Mary K. Farmer, director of online programs at the Glion Institute of Higher Education explains the increased popularity of online higher education courses across the hospitality sector.
Mary K. Farmer, director of online programs at the Glion Institute of Higher Education
Prestigious Swiss hospitality management school, Glion Institute of Higher Education is ranked amongst the top three hospitality schools worldwide and has now brought over its courses from Europe, across to the Middle East offering the Glion Executive Certificate program which has been specifically developed to help mid-level professionals expand their knowledge and earn qualifications without having to interrupt their careers.
Offering flexibility in knowledge and delivery, the program focuses on hospitality business management with specialisations in Leadership, Finance and Marketing and can be undertaken 100% online.
Each module is delivered over a period of 8 weeks, for a total duration of 24 weeks to earn the Executive Certificate. Alternatively, students can attend face-to-face intensive residencies that take place over four days at global locations including the Glion London campus and now in Dubai followed by 4 weeks online to complete particular modules, thus allowing students to earn their degrees faster.
Students are also able to transfer the credits from the Executive Certificate into the online MBA Program if they later choose to earn the full degree. The Online MBA offered by Glion is the world’s first 100% online accredited MBA with a focus on Hospitality Management.
Since its launch in 2010 it has shown huge success with mid-to-high level professionals in the region with 11% of professionals enrolled in the program residing in the Middle East.
“We had first launched these residences at our campus in London to resounding success. As the online programs are very popular with professionals in the Middle East region, bringing the residences to Dubai would be of great benefit to our students,” explains Farmer. “The uptake for the Dubai residencies has been fantastic and we are certain it will add another dimension to their Glion education experience.”
10 reasons to study hospitality MBA online
The staying power to hold down a job
Studying an MBA online allows students to schedule their academic responsibilities to accommodate their workload, which gives them the opportunity to maintain their position while enrolling in a fully accredited graduate program. This not only ensures financial stability, but also gives participants the freedom to follow courses from wherever their employers might require them to travel.
Flexibility
A module-based online MBA requires participants to balance their courses with their work load, which in the hospitality industry often means long and irregular hours. It can be challenging to reconcile the two, but the full flexibility of an online course is a lot easier to accommodate than a typical campus-based program.
Advance career
Many online students are seasoned hospitality professionals who either already hold a leading position and wish to complete the degree they never had the chance to take, or they are middle management employees who lack the academic background to further advance their careers. For both an online MBA can prove a rewarding experience.
Range of short term and long term diplomas
Apart from the full online MBA degree, Glion offers shorter Executive Certificates that consist of merely three instead of ten eight-week modules. After completing a certificate program, students have the opportunity to transfer their credits towards the pursuit of a full online MBA.
Tailored qualitative curriculum
Glion Institute of Higher Education is considered by the industry as one of the best in the world. According to a recent global survey by the highly reputed UK based research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres, industry hiring managers from luxury hotels rank Glion Institute of Higher Education among the top 3 hospitality management schools in the world. The curriculum and course content of Glion’s online MBA is identical to the campus-based MBA program, devised in collaboration with hospitality experts and tailored to address the latest developments and trends of the industry and are delivered by a faculty made up of international experts in the area. The Online MBA program is very well recognised and appreciated among industry professionals. Our Swiss approach to education and dedication to quality and excellence is reflected in our online programs as well as our on-campus programs.
Networking with peers and industry leaders
Since the latest technological advances allow for numerous modes of interaction between faculty and course participants, students have the opportunity to exchange with a number of peers from around the world holding advanced positions within the industry and in this way build a strong network and establish lifelong friendships by the time they graduate.
Once students have graduated, they join Glion’s alumni network, which has over 10,000 members in over 100 countries. Glion alumni hold various levels of positions in the hospitality and luxury industries and work with the industry’s most prestigious groups. We have excellent relationships within the industry with over 50 international companies recruiting our students including Marriott, Rolex, LVMH, Hyatt, Starwood and others.
Self-discipline
When asked about their experiences completing an online MBA, many graduates list the need for self-discipline among the most challenging and most instructional aspects of the program. Since the course work is a substantial addition to any job description, participants are required to make best use of their time by clearly structuring their schedules and respecting self-set deadlines. Although not easy, this exercise is very valuable in terms of setting priorities, dividing responsibilities and meeting deadlines.
Online courses offer a dynamic environment for learning and professional development. The interactive learning approach allows students to debate with classmates from around the world and students can immediately transfer the concepts and skills learned to their current workplace, offering more to both student and employer than a traditional distance-learning programme.
Residency sessions
Launched in 2014, Glion added optional residency sessions to its online MBA and Executive Certificates, inviting faculty and students to a weeklong series of intensive on-campus courses, covering half a module that normally spans four weeks. These non-mandatory sessions allow students to meet and interact with their virtual peers face-to-face.
The residencies take place at Glion pop-up campuses worldwide in London, Singapore and most recently Dubai. The feedback to the Dubai residencies has been very positive as 15% of our Online MBA students reside and work in the Middle East region.
Good value for money
As there are no additional costs for travel, housing and facilities, tuition for online MBA programs is usually less than half of the campus-based program. Upon completion, online students are awarded an accredited and well-regarded degree from one of the industry’s top institutions.
Direct applicability
Since online students remain in the workforce, they have the unique opportunity to directly implement the lessons learnt during their courses and provide real-world examples to class discussions and group work, which in turn contributes to the course’s content and interaction
