“If you value or need flexibility, and want to experience the ‘live’ MBA feeling as well, go for the Online track of the MaastrichtMBA programme. It doesn’t feel like an online MBA, but delivers the same advantages”, says Dutch Royal Netherlands Navy Logistics Officer Bertram Vlot (36), currently living in Philadelphia (USA). Fellow student Ankush Modi (33), US resident: “How often can you say that you work in a team with a diplomat, a CEO, a military officer, pharmacologist and many other professionals? It’s just great to meet this variety of people and learn their perspective. No other online programme can truly offer this.”

It fits my lifestyle really well

Serika Naicker (30, Ireland), Senior Medical Science Liaison of a pharmaceutical company totally agrees: “I really love the mix of people from all areas of the world, who all have different expertise, making this learning experience a really impactful journey.” Bertram, Ankush and Serika are students of the Online track. The Online MBA consists of 2 years of online education, complemented with three face-to-face educational weeks; one at Maastricht University and two at other renowned partner institutes across Europe. The blended learning format offers students maximum flexibility to combine work and private life with their studies. “The blended format is very appealing”, Ankush states: “I’m able to attend the online courses from the US, the educational weeks are fun and I really like the opportunity to study at other universities as well during the educational weeks.” “The blended format fits my lifestyle really well”, Serika says. “I have the ability to study in my own time and apply my newly found knowledge immediately in real-life situations in my company. At the same time, I get to meet other people and develop a network of future business leaders worldwide.” “It’s a good balance between online and the educational weeks”, Bertram confirms. “The educational week was intense and really allowed us to deep dive into a subject. This elevates your learning experience and it’s fun too! At the end of the week I was exhausted, but very satisfied, energised with new ideas.”

Learn to be bold

Topic of the educational week in Maastricht was Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship, aiming to develop the entrepreneurship muscle of the students as individuals and leaders and of their organisations. It’s all about learning form peers, entrepreneurs, strategists and visionaries; both in theory and in practice. Students have to step out of their comfort zone and learn to be bold. Main takeaways? Bertram: “I always thought that entrepreneurship was not for me but for other, more daring people. But this week I learned I was wrong. Together with a team I can be creative, come up with ideas to tackle customer problems and concretise and monetise them as well.” Serika: “This week has taught me that identifying a need and determining a solution, which may be outside of the box, is key to a great business idea. I really loved how the educational week included guest speakers sharing their experiences. I got to learn more about business ideas and the background of some innovations. I was unaware of the impact that resilience and perseverance have when it comes to entrepreneurship and innovation. The most fun element was the spaghetti exercise where the team was given 18 minutes to develop a solution. It was interesting to see how different people approached the same exercise and it reflected how ‘trust’ is an important element in team work.” Ankush adds: “It’s great to experience how everyone has their own personality. For me it was insightful to see how different peers are overcoming differences without having any conflict. Meeting and spending time with fellow students in-person was amazing. You have this ‘online-image’ of them, but meeting in real-life gives a totally different appreciation of them.”

Hidden blessing

Do Serika, Ankush and Bertram have a tip for future students? Serika: “The blended learning format is a type of learning experience that ‘get out as much as you put in’. Okay, it’s flexible and suits a busy lifestyle, but it also requires time, dedication and prioritisation to get the most out of it.” Bertram: “I would say, go for it! Discover the entrepreneur in yourself, connect with people from all over the world on both a professional and personal level. The flexible format gives you freedom to fit into your busy schedule.” Ankush: “The Online track resembles the real corporate world. Where some of your peers are located next to you and others are present in different time zones. Being able to simulate that within this blended programme is a hidden blessing.”