These days, there are many different options available for MBA students. The traditional 2-year MBA (summers off) remains the most popular option, but there are now part-time programs, executive programs, accelerated programs, and on-line programs. This array of options is flexible enough for the MBA to be available to more types of students than ever before. Let's look at each type of program in more detail.

2-year

The traditional 2-year program is still the most popular. Students typically enroll in the fall (although many programs now offer spring enrollment as well) and attend classes full time for 2 years. Summer is off, and students typically use the summer to gain valuable work experience by interning or working at a company where they would like to work in the future. Students are usually organized into blocks. During the final semester, students will spend a significant amount of time interviewing for jobs at leading corporations in a variety of industries.

Part-Time

In recent years, many schools have recognized that a lot of students would prefer not to interrupt their careers for 2 years to attend school, which has led to the development of a number of part-time MBA programs. The part-time MBA curriculum is the same as the full-time, but classes meet in the evenings and on weekends, and are spread out among a number of sessions, including summer. Students typically take about 3 years to complete the program. The part-time MBA can be a great option, especially for older students who have already built meaningful careers. Those considering a part-time program should look carefully to make sure it is academically on par with the full-time program; for instance, at NYU, part-time students take the same courses from the same faculty as the full-time students, but this is not the case at every institution.

Executive MBA

Intended for experienced professionals who have already reached a level of upper or executive management, executive programs meet on weekends and are typically sponsored by the students' employers. The curricula are tailored toward people who already have meaningful business and management experience in their careers. Indeed, many students in executive programs are flown in by their companies for the weekend, put up at hotels, and flown out at the end of the weekend.

On-Line

Finally, there are numerous on-line programs available today. These offer the ultimate in flexibility, but there is a cost in terms of meeting and networking with other students. No matter how technologically advanced and interactive the program, there is simply no substitute to meeting people face-to-face. The good news is that the curriculum of a good on-line program will be quite similar to that of a traditional program, so in terms of the course content, you should learn just as much. But remember, that is only part of the value of the degree.