Does good unaccredited online MBA exist?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by alexmichine, Aug 17, 2001.

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  1. alexmichine

    alexmichine New Member

    Hi,
    Please advice me online MBA program on the
    following basis:

    Not important
    - Accreditation in US or reputation in Canada
    (I'm working in Europe and not going to
    move to US)
    - Prestige
    - Location (could be in US as well as in
    Europe)

    Important
    - NON diploma-mill
    - good quality of education
    - low total cost (under 10.000 USD)
    - General MBA
    - Few Exams and Low interactivity
    - Involvement time : about 1 year


    Alex
     
  2. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    Alex,

    Even if you go to Europe a properly accredited degree will be important. If you are fully aware of the risks you may want to look at the CA state approved California Pacific University. It has been around for awhile and only focuses on business education at http://www.cpu.edu.

    In '89 they also received a positive citation from the California Postsecondary Education Commission, from their web site: http://www.cpu.edu/postedu.htm

    It would seem that you will get some structureed business education from this school but the utility of their degree will be limited due to its accreditation status. I can only make conjecture here as I do not have any first-hand knowledge of the CPU programs (other than a review of their catalog and online postings), have not heard any bad things about them, and they do not intend be a school that provides all things to all people -- just business education.


    John
     
  3. Lewchuk

    Lewchuk member

    Well, I don't think anything like this exists.

    Heriot-Watt is 100% exams, possibly but unlikely that you would complete it in a year.
    Royal Holloway is mostly exams, cannot be completed in a year and is not "general" (ie. international)
    University of Leceister is mostly exams, possibly but unlikely that you would complete it in a year.
    USQ (Aus) is well under 10K, has fewer exams, probably cannot be finished in 1 year, although good is not considered "presitgious"
    Charles Sturt (Aus) is well under 10K, I believe have no exams, probably cannot be finished in 1 year, cannot be considered prestigious
    US schools... I am unaware of any "prestigous" schools that are under 10K and non-resident.

    Anyone else aware of options that meet these requirements.


     
  4. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Hi, Alex. Let me comment on your criteria.

    Even if your local firms aren't concerned with accreditation, multinational firms operating in your country might be. And while I know nothing about the details, I understand that the EU is working to make qualifications more standard in Europe so as to enhance their portability across borders. So even if Finland is unconcerned with foreign accreditation today, they may be tomorrow.

    In the US, accreditation is intimately tied up with issues of quality since it is a quality assurance function.

    If you want few exams and few ongoing graded exercises, how do you propose that they judge your performance?

    And doesn't this criterion contradict your "good quality of education" criterion?

    Personally, I think that you should go with accredited schools or their international equivalent. That won't put much of an additional burden on you and it will give you a more useful degree.

    As to recommendations, perhaps the UK's Heriot-Watt might meet your needs. It has the equivalent of accreditation (I added that criterion to yours), it falls under US$10K, it has almost no interactivity and no assignments apart from just one examination per "module". You could probably take all the exams in a year, assuming that you could pass them. That's not a gimme (see your "non-diploma mill" criterion above).
     
  5. Lewchuk

    Lewchuk member

    Sorry, I misread your post... I thought you were looking for all of these things.

     
  6. Lewchuk

    Lewchuk member

    After reading your most more carefully... the best bet I know of is Charles Sturt

    Not a mill
    Good quality education
    few exams, low interactivity
    inexpensive

    The only criteria it doesn't probably meet is being able to be completed in 1 year.

     
  7. Lewchuk

    Lewchuk member

    European firms tend to be less concerned with accreditation because it is a "foreign" concept... accreditation is an peculiarly American.

    Heriot-Watt is a 1yr full-time program... the average time for completion, from what I understand, is about 3yrs for DL students.

     
  8. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    It seems as if most people that respond are not answering your question. As usual they want to give their opinion on accreditation. I am enrolled in the MBA program at California Coast University. It is a quality program and can be completed in about 1 year if you really work hard. It is not “on-line” but it is independent and self paced. Hope this helps.

     
  9. Broderick

    Broderick New Member

    Randall,

    What is the course work like, and how is it structured? How is the process at CCU for your masters? Could you give a brief description, from start to finish, i.e. what do they send you, what your work consists of, the assignments and papers that need to be done, and testing?

    Thanks,
    Michael
     
  10. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    I suppose that's true in the case of less well informed employers. That is probably one of the reasons why degree mills flourish.

    But it probably isn't wise to assume that all European employers will always remain ignorant.

    As I suggested above, given the small size of many European countries and the EU's interest in fostering worker mobility across frontiers, Europeans will be gaining lots of experience in evaluating foreign credentials. There will probably be all kinds of guidelines coming down from Brussels, if they haven't already.

    That will only be more apparent in larger firms that operate multinationally. Since people educated in America pop up everywhere, these larger firms will almost certainly be acquainted with accreditation.
     
  11. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Here is an overview…You send in all your transcripts and a copy of your resume. The school evaluates the classes you have taken and grants credit for the classes you have completed. They also evaluate your resume and work history and if you have a lot of experience in a particular area, you can complete an Accelerated Learning Guide rather than a Study Guide. The Accelerated Learning Guides are 100 questions and the Study Guides are 200 questions.
    After the evaluation is complete, you get a matrix of courses you need to complete. You order 3 classes at a time and than you order the books from CCU’s book store or you can get them at another college library. The test/exams are open book and you complete them as fast or as slow as you want. After completing the course, you fax your answer sheets to CCU and they are graded.
    Don’t be fooled by the fact that they are open-book. The questions are still challenging and require you to learn the information not just “find the answers”.
    Does this answer your question?

     
  12. Broderick

    Broderick New Member

    Randell,

    Yes but, why would one have to take the study guides or the accelerated learning guides during the evaluation stages? What point or purpose do they have?
    If I understand correctly, they send you the course work and the test. So I could just finish the test the same day I recieve it, fax it in, and if I pass I get credit? I know that that is difficult because of the tests, but hypothetically that is possible, no?

    thanks for your help,

    Michael
     
  13. Broderick

    Broderick New Member

    Also, How many questions do the test average? And, how long is turn around on them marking the tests after you send them in?

    MB
     
  14. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

     
  15. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Rich is right, I did jump from point to point. You send in your transcripts, get evaluated, receive your matrix and it will list if you need a Study Guide (total of 200 questions) or an Accelerated Learning Guide (total of 100 question), order those needed classes, order the needed books. You can complete the classes quickly but I don’t know about completing them in one day; you still need to read the text. I was able to complete an easy course such as Intro to Business in about a week. I still put in about 25-30 hours.
    After you fax or mail in your test, you get the results mailed to you in about a week after it is graded. If you fax in your test, you get the results much faster. I got my results in about 10 days.
    The minimum you can complete the program is 9 months. Even if you complete all the work in 2 months, the school will not award the degree in less than 9 months.
    If there is anything else I can answer please let me know.


     
  16. lyylyy

    lyylyy New Member

    Important
    - NON diploma-mill
    - good quality of education
    - low total cost (under 10.000 USD)
    - General MBA
    - Few Exams and Low interactivity
    - Involvement time : about 1 year

    Hi!
    I have another suggestion, i.e. University of Tun Abdual Razak. www.unitar.edu.my
    This is the first Malaysia as well as Asia virtual university, and quite inexpensive.
    The MBA cost around US$4000 (RM15,000)and accredited by Malaysian government.

    But, do you know how to pronounce the name of university?
     
  17. Eli

    Eli New Member

    Alex,

    Your best bet should be Touro University International.

    Cost = $9600
    no. of courses = 8
    Exams = Cases, projects etc.

    You can go for a full time load (2 courses per semester) and finish in one year. It is not easy but manageable.

    Eli
     
  18. Eli

    Eli New Member

    Sorry forgot to add that Touro University International is Regionally Accredited.

    Eli
     

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