cheap AND accredited - possibilities?

I need an MBA, but I cannot afford to stop work to go back to campus. I am therefore considering online MBAs, and have looked at Frederick Taylor University and California Pacific University. However, their lack of regional accreditation concerns me. My budget is low, but I would like to have an MBA that would be recognised. Does anybody have any recommendations of a distance learning course that is seriously accredited, online and also cheap? I've also looked at US Open University and Heriot-Watt Edinburgh Business School, both obviously highly accredited, but my wallet groans. Any suggestions gratefully received.
Regards and thanks in advance,
Derek

 

They don't get too much less expensive than Heriot-Watt (which, by the way, isn't "on-line"--it's independent study followed by examinations). Check out the University of Southern Queensland at www.usq.edu.au They offer an on-line MBA for about $450 per course, plus books and some small fees.

Rich Douglas

 

That's $450 US. The courses are $900 Australian each.

 

California State University, Dominguez Hills has a 100% on-line MBA that costs $800/3-unit course x 10 courses = $8000. If your previous exposure to business subjects is weak, they may require you to take up to four "bridge" courses as well at $600 each. So the maximum you would pay in that event would be $10,400. Most students attend part-time and take several years. Since you pay by the course, you can spread out the cost and needn't cough up the money in one lump.
http://mbaonline.csudh.edu/index2.htm

I have no experience with this program but from all accounts it is pretty decent. Very case oriented, you work in teams that often include international members from around the world etc.

If you would be satisfied with simply a masters degree and not an MBA, CSUDH's humanities MA is $140/unit x 30 units = $4,200. That's about as inexpensive as you can get for a regionally accredited masters degree. I got my MA there and liked it.

And being a state university with a campus, CSUDH participates in the federal direct loan program (formerly called Stafford loans).

 

"Cheap" is a relative term when it comes to tuition levels. Duke's largely DL MBA can run some $75,000, according to figures I've seen. By that measure, a Heriot-Watt is pretty inexpensive. Granted, it doesn't deliver the instant name recognition of a Duke MBA, but based on enrollment figures it's clear that H-W and schools like it are delivering value for the money.

 

Of course the Duke 'Global Executive' program only admits a small number of already senior executives. Probably all of these people are having their expenses paid by their organizations, so for them the Duke program is free.

 

Actually, the Duke MBA - Global Executive tuition is $95,500 for the class entering in May 2002 -- plus a required technology fee of $3,500. This does[b/] include books and class materials, lodging and meals at the five residency sites, a laptop computer and technology support (but not travel). And Duke offers no scholarships or grants.

Then there's Bellevue University -- graduate tuition for online MBA courses is $295 per credit hour. Regis University's MBA Program Tuition (30 Credit Hours @ $396/Credit Hour) is $11,880.

In other words -- tuition varies. You can pay big bucks for big name recognition, but you don't have to pay big bucks for a regionally-accredited and possibly also professionally-accredited program.


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Kristin Evenson Hirst
DistanceLearn.About.com

 

I live only 30 miles from Duke, but alas, I don't have $100,000.00. Which is the main reason I chose a credibly recognized non-US GAAP Ph.D. program. Not everyone can drive a Rolls, but thankfully, there are many good Buicks and Chevrolets around.

Russell

 

Our buddy Jonathan has a list of about 190 US and non-US DL MBA programs at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/distance.html,
one of which is Upper Iowa University. I don't know about its reputation (or hardly anything about MBAs) but it is relatively inexpensive: $870. per 3-credit course. See http://www.uiu.edu/Prospective_Students/IDX_online.html

 

a) Heriot Watt/Leceister/UoL are probably some of the best "values" around.
b) I believe Amber U (RA)offers a less expensive MBA
c) Charles Sturt (Aus) may be a good alternative... inexpensive and they do have a small representation in North America (they have a marketing office in Canada)

 

Amberton University in Texas, $165 per credit, $495 per class and it looks like the entire MBA can be had at a distance. They also will accept up to 12 transfer credits.

Dan

 

The cheapest that I noticed from US RA is Amberton university (www.amberton.edu): $495 per course according their web site.

Alex

 

Touro University International is RA and 100% on-line. MBA cost = $9600
www.tourou.edu

Eli

 

Hi, there!

Just for the record, the cheapest US RA MBA and US professionally-accredited MBA is that of Florida Gulf Coast University, but for Florida residents only. The last time I calculated tuition, it was less than US$5,000 for the whole program, that is, using in-state tuition. Are there any other MBA's this cheap with in-state tuition?

Regards,


Karlos Albert Lacaye
[email protected]

 

With your UK academic background, I think that you may try UK MBA offered by the Royal Holloway of the University of London. The program is accredited by the UK AMBA (not all DL or offshore MBAs offered by the UK universities are accredited by AMBA, I don't know whether about H-W DL MBA is accredited by it or not?). The total fee for the program is around US$10,000.

 

I would like to make some correction on my above post. The AMBA website is http://www.mba.org.uk and DL MBAs offered by Royal Halloway and H-W seem not in the list of MBA programs. Any interested person may check the website.

 

Yan,
The only AMBA that I know of that is DL is the Warwick one [it's also AACSB] (although there likely are others that I'm unaware of)

 

Apart from Warwick, there are some other DL MBA programs listed in the accredited list of the AMBA. Those DL MBA programs are offered by Durham, Strathclyde, Brunel, Leicester, Kingston and Open University and Henley Management College.

Additional MBA information can be checked at the AMBA website.

 

FYI HW had AMBA accreditation until a couple years ago. They decided not to renew their accreditation when they fully integrated their DL and full-time programs... apparently such an action would have had them denied. In one of the great ironies of accreditation both programs were accredited when they were apart but neither could be accredited when they are together. The rumer is that AMBA is thinking of changing this requirement, in which case HW will very likely be AMBA once again.

 

Astounding. Such "hybrid" programs offer the greatest flexibility to students. Recently I ran across Marylhurst University's MBA information at http://www.marylhurst.edu/attend/grad/mba.html

Classes are offered evenings, weekends and on the World Wide Web, and students can begin study at any time. They don't ever have to attend on campus, but they can if they want to.


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Kristin Evenson Hirst
DistanceLearn.About.com