Fort Hays opinions encouraged

I'm pretty sure I've finally made up my mind. Fort Hays University is my choice. I've done a lot of reading on here throughout the net and it always seems to come up as one of the cheapest, but not many people have commented on quality or any problems they've had. Are there any Ft Hays grads out there that care to let me know what I'm in for?

For anyone else in the same situation, let me explain my thought process for this. I needed:
An online university with 100% asynchronous classes. My schedule doesn't allow me to take synchronous classes as I never know when I'll be forced to work. This actually has me concerned about Fort Hays. They couldn't tell me what specific classes were solely synchronous that would be required for my DL degree. I think their Asynch classes are all for DL and the synch ones are just for B&M students who want to "attend" class from elsewhere. Reassurance on this would be great if you can offer it.
The least costly bachelors at an RA school. I have 3 semesters left on my GI Bill and it needs to completely cover the costs, plus some pocket change is nice. I'll have to pay for the last 2-3 semesters on my own, price is really important.
Obviously full acceptance by the VA for GI Bill
Full term classes. I don't have the luxury of being able to devote every day to schoolwork. 6, 8, or 10 week semesters would just be an overload going full time, which is what I need to do for my GI Bill to have its maximum immediate benefit.
Full transfer of my CIS degree classes. Okay, if one or two classes had to be redone I wouldn't throw a fit, but I want at least 95% acceptance. Otherwise I'll just be spending more money.
CLEP and Dantes not a big deal, I'd rather sit through the classes and earn my full pay
Recognized degree. This is of lesser importance but I just don't think I'd have the same pride in a Bachelors of Stuff, focusing on other stuff type degree. I actually almost sucked it up and went to Empire State College but price and the overlapping mini-semesters killed it for me. That's unfortunate because I'm already used to the SLN (SUNY Learning Network) way of doing online classes.

A couple of thoughts:
RA vs NA - I really don't care too much. It's not like I'll be sending out resumes the day I graduate, but overall RA seems to have an edge on the opinion poll. If I could meet all my other requirements at an NA school, I'd probably accept it.
Ultimately I was hoping for a Bachelors of Business Administration focusing on IT. But lack of options forced me to give that up. I'm going to have a BBA without the focus. Oh well, my CIS credits will still transfer in as electives if nothing else and I can always control what jobs I apply for so I'll leave the focus part to myself.
Without a specific career in mind, I wanted a well-rounded degree that would transfer easily to a Masters should I decide to go that route, but also open enough doors for me if I leave it as is.
On that note... I chose BBA over Bachelors of General Studies with a focus on stuff for pretty much the same reason. I don't want to have to explain my degree to the HR guy who's just looking for reasons to shorten the list of potentials down to 1.
And finally...here's a crazy thought. I actually moved away from the whole IT field, even though I have a technical background, an AAS CIS, and a desire to work with technology. My reasoning was that I saw little sense in trying really hard to be a good worker bee plugging away at whatever emergency project the idiot boss is anal about this week when I can be that idiot boss. Maybe I'm wrong on this, maybe I'm so far off base that all of you in the know are laughing hysterically. If so, I'm glad I could amuse you. But seriously... I read all these posts about constantly maintaining your proficiency, getting all of these certifications, constantly learning new technology, etc. I think thats great for a new kid out of high school or someone with a lot of time on their hands. Me, I'm in my 30s and just not making enough to support my new family, including newborn twins. Add that to having 3 years left on my GI Bill and I think you're starting to see the full me.

Other colleges I've thought of, and why I chose not to attend:
LSU - Tuition, Required Fees, Academic Excellence Fee, Technology Fee, Utility Surcharge, Operational Fee, and of course the non-resident fee. I only checked them out because people said the cost was low. Not for non-residents.
Peru state College - $114 per credit hour. Couldn't find any GI Bill acceptance information. Online classes run 8 weeks. I would have gone for Bachelor of Applied science degree in Management as I already have the underlying Technical Associates. Half of the sites links don't work and then there was "Students must also complete the Bachelor of Applied Science General Studies Program and other requirements" what the hell does that mean?
Amberton University - I was actually pretty close to choosing this one. $200 per credit hour seemed doable. Veterans benefits approved by Texas Education Agency.. Does that mean I can expect they qualify for GI Bill? I would have gone for Bachelors of Business Administration - Information Systems and Technology. Quite honestly the choice between Amberton and Ft Hays came down to cost vs the degree I preferred. $140 vs $200 per credit hour is a difference of $720 for full time status. Not breaking the bank considering the GI Bill will more than cover the first 3 semesters, but it's them last two I'm worried about.
I already discussed Empire State University above. Shortened semesters, multiple add-on fees (including $300 portfolio fee) turned me off, not to mention the essay you have to write for admissions. Hey, I already graduated from a S.U.N.Y college. I don't need this "prove you can write" crap and I'm sure you don't want the essay so all the admins can sit around and go "awwwwww" at everyone's heartfelt letters. While I'm on the topic of stupid things, quit it already with your telephone conference call for more information. Put the info online and answer questions when people call.

Sorry, minor rant there.

So Fort Hays looks like a winner. I called and had a nice conversation with an advisor there. She certainly put more time into my questions than Exelsior or Empire State did.

So anyway, that's my thought process in a nutshell...okay a tortoise shell. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, rants, comments, or dire warnings of inevitable doom are happily accepted.

 

A few comments:
I'm impressed with the amount of research you've put into this. By the criteria you've determined to be important, Fort Hays looks like not a bad choice. RA is a minimum - and Fort Hays passes that test.

However, looking into the future when you graduate, you need to consider whether the Fort Hays degree will give you recognition in the marketplace. If you live near Hays, Kansas - no problem. If you live elsewhere, you won't be able to compete with graduates from local known schools - and you'll be outside the normal local college recruiting cycle. So, even thought it's painful, inconvenient and costly, you may still want to look into on-line and partial DL degree completion programs at your local cheap state university. Otherwise, you might be investing in something only good for night shift manager at Wienershnitzel.

 

HF Guy said, "I think their Asynch classes are all for DL and the synch ones are just for B&M students who want to "attend" class from elsewhere. Reassurance on this would be great if you can offer it."


I never had a "schedule" to be online at a certain time. Just the usual assignment deadlines set by the instructors. All my classes with FHSU were Liberal Arts classes that I needed to finish the BGS. I think some of the Management classes are 8 week semesters. I'm not sure about any of the other classes. See if this link helps:

https://tigertracks.fhsu.edu/uPortal/render.userLayoutRootNode.uP
Plug in the particulars and check the course dates. Not all have dates listed so you might have to check with your advisor to be sure the classes are full semester length.


Overall, I am happy with the Fort Hays experience. Although your direction is somewhat different than mine I have no "warnings of inevitable doom."

Hope this was helpful. If there are any further questions about FHSU feel free to ask

 

I'll chime in here...

I started last June @ FHSU and as per my sig line, I enrolled in the INT program with "Computer Networking & Telecommunications" as my major; about a month ago I declared a 2nd major in "Organizational Leadership".

I'm pretty happy with FHSU overall, so far only 1 Prof who I was not happy with as there as no communication on her behalf, it was strictly "you've got the book, the cd, read the lecture, take the tests"; she didn't respone to e-mails and when it came time for the course critique I rated her appropriately.

Time lines are in place and you have to have assignments in by the due date (there are exceptions - ie contacting the prof and explaining circumstances they may grant you an extension) - it's no cake walk, the classes are demanding.

I would recommend FHSU to anyone who wants a RA degree from a reputable University. I have to disagree with the first poster who said that "..that if you have a degree from FHSU it may not be recognized..." - unless you go to an Ivy League school or one that is advertised like crazy on TV, you'll have that "problem" with most other Universities as well.

I don't know about LSU's cost when you do a degree, but I am taking a course through them that cost me $229... and I'm in Canada - so you may want to consider taking a bunch of courses through them w/o enrolling if it'll save you money. The way it works is that you have 9 months to complete a course - you send it in as you see fit with no more than 3 assignments at one time....

If you have any questions - post it here so that anyone who may have questions about FHSU can follow along as well

BM

 

FHSU is a very legitimate school, real B&M presence. I teach in Kansas, I've talked to them over there before and corresponded with them. You could certainly do worse.

They do not have a huge reputation outside the midwest, but people get jobs with degrees from smaller colleges that are little-known but in a given region all the time. Unless you can find something close to where you want to eventually live that has comparable tuition and online offerings, I'd say go for it.

 

I agree with you here, Steve. Prestige means something--if you can get it. But of course, there's a certain prestige in getting a degree from a legit state university as well, irregardless of the section of the country from where it was obtained.

I've interviewed people and participated in hiring. I worked in management for a GF500 corporation in the 17th largest metro area in the country, so this was not hickville where we had no choice. I never paid attention to where they'd gotten their degree, just that they'd gotten it and it wasn't from a mill. It was more of a box to check, just like you say, Steve. A degree from Fort Hays State would not have raised the slightest eyebrow in my department, nor would a degree from any state university, no matter how small.

My experience and opinion on this matter is shared by millions of those who actually do hiring. People don't realize--through ignorance either willful or just borne from lack of experience--that sometimes a degree from a prestigious university can work against you in the hiring process. The jobs for which I interviewed paid reasonably well, people fresh out of UG could expect to start $35K - $40K on average, and should easily be in the $50K-$70K range within a couple years. Stars could move up more quickly, it was not unique for one to make six figures after a few years. But if two resumes crossed my desk, one with an undergrad from Duke and one with an undergrad from FHSU, I'd be very careful about the person with the hot shot Duke degree. I'd figure they'll just be "slumming" at the job, waiting for something better to come along.

In any event, as Steve says and as the great majority of hiring managers know, an undergrad degree is typically a box check; it's just something to keep your resume from finding the circular file; it's not a make-or-break. How well a person interviews is about 80-90% of it in my experience. This is the case for probably 90% of all the jobs requiring a bachelors in the country. Possible exceptions are elite jobs or jobs in academia, but then again, those usually require graduate work and/or very substantial experience anyway.

I'm just hard-pressed to see how an undergrad degree from FHSU or any old Podunk State is much of a setback at all at the vast majority iof jobs that require bachelors-only.

 

Nice

Wow, I'm sure happy to see the responses so far. It certainly doesn't appear that there are any negative feelings about Ft Hays. That's a great reassurance for me.

As for prestige, I'm not overly concerned with it. Like I said, I don't want my resume getting canned because the HR rep doesn't understand the degree. I think that's different than not knowing of the university. If they circular file me because I'm not from Harvard, then I was an idiot for applying there in the first place. Not that I have anything against trying hard and being elite, rather it's just not my goal.

Move to Midwest? Hmmm that's an interesting idea.

"...it's no cakewalk"... Yeah I've learned the hard way that DL classes are just as hard, if not harder, than the B&M counterparts. Life certainly was rough the first time around juggling full time work and school. I'm actually looking forward to the sleepless nights studying, though. I just love to learn. Well, let me correct that... I mistakenly took a Microcomputer Architecture class because I was bored. I'll never make that mistake again. I like to learn and be challenged, but that class made me walk around in circles, counting the beats in the Battle Hymn of the Republic. I'll never do that again "for fun".

LSU - Problem with 9 month classes and GI Bill. They want a structured, per semester, learning environment. A 9 month "correspondence course" probably wouldn't cut it with them. It might be a nice option for those additional classes I'll need to graduate though, thanks for the advice.

I think this conversation certainly helped make up my mind. I'll be sending in the whopping $30 application fee this week. Man, why can't they all be so easy?

 

FHSU has applied for AACSB accreditation. Thats a great assurance.

http://www.fhsu.edu/cob/

What can the College of Business and Leadership provide for you?

Credibility: Our recent application for AACSB accreditation , the premier accrediting agency for business administration and accounting in the world
....

 

Yes, I contacted them on that. They said it will likely take in the range of three years, so if someone were starting now and taking the standard amount of time to finish a distance MBA while working, they'd probably graduate about at the same time their degree had AACSB status.

Although I don't know any of the profs personally at FHSU save for correspondence, I've looked over each of the faculty bios and collectively they seem to sych up nicely with what would be expected at an AACSB program. I think over 90% of the profs in the MBA program hold doctorates from RA and/or AACSB universities. I suspect they will get the AACSB accreditation along the lines of the timeframe they claimed.

 

How important is it?

Let's theorize for a moment. Let's say it's 2.5 years down the road and I have 1 full semester left for my degree. Do I go down to part time and wait until the AACSB accreditation? Of course this assumes they're going to get it, and get it in their time frame. My question is about how important is that accreditation. Is it a nicety that I should kind of care about or is it something very important I should definitely angle for. I searched Monster.com for AACSB and got 3 hits, 2 from Chapman U and one from Westar Aerospace. Doesn't seem like it's a minimum standard, except for a university and defense contractor.

 

I looked at Ft Hays before I decide to go with Excelsior.. (My sitituation was little different I was looking to complete a degree not enroll in a degree program) The thing that concearn me was not all the courses are asynchronous and even the asynchronous course have assingment deadlines.. so it truely isn't self paced

Ft Hayes and Peru state are good choices if your looking for a inexpensive RA schools. If NA/RA accredition truely isn't an issue with you I think schools such as CSU and CCU would meet your requirements.

CSU is little bit more expensive than FHSU & PSC but offers BSBA with a concentration in Information Technology. Selfaced 70 days to complete a course.

CCU is $85 credit hour but only offers a BSBA or BS in Management and its truely self paced.. Plus if your useing the GI BILL its possible that you'd get payed to go to school.

For example if you complet 4 course in 16 weeks you'd be considered a full time student. The GI BILL entitlement is $1,004 a month which would equal $4016 for that 16 weeks.

If you only have 60 credits remaing to complete your degree your CCU tution will be $5100. So after 8 months you'll be in the green $2920 (If you can complet 4 courses every 16 weeks)

 

Re: How important is it?

This is correct, so far as I know. For many faculty jobs, AACSB will matter. Although even this is pretty much a paper dragon, as virtually every college or university that would care about AACSB as opposed to RA-only when considering one for a faculty position would also require a DBA, PhD or ABD anyway.

 

You can't go wrong with Fort Hays State. As someone stated, they're not that well known outside the immediate region. But the credential is solid considering it's a state B&M university.

I've attended 2 full semesters and very happy with the program.

 

Re: How important is it?

No company states that AACSB-accreditation is a job requirement, but what happens is that without AACSB, the MBA program is assumed to be inferior, so many companies don't bother recruiting. Or, they may take an initial interest, then check the school's status, and dump your resume if it's not AACSB. They won't call you with the bad news - you'll never know why.

Despite what some people here are telling you, the school's name does matter. There are so many applicants for any serious, attractive job, that recruiters can use any excuse to dump a resume. You said you were looking to change careers. This means you can't fall back on an extensive experience record. Let's say you're living in Detroit and the recruiter is sorting through 100 resumes for some entry-level office job. He'll go...Michigan, Michigan State, Wayne State, Fort Hays State ??...WTH...chuck it. In ten years, with a compensating background of experience, the name of the school will be a lot less important.

In short, a Fort Hays State degree is far better than nothing. It is legitimate. But outside its home area, a Fort Hays State degree raises eyebrows, which triggers questions about how you got the degree. DL ?...chuck it... You're starting out with a handicap.

 

Well Known

I can understand the posters that talk about a school being known. I live in the Western New York area and I assume that companies around here hire a lot of graduates from University of Buffalo, Buff-State, Niagara U, et al. They probably even have preferences with the schools based on their experiences with the graduates or even where they went to school. If a Ft Hays degree comes across their desk, they're likely to not give it as much consideration as a local university. Why go through the effort of looking it up or asking about it when there are the 50 resumes sitting there from UB grads, or those from well known universities.

At first I misunderstood the point of the postings, thinking the implication was that unknown universities were a bad idea because you can't find a job with them. After reading over the posts a few times, I think I get the gist of it. I could probably even say I concur. Luckily my goal isn't a specific local company or a specific promotion. This is just a 'better thyself' sort of thing.

As for costs, I can't complain about FHSU. Sure it'll cost me a few bucks more each semester, but I'm still receiving just compensation from the government so I can't complain. I haven't researched CCUs additional fees that seem to be the standard these days. Even if there are none, I think the ball is rolling pretty smoothly and I don't see any reason to switch course. Will be nice to know I can get an additional class there during free time with a 9 month course if I just need 1 or 2 for graduation.

 

I will break my silence.

Please do not listen to the troll, HF Guy, or allow him to rain upon your parade. For a good dose of his behavior and perspective in general, search his name here and see how he comports himself, then see if you think his postings are credible. If you find a better school, go for it. If you find one near where you want to work that offers similar tuition and has more name recognition in your area, then by all means maticulate there. That's just common sense. Do not allow the troll to dissuade you, however, if you've already done your due diligence and found that there are no local schools that fit the bill for you.

The HR scenerio that he describes is one at best experienced in only a narrow subset of jobs. At worst, it's just sheer fantasy. You see, our resident troll has personal reasons for wanting to appear the authority, they are complex psychological ones that are known perhaps only to him, and possibly he is not even fully aware of the forces that drive him. Therefore, he likes to say things that really have no bearing in reality, he likes to state them with authority, he loves to influence others' behavior and "set 'em straight". He loves to play naysayer. He will project reason, authority, but when crossed or challenged in any manner, he shows his true colors. Again, search his postings.

Again, let me reiterate as one who worked as a manager and who actually interviewed candidates for one of the 400 largest corporations in the world: a bachelors degree is primarily a box to check. A bachelors degree from any state institution is generally enough, so long as in the correct discipline and accompanied by the proper experience, to get one's resume and application beyond the "bachelors degree" hurdle. And that is generally all it is. Interviewing people for professional positions in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, I never once saw a single occurrence of anyone jettisoning a resume because the degree was earned out of state or at a small school. It was utterly irrelevant, there was no distinguishing whatsoever between in-state or out-of-state degrees. Perhaps this was because I worked for a multinational with branch offices in almost every state and around the world, I don't know. But I can say in my experience that it was a complete nonissue.

As for AACSB, again, most copmpanies have not heard of the existence of AACSB. They have only the vaguest of notions of accreditation, particularly professional accreditation. I think your search that you described earlier is powerful testimony to this fact. I cannot imagine--except in our resident troll's fevered imaginings--a scenerio where an application would be jettisoned due to the bachelors degree from a decent state institution not being AACSB. I never heard of AACSB before I applied for graduate business school. Almost nobody outside of academia has ever heard of it. This is just the reality.

Please don't allow yourself to be dissuaded because of someone else's opinion, especially when that someone has some odd axe to grind that they're not revealing. Ignore the troll.

 

What Little fauss said!!! Ignore the troll, he has nothing of value to add in a reasonable discussion. All of his posts always end the same. Enough said.

Take care Little Fauss!


Abner

 

I see...

Ok, Troll ignore on. It's nice to here from someone with experience than can enlighten someone like me who can only assume how things are done. My BBA with military and local government experience should be enough to give me an edge over the typical college graduate.


I can see where there might be confusion based on my original statements of getting a new job. I'll need to upgrade my pay one way or the other. I'm looking to opening more doors than I have open right now. I can do this at the same time I use up my GI Bill. I may end up staying where I'm at if I can get my union to increase our pay scale. I might never use this degree other than to have a broader understanding of how things are done. Even if I made enough to support my family now, I would still be pursuing the degree. Do I want to have a degree that will open as many doors as possible? Yes, I certainly do. Do I want to sacrifice the ~$420 per month I'll pocket using the GI Bill at Ft Hays, possibly even end up spending more out of my pocket than I'm getting back, all in the name of having a nice local degree? No way. I've thought about that a lot, but I just can't make the financial sacrifices right now. Life is all about compromising what we want with what we have to do to get it, I guess. Right now my focus has to be on short term income. Being able to achieve that and open the doors to higher long term income is a win-win situation for me. If, when I graduate, I find myself needing a better paying job maybe I'll be kicking myself for not going local and spending the money. But as long as most HR guys see things the same was as those who post here, I don't think it'll happen. Besides, I think going to some small college is better than being behind on the bills until graduation. Of course my theory of pay makes that point mute...that theory being that 90% of people live just beyond their means, regardless of whether they make 10k a year or 200k. But I'm aiming for that 10%

 

Abner, you da man!