Cal State - Dominquez Hills

Anyone with any actual experience going to CSU Dominquez Hill on-line MBA degree? The cost is extremely reasonable at $151 a credit hour (compared to DeVry/Keller which is over $550.).

Any comments? I see that Sac State has also started an on-line MBA except they only have a taxation concentration (not something that I wish to do)

Thanks for any input

The Engineer

 

I'm a CSUDH alum, but I graduated from the humanities master's, not the MBA.

By all accounts the MBA program is pretty decent. Certainly it's one of the least expensive out there, since you can complete it for under $10K.

Something called Geteducated.com ranked them #9 out of 120 online MBAs in cost effectiveness. Here's some details on the program from that story:

http://som.csudh.edu/temp/geteducated.htm

The whole thing can be completed at a distance. No on-campus visits are necessary.

Interactivity seems to be high, with lots of group projects from what I hear. Since students from 60 countries around the world are enrolled, you may find yourself teamed with a partner in Singapore or someplace, which adds an international dimension that you might be able to turn to your benefit.

CSUDH is planning to seek AACSB accreditation. I don't know if they have formally applied yet, but this is a multi-year process so you shouldn't count on it happening before you graduated.

The business faculty are active and they publish. As an engineer, you might be interested in Larry Press' work on the global diffusion of the internet. He's part of a group that's done studies for the International Telecommunications Union, RAND and the ACM on things like e-commerce in Nepal. (Yes, it's happening.) Here's a link to the full-text of 77 of his publications:

http://som.csudh.edu/depts/cis/lpress/interest.htm

 

Tis would be a shock if true, do you have a link? I have never heard of it???

 

CSU Dominquez Hill MBA costs $300/credit.

 

Re: Re: Cal State - Dominquez Hills

I plan to start on the MA in Humanities in the fall. Could you tell me what the program was like. Anything would be helpful.

 

Re: Re: Cal State - Dominquez Hills

No, it isn't true. They do have an MSBA in Taxation that I hope to enroll in this fall. Why do they name it as such? Good question. It looks like a taxation degree to me. There are no business courses, per se. Still, compared to the other taxation degrees out there, it is a steal at under $10,000.
If you have trouble finding it, THEN I will post a link.

Tony

BTW This is NOT an MBA.
(if I didn't already make that clear )

 

Re: Re: Re: Cal State - Dominquez Hills

Hi Randell.

Here's an old thread in which several of us wrote quite a bit about it.

http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4730

 

Re: Re: Re: Cal State - Dominquez Hills

Humm. I am a bit confused with this statement. I was under the impression (perhaps false) that an MBA was actually a Master of Science in Business Administration. So, what is the difference between an MBA and an MSBA? (if any). Please explain.

 

Some schools offer an MBA and some offer an MSBA. I suspect there is no difference.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Cal State - Dominquez Hills

Hi Mr. Engineer and Dennis,

While some schools offer an MBA and some offer an MSBA, some offer both an MBA and an MSBA (such as CSU Sacramento.)

Here are the course requirements for both, along with the requirements for the MBA program at CSU-DH.


MBA (Sacramento - not DL)

Sacramento also offers several concentrations in which the electives are all in the same field. This is an MBA.

MSBA (Sacramento - DL)

Note that all courses in accounting (mostly dealing with taxation issues.) The name of this degree is misleading, but this is not an MBA. It is basically an MS Taxation program.

MBA (CSU-DH DL)

Again, this is an MBA.

I agree that in most cases an MSBA would be the same as an MBA. In this case the name is very misleading, although it does still look like a quality program. Sorry for not explaining what I meant in detail in my previous post.

Tony

 

Here is the link to the sac state program:

http://www.csus.edu/cbagrad/MBA%20programs%20pages/MSBA%20Tax.htm

Not sure why others didn't want to post the link????, but I have not found anything about it being DL.

They do offer two concetrations, either in MIS or taxation.

Honestly, I think it is all the same, and it may be even better to have a concentration, many have said having a general degree like an MBA is not worth much. (especially if you have an undergrad business degree).

 

I am not sure this is correct. My son obtained his BS in Accounting, passed the CPA, obtained the Masters in Accounting and was told that he was too concentrated for management, he needed to broaden his horizons. He went to Vanderbilt for the E-MBA and has moved along quite nicely in management since.

 

No, no, no. Any degree that offers only accounting courses is not an MBA. Any one who earned this degree and claimed it is equivalent to an MBA would be misleading his/her potential employer.
CSU Sacramento MSBA Taxation link.
Please compare the course requirements of this degree to the course requirements of any MBA program. What do you notice?
That the MBA program has courses in several different business fields, and this MSBA Taxation degree has courses only in accounting (with most dealing with taxation?)
That the MBA program is a generalist degree, or at most has a 3-4 course specialization, and this MSBA Taxation degree is, to quote from the CSU Sacramento website, "...a highly specialized and intensive master's program designed for those seeking a career in taxation as a tax practitioner with a corporation or with one of the many federal or state tax agencies."?

I am not trying to bust anyone's chops here, but this degree is not for someone who is looking for an MBA degree. It is for someone looking for a specialized Masters program in taxation.

Tony

Maybe I am not explaining this issue well. If anyone wants to take a shot at it, please go right ahead.

 

I thought you did an excellent job.

At almost every DL site each of the degree programs has a paragraph explaining the focus of the program.

An MBA is a more generalized course of study, with many programs offering numerous options for concentrations if that is what you are seeking. Most of these concentrations leave plenty of room for generalities without a tight tight focus.

The MSBA in taxation we are talking about here is a VERY TIGHTLY FOCUSED course of study with a tight concentration on taxation. Is it intended to be a Masters level degree in a business field, of course it is. But this particular course of study is intended for tax practitioners or those who wish to be.

It DOES NOT mean that if you earn this degree you WILL NOT find a job in a general management area. It all depends on what you want to do with the degree and how your employer/prospective employers view it.

I am pursuing a BSc in accounting, I have a great deal of experience as a tax practicioner.

After the BSc and earning a CPA, my goal is law school. My ultimate goal is practicing Tax and Securities law.

Consequently, this degree is of interest to me. If I wanted an MBA and a management position in a fortune 500, it would not be of much interest to me.

Just my $.02 for whatever it may be worth!!!

 

Myoptimism and Howard,

I don't think the two are identical, my only point is that they both are Master's degrees. I have experienced where some employers see the MBA as a watered down version for a graduate program, and does not dig deep enough as the specialized Master's programs do. Maybe some employers say the other way, as you have point ouut, but just trying to put my experience in here as well.

I think if you went to a job, and the job required a "Master's degree", both would be acceptable (and the specialization might give an advantage, if the posisiton is pertinent to your specialization) - like you have pointed out, MANY more classes on that subject.

I have the MBA, so I have heard the downside of it, but I really don't think it is a huge swinger to an employer. You will tie your hands a bit with the specialized degree, but that may be a good thing?

 

I forgot to mention, many MBA's are now offering specializations, for this very reason.