Georgia College and State University or CalState-Dominguez Hills

I am I am trying to decide whether it is better to obtain a MBA from a good school that is probably only know in its region or a lesser (in terms of tier or ranking only) school that has more "name recognition" nationally. I currently live in Montgomery, AL and will eventually move to Atlanta, GA but I am only 33 and don't think that will be my last state of residence.

GCSU ranked as the "15th best public university" and the "#1 public university in Georgia" excluding Georgia's four research universities. See link GC&SU ranked as 15th best public university in the South

They are both complete online programs although the GCSU does require a one weekend orientation at the beginning which is no big deal. GCSU is a general MBA; the CSUDH will allow me to have a concentration in Finance. I am currently in banking and looking to get more into Investments or Financial Planning. I will also use the MBA to develop my own entrepreneurial business ventures.

GCSU is AACSB while CSUDH is currently only accredited regionally. They are somewhat similarly priced. CSUDH is about $12K and should take 15 months to complete and GCSU is $15.7K though the The Georgia WebMBA and will take about 18 months to complete.

First, has anyone attented GCSU or any of the other schools in the Georgia WebMBA Program??

Second, will the general MBA limit me because it's not specialized or will the MBA in Finance limit me because it is specialized?

Lastly, Tier 1 vs Tier 4....Is it better to go with the slightly more expensive but better school that is less known or the less expensive school that is not ranked anywhere close but has the better name nationally?

 

Have you looked at Auburn's online MBA?

http://www.mba.business.auburn.edu/MBAPrograms/Outreach/outreach.cfm

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"With nearly 4300 students, we are the second largest academic college on campus. Our undergraduate program was recently ranked #53 in the nation and with more than 750 MBA programs in the country, Auburn’s on-campus MBA program was ranked 26th among public institutions for Best Return on Investment. "
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5. How long will it take me to complete my MBA in the Outreach Program?

Outreach students usually take 2 classes (6 credit hours) per semester. The average completion time for this program is 2 ½ to 3 years start to finish. The Auburn MBA Degree requires completion of a minimum of 36 semester credit hours.

6. How are the courses taught?

The Auburn program utilizes digital recording of all course lectures and meetings and distributes DVDs via U.S. Postal Service mail. Internet streaming will be a delivery option beginning January 2006.

 

Yes, I have considered Auburn, but the program takes 2 and 1/2 to 3 years to complete and I would like to be finish in about 1 and 1/2 years.

We have AUM here in Montgomery and they have these long semesters and I'm usually finished with 2 classes before my friend is finished with one.

Plus I am trying to stay in the $15K range.

 

Umm, which school is it that has the better name recognition?

If you are going to be in Atlanta, I would say go with GSCU, also for the fact they are AACSB.

 

Re: Re: Georgia College and State University or CalState-Dominguez Hills

I was basically referring to the CalState name in terms of name recognition than the individual campus of Dominguez Hills.

 

A couple of options:

University of North Alabama: www.una.edu, program description;

http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/una/student/stundents.html

UNA is ACBSP accredited and well received. Solid, fairly reasonable and can be done faster than the Auburn degree.

However, Let's discuss a point one of the folks made here recently. A name recognized degree somewhere on your resume is a help. Faulkner is a solid school (I'm a former Montgomery resident and an Auburn grad) but not recognized so much outside of Alabama. If you intend to stay in the South, a lower tier school, such as UNA is a good option, especially considering the cost. If you decide to move outside of the South you would be better served getting a degree more easily recognized. Despite the length of time it would take to get the Auburn MBA it would really be a plus. Another option would be the Florida MBA:

http://www.distancelearning.ufl.edu/program.aspx?p=3

However its residency requirements may be too much.

Check out the following for additional options:

www.geteducated.com (download the freebies)

www.sreb.org

Additionally, be aware that if you complete a program outside of your state it would be a more obvious indicator of a DL program than one closer to home. Unfortunately DL students still have the DL image to overcome so anything to mitigate any negative perceptions is worth consideration.

Good luck with your studies,

Kevin

 

Out of the choices you listed I'd go with Georgia..It is AACSB accredited..CSU-DH is a good school and they are ACBSP accredited and candiates for AACSB accreditation.
AACSB is considered top accreditation, ACBSP is second tier.

If you are looking for a comprehensive of programs try Jonnies site:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/distance.html

or try US News(I personally like Jonnies better)
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/elearning/tables/mba_reg.htm

 

This is not my area and so I will not pretend to know anything about the specific issue at hand. However, it's hard for me to understand how the better school is less known. Perhaps you are paying too much attention to some "ranking system." My general rule is, go to the best school (the one that suits your needs) that you can afford. Don't complicate it with "tiers." Aside from a few select schools, there is very little agreement over which schools fit onto which tiers.
Jack

 

According to the US News college rankings, Georgia College and State University and Cal State-Dominguez Hills are both "Master's Universities". GCSU is regarded as "selective," and is ranked in the "first-tier" among Southern Master's Universities. CSDH is regarded as "less selective", and is ranked in the "fourth-tier" among Western Master's Universities.

It is not clear to me why you think that CSDH has "the better name nationally". Here in California, CSDH is accepted as perfectly legitimate, but it is not at all prestigious. It is part of the second-tier California State University system (not the first-tier University of California system), and it is probably one of the least selective of the 20+ schools within the CSU system.

I would regard both schools as primarily having regional, rather than national reputations. But my guess is that GCSU has a significantly higher profile within its region than CSDH does within its region.

 

I am from Southern California and I can say that any of the Cal State Schools are great schools. There are many of them around here such as DH as you mention and Long Beach, Fullerton etc. This is a great school system. I know nothing about Georiga but I can say that the Cal State Schools n my opinion would be a great choice. I would be choosing my MBA from Cal State Dominguez but they require a GMAT score which I do nto want to take at this time. So instead I have chosen to attend Texas A&M - Commerce's On Line MBA program. Best of luck to you!

 

I've just relocated a bit south of you (Warner Robins, GA - roughly 16 miles from Macon). For the local area (since you're moving to Atlanta) you can't go wrong with GCSU. They have an excellent reputation.

Having said that, I'd still go with them based on percieved value (most HR folks are smart enough to look up the "tier 1" and "selective" status) and quality of education.

Dave

 

In my opinion, you would be well served by either school. Pick the school that best meets your needs. Neither of the schools have any real prestige (regionally or nationally).

GCSU was ranked 15th in the 12-state southern region. As a liberal arts college, this may not mean much when comparing b-schools. AACSB is a good enough reason to choose GCSU over CSU.

If you want a degree from a school with a strong regional reputation, Auburn is your ticket.

 

While there are many fine Cal State Schools, Dominguez Hills is not considered to be one of them. In fact, many people I know consider it to be one of the least prestigious in the entire system.

 

However, I'm in the South and no one really knows one Cal State School from the other. The Cal State name has recognition not prestige. It's a "recognizable" MBA in finance for about $11-12K.

I'm also looking into City University's www.cityu.edu MBA in personal financial planning for about $13.5K and an almost identical program cost over $10K more from the California Lutheran University's California Institute of Finance. I like the program's curriculum because I would like to get into financial advising but I am wondering about the generic name and how it will be treated here. It is very well regarded in the Bellevue/Seattle, Washington-area, but I wonder how many, "Where is City University?"s I will hear. At least one will know Cal State-DH is part of the Cal State system. I don't think the average person will know the difference in the schools in the system. Just like here, Auburn University Montgomery is still considered part of Auburn University more than on its own individual merits.

 

The choice is yours. To be very honest though, many people snicker at the mention of CUSD which they don't do for other universities in the system. For example, Cal State Long Beach, Northridge, Fullerton, or the Cal Poly campuses (San Luis Obispo and Pomona).

 

I don't know if this statement is anything more than an opinion. CSUDH is not as attractive as Cal Poly, Chico State, San Jose State, or San Diego State, it is certainly as attractive as CSU-Stanislaus (pretty much a whole in the hell hole they call Turlock). DH is the most urban of the CSU's. I do know from a friend who is an HR executive, CSU's are looked on pretty much the same. (with the exception of Cal Poly). Resumix - the resume filtering software, looks at CSUDH the way they look at CSUEB or Humboldt State - pretty much second tier state colleges.

If you want a "prestigious" MBA in Nor CA, go to Stanford, Berkeley, or SCU. Otherwise, you might as well go to CSUDH -- it is a fair program which is relatively cheap.

 

I was impressed with the quality and rigor of the undergraduate courses (towards my BS from Excelsior) and graduate courses (MSQA).
The only bad thing I can say about CSUDH is that is the most bureaucratic school I ever attended.

 

When comparing schools, you might want to compare admissions criteria, or statistical profiles of the student body, to determine which schools are more selective. In the short run, more selectivity generally equates to more academic rigour. In the long run, more selectivity generally equates to greater prestige.

The CSUDH minimum MBA admissions criteria are GMAT = 450, upper division GPA = 2.75.

The GCSU minimum MBA admissions criteria are determined by a formula, where:
GMAT + (200 x upper division GPA) = 1100

It appears that GCSU has the higher minimum admissions standards: a candidate with CSUDH minimum GPA and GMAT scores would score only 1000 under the GCSU formula, below the 1100 needed for admission at GCSU. The implication is that CSUDH might accept candidates that GCSU would reject.

It would be better to look at the average GMAT scores and GPAs of enrolled students, if such data were available.

 

There is more to being admitted to CSUDH than just GPA and GMAT:

“The Admissions Committee reviews the entire application package weighing prior academic performance, previous work experience, GMAT score, and other professional and intellectual pursuits.”

“If your baccalaureate degree does not meet the above criteria, you may be required to complete prerequisite coursework also available through the MBA Online Program with up to four bridge or leveling courses.”

I would assume GCSU has similar admission requirements.

But if I was applying I would review the courses and select the MBA program most suited to my professional needs and goals.

 

My bachelor's is in Business Admin. and my GPA is 3.75. I am current a FSA for a bank and have about 7 years of prior business and work experience. Although I have not yet taken the GMAT, I feel I would be able to at least score the minimums required for either program.

The GSCU MBA is a general MBA and the CSUDH MBA would be in finance. Since I really don't want to have to take the GMAT or GRE if I don't have to, I have actually been considering the MBA in financial planning from City University. However, I am still trying to figure out whether it is better to specialize or if the specialization limits or "boxes a person in".