The best online MBA for 15,000 ?

Hi,
I was wondering if any folks could offer some good advice on the best online MBA programs for about 15,000 + or - a few dollars? My GPA is very good but have yet to take the GMAT - so that part is of no help.
Thanks,
Buckwheat

 

This is an easy one.

If you can a great interest in international business and desire a thesis, look into Royal Holloway... top tier, non-resident.

If don't have a burning desire for international business but still desire the thesis, look into Leceister.

If you can "take-or-leave" the thesis, the best would be Edinburgh Business School (Heriot-Watt), largest MBA program in the US, top tier, non-resident, specializations in several areas and they are funneling a ton of cash into the program to leverage technology (i.e. you will have electronic texts to supplement the paper).

 

If you want to do some research, here is a site wiith a list of 137 online MBAs in the U.S. plus some non-U.S. programs: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/distance.html

 

Bill is right on! With 137 options (at least), it depends on the student-school-program-faculty match. What program is best for you?

We often fall into "what school is the bestest?" (intentially sic) conversations on this board. This leads to interesting - but normally unproductive - "discussions" comparing one good school to another good school.

Each of us as learners are in radically unique situations. We have different personalities. We have unique learning needs. We have different jobs. We hang with different crowds. Attempting to name "the best of the best" is a path to sub-optimize the need for individual choice. Instead, which is best for you and your situation?

Do some homework, then ask about particular schools. Take *everything* you read here with a seriously-large grain of salt.

Best wishes on your search!! Education is a great ride!

Barry Foster

 

Yes and no. I think there is little benefit in saying that "a" is a 8.9 and "b" is a 8.8 therefore a is better than b. However to suggest that a 4th ranked program is as good, or perhaps as prestigious and recognized, as a 1st tier school is silly... you will be better off with a school in a higher "cluster".

Finally, I find quite the opposite... many on this forum try to pursuade that there is no difference between accredited degrees.

 

Incidently, I know of only three top-tier US programs

Fuqua
Warrington
Katz

All 3 require residency and are relatively expensive... hence why Heriot-Watt has done so well within the United States, a top-tier program without residency and for approximatley 10K.

 

It seems that the world revolves around HW-MBA. I am pretty sure that not all graduates of HW correspondence MBA are academically better than MBA graduates of 3rd and 4th tier schools in the U.S., given that most DL MBAs in this country require exams, assignments, projects, group discussions, instructor/student interactions, student/student interactions, etc.
I have nothing against HW-MBA and I have said this several times in the past, but I see no reason why anybody should brag about a master's program that does not require any formal education for its entry requirement.

Ike

 

Who are you talking about? I can't remember *anyone* claiming that there is no difference.

 

Which of these three schools do you have hands-on experience with? Which of the other 134 schools do you have actual experience with? I know it's unreasonable to expect that you would have such experience, but I'm trying to make a point.

 

HWMBA is supposedly going online shortly with at least some courses. You might consider what your intentions are with an MBA, and I mean long-term intentions as well as short-term (if you are academically talented you may want to progress to a Ph.D. in the future and teach) For that you would normally require an MBA with a research/thesis component.

The MBA is usually considered a terminal program, in that it equips people for professional activities, not academia. However, if you did a thesis the MBA would be considered differently by academic types because it shows you already have research knowledge and have proven yourself. U of London's external MBA (via Royal Holloway) would be good in this regard. And there are also universities that don't require Master's level work for entry into PhD land, so if you have a good B.A. with honors or something like that the way could still be open.

I was very interested in U of L's Royal Holloway but settled on HW because I wanted an MBA option but with a concentration in HR or Org Behavior and U of L's is focused on internation issues (but looks very good). I wish there was a thesis with HW but I am already writing and getting published so its not such a big deal for me.
Earon

 

I'm not interested in nor particularly knowledgable about MBA programs. I was impressed by H-W and recommended it to my sister several years ago. However, I've noticed now that MBA programs can be constructed with focus in a lot of different business disciplines. I don't see how H-W's program is a magic pill that meets them all. (In fact, it isn't.)

Therefore, I agree with Barry (and by indirection, myself) that only research with consideration to one's career goals and interest will result in a selection that is individually ideal. Pontification about any particular program is useless.

Fortunately for those interested in MBAs there is an embarrassment of diversity in programs to consider. For the rest of us, we find ourselves searching around for the best fit amongst a much smaller set of choices. Even in these cases, individuals should give consideration first to their goals; pontification is still equally useless.

 

A 4wk BA is equal to one from the University of London... according to Lawrie.

 

If my "hands-on" you mean I have 134 MBAs, no I do not. If you mean I am familier with the general reputations of many and the specific reputations of some... yes.

 

Earon,

I have seen some UoL courses and, although they were very rigorous academically, they were extremely poorly created from a DLrs point of view. The HW material is much superior than what I have seen from UoL but these courses were not from RH MBA courses. Have you seen the RH courses... what were they like?

Incidently, Leceister also offers a thesis option.

 

Heriot-Watt has three traits which may make it inappropriate for some people:
1) No thesis option
2) 100% examination assessment
3) Independent study
If you require a thesis, have difficulty with exams or require a high degree of structure... this is a very bad program for you.

However, if you take the plethora of MBA programs out there and start filtering on...
a) Residency (100% non-resident)... many of those programs get eliminated
b) Reputation (at least a 2nd tier school/ say top 40ish)... many of those programs get eliminated
c) Cost (under 15K)... many of those programs get eliminated

If you filter on all three you find that there are not that many options out there... hence why HW has become so popular.

 

For the purposes of entry into UK graduate programs, it certainly seems to be. Neither Peter Gleaser (who received 9 offers out of 10 spots applied for) nor I, experienced any difficulty gaining UK places.

Can't say the same for you, though, can we? I understand you even had difficulty having your alleged degree accepted by your local technical college to do an undergraduate diploma, and complained bitterly when US RA schools wouldn't accept it either, for entry into graduate study, or in undergraduate course exchange?

Is that why you went with the HW MBA, since it it was the only one in the world that would accept you? Is that why you show such animus toward US schools in general? All because they would not accept a Sunday School diploma? Given your own suspect academic background, don't you think it a bit hypocritical to be calling anyone's degree shabby?

 

Hi Lewchuk,
It is quite interesting that you should raise the above point on the U of L courses and DL. Royal Holloway is a U of L school. The U of L consists of many schools. So a U of L MBA by distance is actually from Royal Holloway but issued from the U of L.

I am actually doing two HW MBA courses at the moment (OB and HRM) and find them very rigorous, but practical (e.g., theoretical overview presented, examples given, and then how to use the knowledge in management setting). I find this excellent.

I am actually also starting a traditional PhD soon but cannot say where at the moment (other than Europe). The mentor, whom I have co-written with for about two years is quite well known within a certain circle of theoretical knowledge and its users.

When I told the person above that I was applying to M.S. OB at U of L, the rsponse was that the program was very familiar having done external examinations of theses for the program for ten years. I was advised that I would be very bored and then I was invited to start PhD by research in Europe. So I guess that the above person's views concur with your own.

I am doing the HW work to strengthen my credentials and to provide me with some practical knowledge, and to impress corporate types with the idea that I would understand their issues from their own position. And I strongly agree with Bill Highsmith that a would-be student has to do some research and personal strategic planning to ascertain what will meet his/her needs.
Earon

 

You might want to check your library or bookstore for Bears' Guide to the Best MBAs by Distance Learning -- a great resource for profiles of about 100 programs. The chapter on choosing an MBA program that matches your needs is worth buying the book -- and it's also available online at http://www.degree.net/guides/mba_guide.html

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Kristin Evenson Hirst
DistanceLearn.About.com