Experience With Touro U. Int'l?

As I am winding down a DL Bachelors, I am giving more and more thought to my upcoming Masters program. I am interested in Touro U. International, but before making a commitment would like to hear from anybody who has actually been enrolled.

Thanks.

 

I have completed my MBA and now enrolled in their Ph.D. Highly recommended. Go for it.

Eli

 

Why, exactly, did you choose Touro?

 

I graduated from a brick and mortar RA university (computer science major). After 15 years of work, I decided to pursue my MBA and was accepted in several RA (DL) universities in the USA. These are the reasons I picked Touro University International:

1) Both registrar and faculty were extremely responsive and helpful. Living in the Middle East, they never hesitated to call me by phone and replied to my concerns. The attention I received was impressive.

2) The Cyber Classroom (eboard) or Live Conference concept was lucrative for me. It turned out to be an excellent tool and the closest to a traditional classroom.

3) In the Pre-registration stage, I use to receive answers to inquiries on Saturday and Sunday. I have to say this was impressive. The trend went on and it is customary for the majority of the faculty to respond during weekends.

4) The degree of interaction with the faculty is very high. I am inclined to go with a highly interactive method of teaching. This is exactly what Touro University International offered.

The only drawback (during the MBA) was the enormous work that we had to do. Complete 12 modules (i.e. 12 cases, 12 projects, 12 threaded discussions and 12 conferences) in 3 months. It was quite intensive and intimidating. Glad to say that recently TUI managed to look at this aspect and applied the needed modifications.

All in all their degree was quite useful and well regarded in the Multi-national I work for.

Eli

 

The only drawback (during the MBA) was the enormous work that we had to do. Complete 12 modules (i.e. 12 cases, 12 projects, 12 threaded discussions and 12 conferences) in 3 months. It was quite intensive and intimidating. Glad to say that recently TUI managed to look at this aspect and applied the needed modifications.

All in all their degree was quite useful and well regarded in the Multi-national I work for.

Eli[/B][/QUOTE]

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Thanks for the reply. How much teleconferencing is involved?

 

****************
Thanks for the reply. How much teleconferencing is involved?

[/B][/QUOTE]
Per semester: We have to attend 6 lectures (60 min. each), compulsory attendance. An average of 12 group sessions (60 min. each), optional but certain percentage of the total grade goes to peer evaluation. So students indirectly are encouraged to attend, participate and avoid loafing. Group sessions are assigned by the professor.

Lastly, the Q&A (one to one) with the faculty (no specific time or duration). In my case it is approx. 15 min. per week.

So far, we use live audio not video. With the e-board technology, presentations, illustrations, spreadsheets and notes are posted live using an electronic black board. All lectures are archived for future viewing by students.
The university are working to upgrade this system to live video in the near future.

Eli

 

I am just finishing my first semester of MBA studies with Touro. I have been very impressed with the coursework, support, and turn-around.

I highly commend this RA program to anyone who is desiring graduate level studies.

Steven King

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Doesn't it concern you that Business Week has published articles showing a lack of general acceptance of degrees from Cyber schools and since Touro College, for whatever reason, refuses to issue the degrees it is difficult to not have TUI considered a virtual U???

 

Let me "echo" Steven's comments.

I am also finishing my first session at TUI
and have been very pleased with the format
and content. (And it IS work to complete!)

So far the level of support and the challenge
level of the course material has exceeded my expectations in a positive manner.

Billy Cox

 

Lewchuk,

In a word ... for me ... the answer is NO.

I am aware (from following AED for several
years) that you are a H-W MBA student.

That's a good program, but it is outside
the USA ... and for some situations could
have issues with employers also. Due to
you not spending any "in class" time, it
too might be considered "virtual" or in
this case ... "passed by taking 1 test
per class" after preparing for the 1 test.
A TOUGH test no doubt I am certain of ...
and the H-W program was on my 'short list'.

TUI is RA and that was a positive with
the people I checked with as to "what
do you think about ..."

I view TUI as many may have viewed TESC,
or Charter Oak, or "the school formerly
known as Regents" in days past ... on the cutting edge of the DL evolution ...

Billy Cox

 

Lewchuk,

In a word ... for me ... the answer is NO.

I am aware (from following AED for several
years) that you are a H-W MBA student.

That's a good program, but it is outside
the USA ... and for some situations could
have issues with employers also. Due to
you not spending any "in class" time, it
too might be considered "virtual" or in
this case ... "passed by taking 1 test
per class" after preparing for the 1 test.
A TOUGH test no doubt I am certain of ...
and the H-W program was on my 'short list'.

TUI is RA and that was a positive with
the people I checked with as to "what
do you think about ..."

I view TUI as many may have viewed TESC,
or Charter Oak, or "the school formerly
known as Regents" in days past ... on the cutting edge of the DL evolution ...

Billy Cox

 

Sometimes I think we tend to forget obtaining the degree is not an ends
to or of itself in the majority of cases. And we forget that even in the business
world, some standards are changing rapidly as to what is accepted or not ...

Here is a "real world" observation from being a Regional Manager and having
interviewed candidates and worked with HR departments over the past 25 years.

Degrees of prospective employees are confirmed as to RA and that the person did
graduate from that school. NOT if the school is/was/or someday might be "virtual".

Let's not forget "the degree" is only ONE piece of the interview process. I have wasted time with the "top grads" of "top tier" schools who may have had the right piece of paper in their hands, but lacked considerably as to what was in their head as to skill or personality.

I did not hire them.

The degree being RA is more important that the place of origin or type of course format
used to obtain the degree in my experience.

Sitting in a classroom and passing courses is also not a guarantee as to the success of the person. My family here includes three generations of teachers, from preschool to the
university level ... and they each have "you are not going to believe this" type stories of classroom students who somehow manage to graduate from the "bricks and mortar".

It is the total of what the person brings to the plate ... their personality, experience, skills,
etc., AND the RA degree needs to be taken as a whole. Not JUST the degree.

In a perfect world, I would enjoy doing a "brick and mortar" MBA program. I would also
enjoy doing many other things in my life if I had unlimited time resources.

Here's my personal ranking that I have used with others, and now myself:

1- Traditional "sit in a class" MBA
(There is an cheaper, but much longer AACSB program here in my town)

2- Most RA DL MBA programs
(Difference between ranking 1 & 2 here ? Not much, #2 might be better!)

3- No MBA
(Large difference between having a BA, and having the MBA)

4- RA BA
(Non RA BA at this level is not an option within our environment)

5- MBA or BA from non-RA school
(Not being RA is a "HR red flag" from my experience as to hiring)

If I have an one hour interview, and the candidate must spend 45 of
the 60 minutes "explaining why his degree is non-RA and still OK" ...

Well ... he or she better be IMPRESSIVE ! <smile>

On the other hand, if when I ask, "Tell me a major accomplishment you
have completed and why?" And the candidate shares with me, while
having a family, working a job, etc., that he or she completed their
RA MBA via distance learning ... that person wins points in my book!

Billy Cox

 

I, and thousands of others, have tested the HW degree in the good ol' USA and any concerns regarding equivilancy to an average quality RA MBA are unwarranted.

Second, the media analysis of distance MBAs in the US did not cover the distance programs offered from traditional schools like Duke, Colorado State, California State or Heriot-Watt... it referred to virtual U's like Phoenix, Jones and TUI.

Touro is stupid and doing a disservice to its students by offering the degrees from TUI. Golden Gate has a "cyber-campus" but the degrees are the same as residential degrees.

 

Well-said Billy. I work for a multi-national, managing an operation of more than 250 employees spreading over 12 countries. A good part of my job is spent recruiting people. RA MBA’s via DL are demanding and in my book (I know many directors agree with me) candidates deserve the same consideration as any other brick and mortar graduate. Times are changing.

Eli

 

TUI degree clearly mentions under Touro University International the phrase "(Branch Campus of Touro College, New York)"

Eli

 

Great question ... here's my personal reasons for choosing TUI.

Today, there are many good to excellent MBA options, however
in order to make the short list for my specific MBA program needs:

NO GMAT (I just tested out of 120 BA hours, and was tired of tests)
Must be 100% DL
Must be RA or equal
Must be $10k - 20k (I am paying 100% of it)
Must be completed in 12 months

My short list after much research was the following ...
in no real order of "ranking" ...

The H-W MBA Program ...

Strong points,
One test per course
Reasonable costs (+/- $ 10k US)
Classes could be accelerated
Royal Charter = RA in most minds, good reputation
No GMAT (it is a British school)

Weak points,
One test per course ... You flunk THE exam, you have
one more chance as a rule to pass or you are out of the
program ... While I can understand the logic, I did not want
to find myself at the end of the program and something
unexpected like this happen to me!

Testing is twice a year ... (and there were test sites within
30 miles of my location here in middle Tenn.) Some exams
sites were offering exams 4 times a year, this was a new
item at the time I was monitoring this program and those
sites were very limited then(example: New York City area).

For me, after using CLEP/DANTE/TESC to test out of
my entire TESC BA in Social Science at TESC ... the idea
of MORE 'one shot tests' for the MBA just was not appealing
to me ... I wanted to learn something new perhaps and do this
with some limited interaction with others this time.

H-W also lost points with me as to follow-up to questions
I sent to them ... In fact I am still waiting for the first reply ...
That gave me an idea of what dealing with them might be like.
Strong program, poor "first impression" as to support.

I kept monitoring the H-W "watering hole" forum for the "new major
changes" as to using the web for their courses while I was completing
my TESC BA. Lots of talk, but nothing seemed to be moving forward.
It's not a bad program, but just did not fit my standards of measurement
in key areas.

Next Program - Regis (Denver, Colo.) MBA DL program

Strong points,
Medium length program (+/-18 months)
GMAT can be waived in some cases
Total costs about +/- $ 15k US

Weak points,
Program can not be accelerated

And ...

The "knock out" for Regis was when I was in Denver visiting
one of my daughters ... I drove by the Regis campus and
thought "Hey I'll go meet the staff and pick up the MBA information
while I am town" ... Go back to my daughter's and call for specific
directions ... "Sorry, we don't have that information HERE,
you need to call the 1-800 ...", which I did and asked the person
WHERE he was located. Seems like he was in Florida! Very
sharp person, answered my questions but didn't have a good
response to why I could not obtain the MBA information FROM
the Denver school. I know about the Alliance connection, but
when I am AT THE CAMPUS of where the degree will be issued,
and they send me to a person in Florida. Sorry, my very first
impression was not good as to how support might be done.

Confusing point,
Regis is considered a "top tier" school in some business rankings ...
Great, but no one could tell me is that for undergraduate or graduate
programs or both ? And where would the DL MBA fit in the picture ?

Next program - Colorado State MBA DL program

Strong points,
Very established program
AACSB
GMAT may be waived for business experience

I visited with their Denver office while in town (see above). Nice folks,
answered my questions, had application packages on hand ...

Weak points,
Time frame is 22 - 24 months and is FIXED
Highest cost on my short list (+/- $ 18k)

My window of opportunity was too short for this program.
Would have been closer to 30 months total due to time frame
of my graduation from TESC and the next start date of their
program. The opinion of the AACSB over "just RA" was
mixed, many said 'yes, but' ... that even within AACSB
there was confusion and changes going on.

Touro University International MBA DL program

Strong points,
Total costs around $ 10k US (actually a bit less than)
Time frame can be accelerated
No GMAT
Various options as to MBA and special emphasis areas

Being so very new, I searched the web for other students and
comments ... Not much found, but did get positive feedback.
Several of the staff at TUI came from another local RA school.

My emails to the school were responded to quickly ... I called and
asked for information, got answers, was treated well. The business
courses from my BA satisfied TUI's undergraduate requirements
in the normal business area subjects for entry into the MBA.

TUI having a Ph.D program, also 100% DL and RA also made
points with me on my list. Not sure I'll make it that far, but someday ...

Weak points ?
ME ! TUI was very up front when I spoke with the Dean and
others as to allow 2 hours per day per course for studying.
I enrolled in 2 courses (will finish MBA in 12 months) and they
are CORRECT ... One needs to allocate roughly 4 hours per
day to 'stay on track' with the program for two courses.

This past session had some very unpredictable events occur
in my work and travel situations, and the staff at TUI has worked
with me to make this all stay together and finish it out.

And that really scores high in my book as to working with the
student to successfully complete the desired course work.

Both courses I am taking have 6 modules, each 2 weeks in length.
You have a major case study, a session long project, and the
choice of either a guided discussion on the net, or completing
an enhanced assignment to complete for each module. The
courses are provided on a CD, with links to various websites
for posting, searching, or reviewing articles. No traditional
textbooks are required. The course work is demanding, but
fair. Your efforts, not TUI will be the driving force as to success!

My background includes being a Regional Manager and also
serving as the executive pastor at a new community church.

DL has made some major steps over the last 5 years. It will be
interesting to see what "distance learning" looks like in another
5 years ... No doubt better, and much more accepted than today,
and with many more new options to consider.

And now ... back to my TUI course work ... the session ends next week!

Thank you to all the contributors here (and on what used to be A.E.D.)
for their advice and suggestions over the years.

Billy Cox

 

Hey Smudge, what did you decide?

 

Is it a too old thread?

I guess its an old thread .. postings are from year 2001. So far I understand, Eli has already became a doctorate.. correct me if I am wrong.

MFH
MBA (Final Semester)
Touro

 

TUI worked well for me....

I went the distance and completed my MBA and Ph.D. at Touro. The MBA was interesting and challenging. Completing the Ph.D. was no walk in the park either. The research, learning and writing were quite intense.

However, both programs were doable, and I accomplished them even with a very busy travel and work schedule. The faculty I encountered was excellent. Indeed, I could not have been more pleased with my dissertation chair and committee. My committee members were incredibly well versed and experienced in the subject area of my dissertation:

"E-learning effectiveness: An examination of online delivery
methods for training end-users of new technology systems"

See the following links to the CVs of my chair and one of three advisors.

http://www.newknowledge.us/Watkins_P.htm

http://www.newknowledge.us/Eveland_J.htm

I have no regrets, and the benefits from earning these degrees have been outstanding.

Tom