Whether you are a working professional who wants to move up the career ladder or a recent college graduate seeking an advanced business degree, business schools offer myriad options for earning an MBA degree. Choosing the right program not only involves selecting a school that fits your educational needs but also choosing the right format among the full-time, part-time, weekend and distance learning programs available.

“Business students have diverse educational needs – one size doesn’t fit all,” said Arthur Kraft, dean of DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in Chicago, which enrolls 2,259 students in day, evening and weekend programs. “That’s why business schools are expanding program options to offer students what they want, when they want it, where they want it.”

Nationally, about two-thirds of MBA students select part-time MBA programs, while most of the remaining third attend full-time. To make the right choice between these options, potential students should assess their career goals, responsibilities and schedules, Kraft advised.

Blair Sanford, director of corporate relations at DePaul’s business school, said full-time MBA programs often attract students who want to move quickly into specific career fields or transition back into the workforce after being away from it. To better serve these students, DePaul recently expanded its full-time MBA program from one to 18 different concentrations of study. “The advantage of a full-time MBA program is an accelerated format that allows students to complete MBAs in as little as 18 months,” Sanford said.

Although daytime MBA students forgo full-time salaries to attend school, they are required to complete intensive internships that can lead to rewarding positions after graduation. “Employers focus on hiring day MBA students into leadership training programs at their companies,” Sanford said, noting that DePaul has formed long-term partnerships with DaimlerChrysler, Lehman Brothers, National City Bank and other firms that have led to internships and full-time jobs for students.

In contrast to day MBA students, who study as a cohort in Monday-through-Thursday classes, “part-time students are working professionals who want to expand their skills and advance their careers, but seek a flexible class schedule to accommodate full-time work,” said Robert Ryan, Kellstadt Graduate School of Business director and assistant dean.

DePaul’s part-time MBA program, which is consistently ranked among the top-10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, offers 18 concentrations of study. Students usually take one or two classes per quarter, typically completing the program’s 18 required courses within three years. At DePaul, classes meet weekday evenings on four campuses. While the program takes longer to finish, it allows students to spread tuition costs over a longer period of time. Students also take advantage of employer tuition reimbursement plans.

What about business professionals who travel frequently or work in remote areas, making it difficult to attend weekday evening classes? “For these students, weekend formats, as well as distance learning options, provide even greater flexibility,” Ryan said. DePaul offers two weekend programs, one that focuses on Strategic Management and meets every Saturday on its Loop Campus and a second program in Managerial Finance that convenes every other Saturday on the Rolling Meadows Campus. Students in the latter program use the Internet for coursework between class sessions. “Weekend programs allow students to finish their degrees in 21 months, accommodating work and business travel schedules,” Ryan said.

DePaul will hold open house sessions at 10 and 11 a.m. Dec. 13 for students interested in business master’s degree and other programs on the Rolling Meadows Campus, 2550 W. Golf Road, Rolling Meadows. On Feb. 6, Kellstadt will host two open house sessions on the Loop campus for students who are interested in graduate business programs. Those sessions will be held at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the eighth floor of the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago. For information and registration, visit the open house section of DePaul’s Web page, www.depaul.edu, or call the business school at (312) 362-8810.