The Impact of Compressing MBA Courses on Student Satisfaction: Empirical Results

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is the most popular graduate degree available. It is valuable to those who work in a wide range of business management areas or to prospective entrepreneurs. Many universities have developed compressed 8-week semesters to better meet student needs. Critics question instructor course delivery and student learning. We examine the impact of compressed semesters on MBA student satisfaction and learning in both face-to-face and online courses. Five instructors were assigned courses to be taught in a 16-week semester, followed by the same courses in an 8-week semester. At least one section of the courses was taught in face-to-face and/or online formats. Student satisfaction was measured via transactional distances as well as by their willingness to recommend the course to a friend. A total of 602 responses were obtained, of which 402 were usable. Stepwise multiple regression was used to measure satisfaction. Logistic regression was used to determine which factors influenced students to recommend the course to a friend. The results indicated that there was no reason to believe that there was a significant difference in student satisfaction, nor in their willingness to recommend the course. We also did not find a difference in learning outcomes.