "These programs are often referred to as 'hybrid' or 'blended.'"

    The in-person classes usually last from three to five days and allow students to make networking connections that can be valuable later in their careers. "A candidate's description of his or her on-campus experience, and the value it added, should give you some insight into the rigor of the overall program," Ewen says.

    4. Ask the candidate how he or she chose the program."Graduate school is a serious investment of money and time, and candidates should be able to articulate their reasoning behind selecting a particular school," Ewen says. "'Convenience' is not an adequate answer."