What Do Employers Think of MOOCs?

Preparation for a graduate management education, or a viable alternative?

Online learning opportunities are everywhere. When MOOCs, or massive open online classes, first became widely available about a decade ago, many thought they would disrupt traditional university degree programs the same way music and media were transformed by digital alternatives. Though this hasn’t come to pass, the number available MOOCs continues to climb. As you consider ways to further your professional development, an important question you might be asking yourself is what do my potential future employers think of MOOCs? 

As a part of GMAC’s annual Corporate Recruiters Survey, employers were asked how they would characterize MOOCs from five options, of which they could select all that they agree with (totals do not sum to 100 percent due to multiple selections). 

Overall, the responses show that while most employers agree MOOCs are a way for an employee to explore a personal interest and a professional development tool, only 18 percent agree it can serve as preparation for a graduate management education and even fewer agree it is a viable alternative to earning a graduate business degree (10 percent). An even smaller share of US employers see MOOCs as an alternative to business school (6 percent). 

The 2018 Corporate Recruiters Survey was conducted in February and March 2018 in association with career services offices at 96 participating graduate business schools worldwide. Analysis is based on responses from 1,066 employers in 42 countries worldwide who work directly with participating business schools.

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