Cheap RA Masters without all the BS :)

Does anyone know of any inexpensive Masters programs MBA, Psychology that are RA and dont have all of the application essay and letters of recomendation requirements?


thanks

 

So... then, what you're really looking for is a nationally-accredited program... right?

 

First, I'd say that if you're not sure whether you're interested in Business or Psychology then you've got a bit of thinking to do before you start worrying about applying to specific schools. Second, I'd say that part of the reason these programs actually have regional accreditation is because they exercise some restraint on who is admitted. All those requirements are there for a reason...weeding. If you can't write an admission essay (due to capability or motivation) then you certainly can't earn a Masters degree.
Jack
(a bit harsh perhaps but then it's been that kind of day)

 

Hi Jack,

Perhaps renshi really wants a master's in the psychology of business.

 

Jimmy, you pose a good question. I have the same sentiment toward stringent admission requirements. Presumably, if you are attempting to gain admission to an RA graduate program, you have an RA undergraduate degree. The point being that if you haven't learned to write effectively by now, how did you get the RA undergrad degree? Using Jack's reasoning, we can infer that
"weeding" and "restraint" were exercised at the undergrad level. That's the whole point of fulfilling Arts & Humanities degree requirements.

As for letters of recommendation, this is another rather stupid requirement, IMHO...AND a complete waste of time. Who, in their right mind, would request a recommendation from someone that might give a poor one? It's like what they teach law students when examining witnesses, "don't ask a question you don't already know the answer to".

"Weeding" isn't always necessary. Perhaps, it is useful if a program is extremely popular and the number of available spaces is limited. Otherwise, the graduate program will do the "weeding".

Jimmy, go to the following link for a quality program... without all the hassles---> http://business-degree.iwuonline.com/mba/apply-mba-applpro.html . There are other good programs out there. Just do a little research.

 

Renshi,

I believe that National University has an online MBA program where they do not require an admissions essay or letters of recommendation. Instead of an essay you have an to interview (on the telephone) between you and an admissions advisor. They do have a graduate program in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology, but it is not current offered as an online program. You may want to look at their graduate program in Human Behavior and see it it suits your needs. Their tuition rates seems a little high for my taste, but I kind of spoiled going to a CA CC ($11/unit back then) and a CSU ($3,600/year +/-) for most of my education. Of course, it beats some others like UoP.

Admissions requirements: http://www.nu.edu/Admissions/Graduate/AdmissionsChecklist.html


List on online programs: http://www.nu.edu/Academics/OnlineEducation/OnlineDegreesandProg.html

Tuition and Fees: http://www.nu.edu/Admissions/Graduate/Tuition.html

 

First, I'd say that if you're not sure whether you're interested in Business or Psychology then you've got a bit of thinking to do before you start worrying about applying to specific schools.


You can't do both?? Notice he didn't write "Business OR Psychology" programs. He wrote "MBA, Psychology" programs.


As for letters of recommendation, this is another rather stupid requirement, IMHO...AND a complete waste of time. Who, in their right mind, would request a recommendation from someone that might give a poor one? It's like what they teach law students when examining witnesses, "don't ask a question you don't already know the answer to".


Agreed.

 

No. That's not "using Jack's reasoning." That's using lcgreen reasoning. If you were using my reasoning then you'd recognize that not everyone who graduates with a Bachelors degree is a good prospect for a graduate program. Graduate admissions are competitive. Not everyone gets in. You have to demonstrate some advanced degree of proficiency. The weeding and restraint that allowed you to receive your BA was just the rough screening. Admission to a Masters degree program is a finer screening process. I'll say it again. If you can't write an admissions essay then you can't earn the degree. By the way, tmartca, there may be a few schools out there that will allow an interview in lieu of an essay. There may be a few people who feel that an interview, consisting of a set of previously unknown questions, no time to think, no time to research, no time to reconsider phrasing, no opportunity to "take back" something once it's said, etc. there may be a few people who find this situation preferable to an essay but I would like to assure you that I am not one of those people. Are you?
Jack

 

The bottom line is that there are opportunities for a graduate degree that don't require an applicant to "tap dance" and are solid programs at quality institutions.

Writing a compelling essay (or, copying one while sipping on an espresso at Borders), is not a definitive measure of potential success in a graduate program. This is evidenced by the declining use of the GMAT . And, as dollars tighten, program requirements will continue to loosen.

Simply stated, if it was not earned at one of the FEW very prestigious institutions, an MBA is an MBA is an MBA. It is a prepaid ticket to an interview. Once in the interview, one fails or succeeds by the content and quality of his or her personal attributes and the expression of his or her knowledge , not the "competitive" program of his alma mater.

 

By the way, tmartca, there may be a few schools out there that will allow an interview in lieu of an essay. There may be a few people who feel that an interview, consisting of a set of previously unknown questions, no time to think, no time to research, no time to reconsider phrasing, no opportunity to "take back" something once it's said, etc. there may be a few people who find this situation preferable to an essay but I would like to assure you that I am not one of those people. Are you?

I am a person who would rather say what I have to say, I had such a hard time composing an essay about myself for my MBA program. I just hate writing about myself, my father's instilling in me to be modest and don't be a showoff kind of went too far.
I also applied to National a few years ago and had an interview with an admissions advisor. I found that much easier to deal with than an essay. But that's just me.

BTW, I disagree which the statement that you have no time to research. You have plenty of time before the interview. Do you think that (in an admissions interview for the MBA program) they will ask you a question about the number of light years the Andromeda galaxy is from Earth? Of course not. They want to know your goals for the program. What you want to get out of this endeavor? Why they should admit you into their program? What is you prior experience (education, experience)?

 

No, the bottom line is that you can't express your thoughts in writing. The fact that you don't think this is a relevant skill in business says much about you and your prospects.
BTW, try not to plagarize too much of your schoolwork while you're sipping expresso at Borders. It'll catch up to you eventually.
Jack

 

Actually, my writing style and content are very strong and do not require your validation.

The fact that you now choose to insult me says that you have exhausted your ability to maintain a civilized dialogue with someone with whom you disagree.

This thread has outlived its usefulness.

 

Hi Renshi. I hear you, sometimes that admissions crap is a pain. I can see why lots of schools require it, but that doesn't make it stop being a pain.

If you are looking for an extremely cost-effective MBA program (one of the least expensive DL MBA programs out there), regionally accredited (and an AACSB candidate), 100% online with no visits necessary, with no recommendations or essays required for admission, check out California State University Dominguez Hills:

http://mbaonline.csudh.edu/admission.asp

They do have a minimum GPA requirement (a not-very-demanding 2.75) and they require the GMAT (but you only have to exceed the 25'th percentile). If your native language isn't English, they will want the TOEFL too.

All in all, that's about as open-admissions as you are going to find.

 

First of all I would like to thank the people who have made positive responses.
To Jack Tracey I didnt post this question to be put down by some one who dosent even know me. As for your comment on RA schools weeding out people by exercising restraint I think you may need to rethink that one again. There are plenty of RA schools out there that may be expensive but will take a monkey for their MBA or any other programs if they have the money to pay for it!
As foy you comment on If you can't write an admission essay (due to capability or motivation) then you certainly can't earn a Masters degree. Who are you to make a decission on what I can and cant do???
I guess at whatever level of education you have reached? Wou havent found maturity or wisdom!

 

renshi,

For profit universities seem to be less "burocratic" and go to the point in the admissions process. They might even do the tap dance for you.

However, *I think* a non for profit university would be better choice. You are more likely *in my opinion* to get a better education, and usually at a better price. CSU-DH seems to be a great place.Others that I have seriously considered in the past are Park University, University of Winsconsin (Platt.), and Bellevue (and I keep on getting excellent reviews on this one). None of them have stiff admission requirements, their price is reasonable and probably you´ll get a quality education.



Good luck

 

Maybe the issue that raised some eyebrows here was the referring to the admissions process as "crap".

Am I reading that there are some that would argue that any person with any undergrad degree in any major from any university should be allowed to enroll in any graduate program simply on that basis without any further qualification?

Surely we can all agree that the level of "weeding" varies widely among undergrad programs. We should be able to agree too that the ability to do undergraduate work does not imply an ability to complete graduate level study.

Surely we all can agree that some admissions requirements should be in place before allowing a student to spend good money on a program he/she may not be adequately prepared to undertake.

We should be able to agree too that few things suck worse than being in a course at the graduate level with classmates that can't form a valid argument, let alone put it in writing. It just slows the whole class.

Can we agree that different programs provide instruction at different levels? If this is so then the varying programs must have some standard to judge potential candidates by.

The OP asked for a program that doesn't require an application essay, doesn't require letters of rec., AND is inexpensive. He would also like for it to be RA.

In order for the program to be RA, they would have had to demonstrate that they are at least minimally selective. They can do this with admissions essays, letters of rec., interviews, or test scores. I know of one prgram that doesn't require much more for entrance than paying their relatively small fee but they are not RA.

I think too, that the point made about the admission essay -- that the ability to write effectively is an essential skill at the graduate level -- is a valid point to be considered.

It is (IMHO) a terrible waste of time to debate whether writing admission essays are valid indicators of academic ability -- there is a reality in the academic world that many schools select candidates based on an essay. If we know this to be true, we can argue that they are wrong all we want, it still doesn't get one into the program.

"Jumping through the hoops" is part of the educational experience that makes some degrees valuable to potential employers.

The ability to write a good resume isn't a valid predictor of job performance either -- it is however the generally accepted way we apply for a job.

We'd look pretty stupid saying "I'd like a job please. Oh no, I don't want to write a resume or fill out your application form. Just give me the job I want. I promise I can do it well."

 

When I was in their MBA program, City University required no essays or letters of recommendation.

 

Not entirely true, there, Jack. There are many, many RA schools, including my own beloved alma maters, Western State College of Colorado and City University Washington, that are open admissions schools. After all, they let me in. Didn't they?

 

In which case he could get his master's at K-State and later a UNISA doctorate, eh?

 

Renshi-

You might want to take a look at Amberton. www.amberton.edu
It is RA, $200 a credit hour and 'none of the BS required'. They offer a limited number of degrees, but I suspect the options they do have might work really well for you.

Please don't take this the wrong way, as I know a lot of people do not proof before posting forum replies, but even without the essay requirement, good writing skills are imperative for success in any master's program. While Amberton won't require an essay to get you in the door, there will be an expectation that you will be able to write and to write well in order to be successful in the program. Good spelling, grammar and the ability to communicate ideas effectively are paramount to success in any business program.