For many years, taking a couple of years off to get an MBA was a worthwhile investment for high-flying professionals. The boost to earnings and the networking benefits were enough to offset the tuition and opportunity costs of two years spent learning. But the calculus is changing. Traditional, face-to-face MBA programmes are becoming less popular and professionals are turning instead to part-time or online options, as well as to shorter and more focussed degrees in business-adjacent fields. This trend is in full swing in US universities and many SA universities already offer a suite of part-time alternatives for MBA students and a number of MBA alternatives. This is good news for time-crunched professionals who can't afford to take time out of the rat race. But it also means fewer networking opportunities, which was always a big part of the draw for MBA students. – Felicity Duncan

More universities shut down traditional MBA programs as popularity wanes

By Kelsey Gee

(The Wall Street Journal) The 42 University of Iowa graduates who got their master's in business administration degrees in May marked the end of an era for 160-year-old Tippie College of Business: They were its last class of full-time MBAs.

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