I am now NCU Student

Hi, Friends
After long research and discussion , I have made my decision to go for MBA from Northcentral University School of Business and Technology and I got enrolled for my first course today.
Lot of users views helped me a lot in selecting a University.
Thanks a lot and hope to be active member of this forum.

 

Welcome to the forum and good luck on your studies.

 

Good call.

Best wishes for success!

 

What schools did you look at? What was your criteria for selection? I ask because there are many, many distance learning MBAs available.

Dave

 

Welcome. I am in the NCU program and enjoying it so far. Am taking my time since my business is growing. I found the NCU program to fit my needs as a business owner with limited spare time.

 

Thanks. I'm curious about how you selected the Northcentral MBA program, as there are so many better known, better accredited and less expensive programs.

Dave

 

My first requirement was regional accreditation.

I investigated AACSB accreditation, read the standards, called their headquarters in Tampa and came away unimpressed. So lack of AACSB is a non-factor. NCU is an ACBSP candidate. The ACBSP stressing teaching over research is more in line with my beliefs of what education should be about. Still, ACBSP or not is also a non-factor.

Flexibility was a major factor in my decision. No classes to attend. No required online sessions to attend. The ability to complete courses at basically my own speed with a one-on-one mentor is a big plus.

Business has been great. I pay for each course myself. Cost is not a factor for me.

I consider myself an entrepreneur. I like being part of a new school using new technology. I realize some may disapprove of a for-profit distance learning school. But I have never been a follower.

I hope my reply doesn't sound too arrogant but I believe in giving honest answers to questions.

 

I have enjoyed my NCU classes so far. Best of luck-

 

No, you don't sound arrogant. No worries.

One observation I'd like to make is that whenever a new student enrolls at that school they seem to be told to come to this board and tell us they enrolled. All the reasons sound the same so they must be coached. I could be wrong, but I've wondered.

With respect to accreditation, what you think about it isn't important, but what graduate schools and employers may think is important. The only type of programmatic accreditation that seems to really matter to doctoral programs is AACSB.

The Colorado State AACSB Distance MBA is about $18,500 tuition. Touro's IACBE online MBA is $13,200 tuition. Northcentral with no current programmatic accreditation is $17,100 tuition. Cal State Dominguez Hills is also cheap. Again, there are many, many seemingly more reknown options than Northcentral.

I recommend that you avoid listening to the enrollment sales personnel (a.k.a. counselors) and keep shopping.

Dave

 

My chief concern when enrolling in NCU was the fact that it is 100% online. To me, it was a gamble because online degrees were untested in the marketplace and, in many minds, were associated with diploma mills. There was a stigma and, to some degree, there still is a stigma because, after all, you can't receive a real education unless you are sitting in a classroom under the earshot of a professor, right [sic]? Aside from my initial concerns, I am glad that I am getting a degree (hopefully) from NCU. As long as regional accreditation remains the basic standard, the utility of an NCU degree will have a high value.

 

By the way, I don't doubt your sincerity, but your post proves my point: people come out of the woodwork at the drop of a hat to provide glowing and often off-topic testimonials about Northcentral.

Dave

 

If we're wrong, then we're screwed. Who wants to hold an unaccredited degree?

 

I agree that an online degree for a pure virtual school is not exactly prestigious. However, as you graduate and start using it for teaching, research and consulting, you will find that less people will be likely to care about your education and more about your achievements.

In my last interview, the hiring committe never even bother to ask me about the source of my degree and the interview was concentrated in teaching and working experience. Again, this was not a top research University but a small mainly undergraduate college where research achievements don't really matter.

In conclusion, if you have a degree from a low tier University you shouldn't plan getting a teaching job at Harvard. However, if you want a good degree that can open doors at the community college or small colleges then DL is still a good option.

The pay gap might not be even worth the effort. The difference of salaries here in Canada between community colleges and Universities are not even something more than 10K. Imagine you have a PhD from Harvard and get paid 70K to start while your PhD from NCU might get you a teaching job at a low tier or community college at 60K.

 

Are you suggesting that Northcentral might lose its accreditation? I realize that it is small and struggling but I hadn't heard that development was in the works.

Dave

 

LOL, no, I'm not suggesting that NCU might lose regional accreditation. However, if NCU were to lose RA status, then it would definately open some eyes about the utility of a 100% DL degree.

We now have state universities that are offering 100% DL degrees, so it would probably put a chill on their DL programs. Just 10 years ago, it was unheard of to get a 100% DL degree from a state university; but today, it is readily available. Is this an indicator of the future in the information age or is it simply a passing fancy??? The jury is still out, but it appears that the information age is going to be vastly different from anything that our forefathers have ever experienced. The important thing is the effective transfer of information: can that occur via the computer? The answer seems self-evident and it appears to be the wave of the present, as well as the imminent future.

 

Me again is a regular poster on this forum so to suggest that he came out of the woodwork to make an NCU post is ridiculous.

However, when it comes to getting an MBA, I think there are better DL options than NCU. But at the doctoral level, the same is not true.

 

That is well stated and that is my experience as well. In most cases, a successful person will be successful regardless of where he graduated from school. Conversely, a secular degree definately adds credability and, in academic circles, will open up doors that would otherwise be closed. It's called a sheep skin.

 

Making off-topic comments of glowing support is akin to coming out of the woodwork, isn't it?

Dave