MBA from for-profit NA but affordable university, CIU

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by IndianGirl, Apr 17, 2015.

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Is CIU MBA in PM right for me?

Poll closed May 1, 2015.
  1. Yes

    25.0%
  2. No

    25.0%
  3. Better alternative available

    100.0%
  4. PM certificate from RA would help

    25.0%
  5. Go for GMAT/GRE

    25.0%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. IndianGirl

    IndianGirl New Member

    Hi,

    I am planning to pursue online MBA from California Intercontinental University. It is DEAC (distance education accreditation commission ) accreditated. But has no regional accreditation. I did lot of research on colleges and universities and picked this one as I am willing to do project management concentration from an affordable college. There are very few affordable and well accreditated colleges that offer PM concentration. However, they have mandatory GMAT/GRE for admission. I do not want to appear for GMAT as I don't want to add more delay to the process.
    As per my background, I did my bachelors from India and post that I have work experience of 7 years in software development.
    I went through other threads about NA,RA,non-profit,for-profit colleges in this forum. It has mixed opinions. Can you folks please guide me if my decision to pursue MBA in this particular university is a right one? Also, I would appreciate if you can suggest alternatives. I also gave a thought to the Capella university's FlexPath option. But not sure if that would be right for me.
     
  2. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Some employers may be a little wary of your degree from India - In my opinion a regionally accredited masters would go a long way to calming their concerns.
     
  3. major56

    major56 Active Member

    If a DEAC accredited degree via California Intercontinental University is the MBA in Project Management you are considering … you may as well consider too:

    Grantham University
    Online Project Management MBA Program | Grantham.edu
    Tuition and fees: $12,250

    Columbia Southern University
    MBA Project Management

    University of Management and Technology
    UMT Program


    What about the following economical 2-year online M.B.A - Project Management possibilities e.g.., Indian Universities:

    Bharathiar University (ACCREDITED BY ‘NAAC’ WITH ‘A’ GRADE - UGC / AICTE / DEC APPROVED)
    Bharathiar University
    About Bharathiar University | Online MBA India

    Karnataka State Open University (KSOU)
    MBA Distance Education India | Distance Learning MBA Program in Mumbai - KSOU Karnataka
    KSOU Executive MBA Programmes - Online Executive MBA Degree Program from NIPM

    Sikkim Manipal University of Distance Education (SMU-DE)
    MBA Project - Distance Education, Distance Learning, Correspondence Course in India - Sikkim Manipal University
     
  4. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Having had experience with UMT, let me just add that the program is also accredited by PMI (even though PMI is still fighting the good fight for CHEA recognition, their certifications are generally impressive to employers, so take that as you will).

    If you are going this route, I would suggest you do the MSM in Project Management instead of the MBA. That was what I did and here's why (I love lists):

    1. If you are hoping to "check the box" for "masters required/preferred" the MSM will generally work
    2. It leaves the door open for you to get an MBA from an RA school (maybe even a ranked one) down the road without having to earn a second MBA. I, personally, feel like the MBA should carry a little prestige. Knocking out a quick/cheap MBA from Ashworth or CIU is fine for many people in many jobs, but I would like to have a slightly more respectable credential, if possible.

    3. Fewer courses for the MSM than the MBA (generally)
    4. Having my MS in Project Management opens up the possibility of my MBA in another field (like HR) while I still get to have a credential for PM.

    I chose UMT because ether veteran discount took it down to $750 per class (though if you're not a veteran this may not matter so much) also I found they had a pretty loyal following in the military and federal sector (not unlike American Graduate University).

    That said, I don't see an advantage of UMT over AGU or CIU or any other NA school. The PMI thing is good if you want to pursue the PMP certification, but you can accomplish that without earning a masters degree in PM. So, again, I would probably seek out the cheapest program at this level. But I would also go for the MSM and "save yourself" for an MBA with RA and maybe even a better reputation.

    For MBA programs I've been eyeing up Johnson and Wales as their oline MBA seems to price out at around $23,000 and the school has a pretty decent reputation. I've also been considering Benedictine and Marylhurst. None of them are ranked for business programs, but the schools themselves are solid and i wouldn't mind a degree from a place that actually has leafy quads and such.
     
  5. IndianGirl

    IndianGirl New Member

    Thanks for your inputs.

    I really appreciate your inputs.
     
  6. IndianGirl

    IndianGirl New Member

    Thanks for the alternatives. I am going through them.
     
  7. IndianGirl

    IndianGirl New Member

    Thank you for the details. If UMT's project management is accredited by PMI then I am certainly interested. Will contact them. I understood that you are suggesting MS in PM from NA would be better than MBA in PM in a NA. I am not sure whether I will appear for MBA in future if I take up MS now.
     
  8. IndianGirl

    IndianGirl New Member

    Hi All,

    I almost decided on MSM from UMT. But today I looked at Kaplan University which is accredited by ACBSP. It offers MSM too with PMI's GAC accreditation. It offers 25% discount to international students. This reduces the tuition/credit cost from 441/credit hour to 330/credit hour. So, overall ~$18,500. Can anyone suggest if doing MSM from UMT would still be better than doing it from Kaplan University? How much is Kaplan University recognized?

    Thanks
     
  9. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Surely there are better regarded schools than Kaplan that cost significantly less.
     
  10. IndianGirl

    IndianGirl New Member

    Thanks SteveFoerster. With that I think I made my decision to go with UMT.
    Thank you all for the valuable inputs.
     

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