Advice for slow/long Masters program

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by B.N., Jan 11, 2010.

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  1. B.N.

    B.N. Member

    Hi everyone,

    I'm contemplating doing a Masters in MIS or Project Management, or maybe an MBA with a concentration in one of these topics or something similiar. I'm not in a hurry to finish it because I don't really have a need for it at the moment. I'm actually very content with my career (used to be techie now leading a team of techies responsible for a specific IT system). It's just that I think that a Masters will come in handy in the mid-term future. Rather than invest time in certifications (PM or technical), I would rather hack away at a Masters.

    Here are my program requirements:
    - The program shouldn't have fixed meeting / course times. I live in Europe and have to travel occasionally. I don't feel like getting up at 3 AM to listen to a professor.
    - I prefer longer courses with less hours per week than short but intensive courses. I work more than enough and I have a young, growing family. I'm not in a hurry to finish this so I don't need any unnecessary stress. Self-paced would also work.
    - As I want to take my time it shouldn't have to be completed within 1 or 2 years. 3-5 years would be fine.
    - I prefer RA in the US or a European school. I don't really want Australian or South African as I plan on staying in Europe.
    - I completed my Bachelors in Computer Information Systems from Excelsior College a couple of years ago. Because of this, I would like to get the Masters from a school which is also brick and mortar and has a "normal name". Don't want to get off-topic here but I don't like the name "Excelsior" and I don't want to have the same issue with the Masters.
    - Cost isn't the biggest issue, flexibility is. I would pay for it out of pocket, maybe up to 30K, less would be fine. I would sign up for a program which meets all of my requirements for 10K, if it exists. If not, then I'm willing to pay more. Flexibility and hours per week are my biggest issues.

    Thank you very much for your suggestions.

    Best regards,
    Brandon
     
  2. dlcurious

    dlcurious Member

    Could try the University of Illinois - Springfield's online MS in MIS. It's regionally and AACSB accredited and is a part of the University of Illinois school system. Some courses have lectures but they're recorded and you can watch them any time (I do). Mid-term and final are closed book / proctored but administered through blackboard. In my coursework I've met people who are primarily US-based but have had other classmates doing it online from Africa and Asia. Currently it's 36-credit hours long, if you do it completely on-line tuition is currently $294.75 a credit hour. Fees aren't bad either. There are some pre-reqs but given your undergrad you should be good on the coursework, the GMAT is also required, no minimum score indicated.

    http://mis.uis.edu/
     
  3. teCh0010

    teCh0010 New Member

    East Carolina University has a DL MSIS on normal 16 week semesters.

    Carnige Mellon has one as well.
     
  4. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    You can't get more flexible than the EBS MBA. (see my sig for the link.)

    You can go at your own pace, taking one course at a time, paying as you go. You can take exams anywhere in the world. There is no "groupwork" or fixed meeting times. Exams are offered 4 times a year. You sign up when you are ready. If you miss the exam, no big deal, just sign up next time. Total cost is around 13K.
     
  5. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

  6. B.N.

    B.N. Member

    Thank you everyone. I forgot to mention that I would prefer not having to take the GMAT, if possible.

    @edowave: I noticed that they offer seminars and "approved learning partners" in addition to the self-managed distance learning courses. Did you participate in these? How long did your courses take you on average? What would you say are the top 3 advantages and disadvantages of this program? Thanks for your help.
     
  7. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    In addition to being a DL student, I was an on-campus student from 2002 - 2003. I did participate in their seminars. I would recommend any student to take them if they have the chance. I did not deal with any of the approved learning partners.

    I would say the top 3 advantages:

    1. Flexibility - Like I said before, you can go at your own pace, and take the exams just about anywhere in the world. I personally have taken exams in Tokyo, Orlando, Edinburgh, and Hong Kong.

    2. Quality/Design of the program - I have taken online courses from other universities before. They basically put a syllabus and some powerpoint slides on a website, and call that an online course. Or, even worse, they just record the lectures that are given to their on-campus students, post them online, and expect all their full-time working-part-time DL students to follow the same schedule that a full-time non-working on-campus student has.

    The EBS program however, was built from the ground up as a distance learning program. The textbooks are customized for their program, and the "Profiler" system they have on their website is pretty neat too.

    3. The ability to be independent - I think a definite advantage to this program is that there is no "groupwork" where you have to rely someone else to pull their weight, or have to log in for discussions on certain days of the week. If you were stranded on a deserted island with no phone or internet, you could still do this program (except for the proctored exams.)

    Disadvantages (I really wouldn't consider these things to be disadvantages, but they are things you would need to consider if determining if this is the right program for you.):

    1. Exams are HARD - Your grade for each course is based on one 3 hour closed-book exam. These are some of the toughest exams I have ever taken in my life, and that is including classes I have taken as part of my UF PhD program. There is no "winging it" or "riding the curve" or any of that nonsense. You really gotta know your stuff going into the exam. If you fail a compulsory exam twice, you are out of the program. The result though, is that you DO know your stuff.

    2. Almost zero contact/networking opportunities - Much of the benefit from face-to-face MBA programs come from the networking you do with other classmates, from recruiters visiting a campus and given talks, ect. You don't get that with this program. Maybe some online discussion, but that is about it. You don't even know what you missed on the exams. You just get the score back.

    For that reason, if you are looking for a job, or are a career changer, I wouldn't not recommend this program (or any DL program for that matter.) If you are already pretty set in your field, and just need an MBA to move up the ladder, this would be a great option then.

    Since you already live in Europe, it wouldn't be that difficult for you to take a Ryanair or EasyJet flight to Edinburgh an occasional weekend to participate in a seminar or two. When I was full-time in Edinburgh, I knew a lot of students who did this.

    3. Name recognition - Outside of the UK, no one has really heard of Heriot-Watt. So if name dropping is important for you, that might be something to consider. Personally it has never been a concern for me. I was more interested in the quality of the program itself, which is why I went with Heriot-Watt.

    I was taking one course every 6 months before I decided to do full-time, but the average DL student tends to take 4 courses a year. Let me know if you have any more questions.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 13, 2010
  8. B.N.

    B.N. Member

    Edowave,

    Thank you for your very informative post.

    Could you please explain a bit how the program is designed?
    You mentioned that the course grade is only based on the final exam.
    But you also wrote that the textbooks are designed for DL. Does that mean that the course has "voluntary" assignments which are graded by a professor? Or does the course require assignements but they have no impact on your grade? What are the assignments like (essay, questions from book, practical application of something learned)? What kind of interaction do you have with the professor?

    Thanks again,
    Brandon
     
  9. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    Each course/textbook is divided into learning modules. At the end of each module, there are review questions (voluntary), which are usually multiple choice, essay questions, or case studies. These you do on your own and they are not graded by anyone. You check your answers with the answers in the back of the text. If there is something you don't understand, you can ask the question on the EBS course webboard, and a faculty member or other student could answer you. Most students also post on their questions on 'the Watercooler', which is an unofficial EBS website run by students. (It was set up way before EBS started an online component.) You can see that at http://forums.delphiforums.com/hwmba/start .

    The only thing that is graded is the final exam. These are proctored at a location set up by the university at certain times of the year. You sign up for these when you feel ready. You take the exam, and about 6 - 8 weeks later you get your score back. The UK uses a system of external examiners, which is why it takes so long. If you passed, you get your score and a nice certificate. If you failed, you get your score and a copy of what your answers should have been. You don't ever get your original test back though. Like I said before, exams are three hours long, and are brutal. As one student put it, "It is like an open book exam, without the open book."

    You can download the first chapter of each course so you can get the feel for it. http://www.ebsglobal.net/programmes/course-tasters
     
  10. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    Each course/textbook is divided into learning modules. At the end of each module, there are review questions (voluntary), which are usually multiple choice, essay questions, or case studies. These you do on your own and they are not graded by anyone. You check your answers with the answers in the back of the text. If there is something you don't understand, you can ask the question on the EBS course webboard, and a faculty member or other student could answer you. Most students also post on their questions on 'the Watercooler', which is an unofficial EBS website run by students. (It was set up way before EBS started an online component.) You can see that at http://forums.delphiforums.com/hwmba/start .

    The only thing that is graded is the final exam. These are proctored at a location set up by the university at certain times of the year. You sign up for these when you feel ready. You take the exam, and about 6 - 8 weeks later you get your score back. The UK uses a system of external examiners, which is why it takes so long. If you passed, you get your score and a nice certificate. If you failed, you get your score and a copy of what your answers should have been. You don't ever get your original test back though. Like I said before, exams are three hours long, and are brutal. As one student put it, "It is like an open book exam, without the open book."

    You can download the first chapter of each course so you can get the feel for it. http://www.ebsglobal.net/programmes/course-tasters
     
  11. B.N.

    B.N. Member

    Decision made! EBS it is!

    Well, I bit the bullet and signed up for my first two EBS courses!

    Thank you edowave for your informative replies!

    I've actually been looking at doing a Masters for several years and EBS always appealed to me because of the flexibility offered by the program. I wasn't planning on doing an MBA ... but after glancing at the course tasters I have to say that the program does sound very interesting and it whet my appetite for more!

    The first step has been taken in whats going to be a looooooonnnnngggggg journey!! :)

    Best,
    Brandon
     
  12. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    Good luck on your MBA journey! Like I said before, if you are living in Europe I recommend going to Edinburgh for a visit the the Heriot-Watt Campus to take part of some of their on-campus lectures. Also, their graduation ceremony is very nice.
     
  13. B.N.

    B.N. Member

    Well, I had my first MBA exam this week, Organizational Behavior. It will take about 8 weeks until I get the results but I feel very confident that I did well.

    I have to say that the exam is definitely not a piece of cake, you have to know the material very well and hand writing those essay answers was physically painful ... haven't handwritten that much in a long time.

    The quality of the learning within the program is top notch. It has been a great experience and it really matches what I was looking for in a program, self-paced, high quality of learning, flexible and reasonably priced.

    Thanks go especially to edowave for the great recommendation!

    Best regards,
    Brandon
     
  14. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    LOL. I know what you mean about the exams. The calluses on my fingers are just now going away.

    I’m glad you like the program. I can’t really take all the credit though. I learned about the Heriot-Watt program myself from members of this very board on its newsgroup predecessor, particularly Dr. Bear.
     
  15. Any specific reason why? If you're worried about the score needed then I'd talk with UIS advisers as to the average GMAT accepted for admission, take a couple of sample exams (via book or a site like 800score.com) and then see if you should cross the school off your list or not.

    Aside from the GMAT requirement it seems the program would meet a lot of your needs, including a competitive price tag.
     
  16. B.N.

    B.N. Member

    Guitarmark,

    No, I wasn't worried about the score, if I really wanted to get in to that program I would have done the GMAT. In the end I decided on EBS because I liked the flexibility and the fact that they are very Europe / Global focused (I live in Europe).

    Brandon
     

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