I've just moved to USA (Texas) from UK, where I gained my Bachelors in Public Administration. I've sent off for my Degree to be evaluated and I am awaiting the reults. My employer pays up to $2000 per year assistance for further education, such as MBA's - but it it my understanding that online courses don't receive assistance. I am, therefore, looking for a course which might be considered "distance learning" as opposed to online only - perhaps one with a very minimal classroom attendance (Executive MBA?) requirement, and preferably within Texas. If anyone can recommend a recognised MBA which might fit my needs I would be grateful. There seem so many of these "online" courses which are poor quality and I think that is why my employer will not fund them. I am trying to find out if they would accept an online course from a bricks and mortar local University, but am still wating for a response. Meantime, I want to know which MBA's can be gained either totally online or 90% online/distance learning and only 10% classroom time from a reputable University and what the costs would be. It may be the case, if I can't get the support from my employer that I will go ahead anyway with the online only option.
Her texascot, There's so much info.. I'm struggling with it too. my best advice: scroll through old threads, which should be relatively recent still. Alot of the answers are in them, including lots of other good reading. Read any thread that has mba in the title. start here though. geteducated.com download their info for free. it helped me a lot! also, most companies won't pay for exec. mba courses. but most will pay for online. just don't even tell them it's online. just send in your paperwork requesting the reimb. Most of that stuff is handled by outside agencies that won't even question the school. Your HR person will usually just sign it too. As long as he'she signs off n it, you should be good to go. Good luck. ps, $2000 a year isn't all that great (don't mean to upset you) to be honest with you. Do what you can in the meantime, but I'd honestly look into a company with full reimbursement. Just my opinion. But then again, maybe they're paying you a ridiculous amount of loot!
You needn't be the sharpest sigma in the matrix to realize that courses in a Florida school were not attended by someone in Texas.
haha. true! My point was, just submit the paperwork without even asking. If they reject it (which usually comes before starting class), then you know. Employers shouldn't have a problem with a regionally accredited school.
Texascot, Would you consider a program that requires limited classroom attendance? (i.e. classes on alternate weekends) There are a few universities in Houston that offer weekend MBA programs. LeTourneau University Our Lady of the Lake St. Thomas (new cohort program started this Fall or starts next Spring) Texas A&M (at The University Center in The Woodlands) University of Texas - McCombs (Houston) (very expensive, starts next Spring) I have been attending Our Lady of the Lake for 2 trimesters and have been very satisfied with the program.
Atraxler - thanks for that information, this is excellent. I knew A&M Commerce offered an online MBA, but didn't know that there was a MBA weekend School with A&M in the Woodlands. (I'm currently living in northwest Houston, so travel-wise that would be no problem for me). If my employer won't help fund an online course, a weekend attendance programme would be my next choice - and might actually be a better choice anyway. However, the cost is $46,000 which seems a lot when my employer is only able to pay $2000 per year! I guess you went through a similar process as I am going through before you opted for OLOTL - can I ask what your criteria was and how you decided to go for that particular course? As I am new to the Area, I am unfamiliar with which institutions are considered to be "good" and which are not. Thanks.
Texascot, $46K for Texas A&M? Those aggies must be really proud of their Executive MBA program! When I first inquired in 2001 the cost was in the mid $20K’s, then it jumped to the mid 30’s in 2003. You’re right; I went through a similar process not very long ago. My employer has a higher limit for tuition assistance than yours and they reimburse for online classes, so my criteria was different. I considered a number of schools, including both local and online. I pretty much discarded all online schools because I wanted to have more face-to-face contact with professors and students and build a network that can help me with future job prospects. Networking is, in my opinion, very hard to do in an online environment. Texas A&M and the University of Houston were at the top of my list. A&M was a little out range financially, so I decided to pursue the program at UH. I attended an information session (I think they still have them the 2nd Tuesday of every month, check here: http://www.bauer.uh.edu/mba/informationsession.htm) and talked to a few professors, administrative personnel and students. What I liked about UH are the ties to local business & industry and the name recognition in this area of the country, and a few options available for people involved with Energy/Oil & Gas. The price, for someone with Texas residency, is also very attractive. What I didn’t like was the class delivery. I would need to go twice a week, every week, from 6:00 to 9:00 and the semesters were 16 weeks long (plus 2 6-weeks summer sessions). I estimated that it would take me three and a half years to finish the program at UH. This is for the regular MBA program; I am not familiar with the Executive MBA program (I believe the admission requirements are different, i.e. a bachelor’s degree in business from an AACSB school, which I don’t have). I was preparing to take the GMAT when an former co-worker told me about OLLU. I attended an information session in February and met with an advisor and a professor. What I like about the program is that classes are held on alternate weekends; they have three trimesters each year and classes are 12 weeks long. Although they are not AACSB, they are ACBSP accredited. Classes are very small, avg. 15 students, so you really get to know the professors and your classmates. With the trimester format, I can finish the program in two years. Something I really like about OLLU is that they have several “study trips” available each year. Next year I have the option to go to China or Queretaro, Mexico to visit industry and schools and earn credit towards the MBA. Since my concentration is in International Business, I found this option very appealing. What I don’t like about OLLU is the name recognition here in Houston. Some people have never heard of it, and those that have know the school is in San Antonio, so they go like “oh, you mean OLLU, the school in San Antonio? Are you driving to San Antonio every weekend?” Some classes also require group projects, although so far that hasn’t been an issue. Outside of San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, I have no clue as to what reputation/recognition OLLU enjoys, but I figure it would be similar to other small Catholic universities in this region. I have roots in Houston and I don’t see myself leaving, so I am not too concerned about this. St. Thomas may be another option for you. They recently announced a weekend MBA program, but when I found about it I had already started at OLLU and I am not really willing to switch at this point. The new program is a cohort and I think they admit new students only once a year. It’s a lock-step program. I don’t know much about LeTourneau, other than they are in Beaumont, TX (on I-10, towards Louisiana) and teach locally near the Galleria. I never heard of them before until I saw a billboard on the freeway and later heard a radio commercial. Both OLLU and St. Thomas cost around $24K and I suspect that out-of-state tuition at UH may be around that too. I don’t know your particular situation, but perhaps you won’t be eligible for in-state tuition: IIRC, you have to live in Texas for 1 year and be a permanent resident or citizen to be considered a Texas resident… but don’t quote me on that. In Houston, and most of Texas, UT-Austin and Texas A&M are king. Rice, Baylor and SMU are also very well respected. I believe UH, St. Thomas and OLLU have solid reputations, but won't draw the same recognition as UT and A&M. I hope this helps. If you have more questions don’t hesitate to ask.
How does your employer define "online school"? The method of delivery of the courses shouldn't have any bearing on the reimbursement. Does the contract specifically say that the course CANNOT be delivered online (over the internet)? How would by-mail courses (CD-ROM/VIDEO/correspondence) or teleconferencing be handled? Would you be allowed to e-mail your professor(s)? Now if they required a certain type of accreditation (regional, for example), that seems more equitable. But I'd double-check with the HRs or whomever is in charge of the benefit to see what exactly do they mean. Many brick-and-mortar schools offer "online" or "distance learning" courses. Your HRs need to be more specific.
