I recently (the trimester actually ends on 4/26) just finished up my BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Governors State University and I am in the mode of evaluating grad schools. Initially I was pretty set on wanting to do a MBA program but then I shifted to a MS in an IT related field (I have over 12 years experience in the field),in case I wanted to teach somewhere down the line. After further evaluating I came to a new conclusion. If I decide to do my Masters, I really it want to do something that really interest me. The MBA while it seems to look good on my resume, I'm not that interested in all of the aspects of the degree, nor do I think that I will be in corporate America for much longer. The MS in IT seems somewhat redundant, as it really will not help me advance my career at all, as my experience and tenure at my current employer makes a bigger difference. With these 2 factors in mind I decided that the 3 areas that interest me the most are Entrepreneurship, Organizational/Strategic Leadership, and IT. As of yet I have not found an MBA program that would allow me to address all three of these areas. The only real solution that I've come up with is doing a Liberal Arts Masters that will allow me to build my own program. I figure that I can take 9 hours of Entrepreneurship course, 9 in Organizational Leadership, and the remaining 18 in IT. This way I still have 18 hours in a specific concentration, which I believe will give me the credentials to teach at the college level, should I so chose to do so. Now my only concern with this plan is that if I end up staying in Corporate America, I am wondering what type of impact this degree would have vs. a MBA or MS in IT. Will it be looked upon with any less regard or as an "easy" Masters degree? PS. I'm not finding very many self-paced RA programs out there, any suggestions? I don't mind necessarily doing an NA program, however if I can find a good priced ($300 or less per credit hour), self-pace RA program, that's the route I will take.
In the long run, I would vote for creating your own masters program in liberal arts. There is no substitute for really enjoying what you are studying. Interesting degrees can attract positive attention from selection committees, and you have a ready-made explanation for why you did things the way you did (following your passions). As for teaching, I have seen people with 2-year college diplomas get hired on and make 'tenure' at a community college - because they were good teachers. They later were coached into getting more advanced education, but the lack of education didn't stop them from getting in the door. Most good teachers I know have always 'taught' in one form or another - it is part of their nature. They helped colleagues with computer problems, volunteered to make presentations to groups, mentored new employess, etc. A good way to prepare for a teaching career later is to start with guest lecturing, doing seminars at community centers, and so forth. When I am on faculty selection committees, I am more interested in seeing evidence of the 'teaching gene' than I am concerned about exactly what the candidate's education is. If they are enthusiastic, present well, and can show a track record of getting up in front of people and inspiring them, I will give them a shot. A dead fish with a Harvard doctorate is still a dead fish . Good luck on your decision! Cheers...
http://www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/ Fort Hays is RA and allows for a customizable degree and is pretty cheap (below 300 per credit hour) From the site: Master your next move. If you really want to get ahead of your competition in the job market, a master's degree is the way to go. And it's not as difficult as you think. By taking fully-accredited online courses you can move your career and your income to the next level without turning your whole life upside down. The Virtual College offers several graduate degrees. Our Master of Liberal Studies is a fully customizable, interdisciplinary program that can advance your career in any number of fields. If you have a passion for learning, intellectual curiosity and a desire to explore a subject matter in greater depth, the Master of Liberal Studies (MLS) is a unique, flexible degree program designed to meet your personal and educational goals. With many online courses and concentration areas to choose from, Fort Hays State University makes it easier for you to balance work and personal commitments to achieve your goals. But what does "liberal studies" mean? Liberal studies means providing you the opportunity to systematically explore a wide realm of knowledge and wisdom to help you better understand yourself, others and the world around you. Liberal studies focus on intellectual, social, and moral growth and helps foster your love of learning. The 10-hour core curriculum is designed to address these goals in different ways, and provide you the foundation you need to more deeply explore a specific area of concentration. Select an area of concentration from the list below, or work with an MLS advisor to customize a program of study that best meets your personal and educational goals: Communication Studies Criminal Justice Educational Leadership and Management English ESOL Gerontology Health and Human Performance History Human Resource Management Information Assurance Information Networking and Telecommunications Instructional Technology Organizational Leadership Public Administration Social Science Education FHSU's Master of Liberal Studies program is a full member of the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs. Program Requirements Overview Core Courses (Introduction to liberal education) 10 hours Area of Concentration 18 hours Culminating Experience 3 hours Comprehensive Examination TOTAL HOURS REQUIRED FOR DEGREE 31 hours
From the site: Our Master of Science in Instructional Technology prepares you to assume a role of leadership in instructional technology settings in schools, business, and industry Our Master of Science in Education, Master of Science in Educational Administration and Master of Science in Special Education programs combine the latest in education theory and course design with practical, real-world scenarios to prepare you to assume a leadership role at the classroom, building or district level.
From the site: For Fort Hays State University, "Affordable Success" is a promise to students, parents, the public and state leaders that FHSU will provide access to a high-quality university education at a price that even those in the lower 40% of the state's income distribution can afford. Combining low tuition and fees with financial aid available for nearly 80% of students, we keep our promise of Affordability on campus and online. But being Affordable is only part of the promise. More importantly, FHSU's strong academic programs, extensive co- and extra-curricular opportunities and a fully mediated learning environment give students the knowledge and skills they need to achieve Success, both in the classroom and throughout their lives. FHSU faculty, staff and administrators are deeply committed to providing students one-on-one interaction essential for academic success - a claim many universities make, but few promise their students. "Affordable Success" is a promise that from cradle to grave, no matter what your race or ethnic origins, we intend to provide every Kansan the opportunity to use education as the pathway to realize his or her potential as a human being. We invite you to learn more about how we deliver on that promise.
Direct link to the costs of attending: http://www.fhsu.edu/sfs/tf/FY07TuitionFees.pdf Looks like 182.50$ per credit hour for gradute level courses 400.00$ per credit hour for MBA courses
Firstmode4c: Thanks for all of the FHSU info, I already have the complete book from them which is part of what made me start looking down this path. The MS in Instructional Tech also caught my eye. The one thing lacking for me in the FHSU model however are classes for entreprenurship. Distancedoc2007: thanks for the info about teaching, I wasn't aware that there were some who were able to teach with only an 2 year degree. That give's me some hope and opportunity to check into any possible openings at the many different CC's in my area.
Fort Hayes State University seems to be the only viable option, in regards to offering a flexible in regards to the number of hours that are electives, and also they have a few classes related to Entrepreneurship, Org Mgmt, and I.T. Amberton has a Masters of Arts in Professional Development which seems pretty interesting as well. They do no however offer and courses in entrepreneurship or IT. I may even drop the need for IT courses and just focus on Org Mgt and Entrepreneurship. Oh well back to my research
I recommend the Ft. Hays option with a graduate certificate added on the tail end in IT. Just a suggestion. Also as for Organizational Leadership and Entrepreneurial studies check the Peru State Masters in Organizational Management with an emphasis in entrepreneurial and economic development. http://www.peru.edu/graduatestudies/ProgramDescriptMSOM.htm As a bonus they are SUPER inexpensive.
The WGU MBA might be a good fit I have an MBA earned from Western Governors University. I was hired as an instructor for Kaplan Higher Education with an MBA. I taught Economics (Micro and Macro) as well as Introductory Networking and Server 2003 Certification. This MBA had a substantial component that was Leadership and Professionalism and all the sub-knowledge domains including Organizational Development, Leadership, Intrapreneurship and Entrapreneurship, as well as Human Relations. Additionally due to the fact that the MBA program follows the competency-based model, so long as you know enough about each knowledge domain to pass you can focus on whatever area of expertise you wish to develop. I think this might be an excellent option for you. NOTE: I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY IN ANY WAY EXCEPT AS AN ALUMNUS.
jmetro, I had contacted WGU when I was looking to finish up my undergrad. How long did it take for you to complete your MBA with them. I really like their compentecy based model and maybe I need to give them another look. The fact that it's pretty much self-paced is also another big plusfor me. The only real question then becomes cost vs. a FHSU or Peru State College. Thanks for the reminder about WGU I'm goning to dig up their literature and take a look.
Length of Program It took me a little over a year to complete. Had I been focused, I could have finished it within 6 to 8 months. I had a little personal distraction going on at the time. It was moderately paced and challenging. If you are willing to earn your degree by examination, thesis, and project WGU will be fine for you. Jacob
friendorfoe, thanks for the link. the fact they don't list the tuition online makes me think they're pretty pricey. Also I don't think this program is in online format. jmetro, I have another WGU question. What materials/courses did you use to study? In some of the examples they make it seem as if you could take courses from other schools such as Aspen U, to prepare for your test. Is this how the program works, and if yes are there any extra cost for taking classes at other schools?
Q: What are the tuition costs for the MOL Program? (back to top) A: Tuition is $522 per credit hour for the 2005-2006 Academic Year - It was listed in the FAQ. Dunno if it is more now?
WGU Courses/Study/Reference Material Like everyone who comes to distance learning universities, I am a special student. I brought with me 18 years worth of work experience the last 7 of which have been in executive level IT management for various consulting firms throughout the country. So remembering this, it is no surprise that my entire bachelors and masters degree programs could have been completed (by a combination of examination, papers, and projects) in less than 3 years. For me most of the study was refreshers on the theory behind some of the stuff I've used throughout my whole career. For me it was like remembering knowledge that I already had. What resources did I use? Well, I had some old calculus and statistics books I inherited from my great-grandfather. These were useful. I inherited some physics and astronomy books from my father. These were also useful. I had my career experience and on-the-job training. This was also very useful. I had my earlier high-school and junior college education which provided me with good testing skills and a high threshold for failure. Yes, I used the specific textbooks and knowledge resources that WGU recommended for each knowledge domain. These were very useful for getting the exact wording right as required by the examinations and the papers. I used some of the external resources like Thompson NetG and other online databases. I used the University of New Mexico's library system for thesis and dissertation work. I used some horribly paced online courses provided by people who had already proven their personal competency in the field. Personally, I just read books and wrote papers and took tests. I liked the library. I enjoyed the academic action plan which gave my efforts to learn a direction. I tremendously enjoyed the freedom to study when I had the time and where I had my books. I enjoyed being able to discuss my knowledge domains with other students using the online forums. I enjoyed being able to prove my knowledge a little bit at a time. I didn't really appreciate the Wasatch eLearning teaching model. It seemed far too fast and far too structured for intelligent learning to take place. In fact, I took four Wasarch eLearning courses by advisement of my mentor and dropped out of three of them using the instructors of these eLearning courses as "resources" only. Don't publicize this too much because the courses were laid out cleanly. We knew what we needed to accomplish to pass each course. Had I actually stuck it out in the three I dropped, I have no doubt that I would have passed the examinations. But I didn't stick it out and after substantial preparation and independent learning I passed the examinations anyway. I'll tell you this, if you do take an eLearning course and choose to blow off the course in favor of independent study, these instructors are really good. Once you inform them that they are resources only you can hold email or phone conversations with them just like you were an active student. I got plenty of pointers using them as resources. I suspect that eventually some college is going to get smart and will hire PhDs to answer questions via email, phone, or forum without the mess of hiring them as instructors. Anyway, yes you do have the option of taking courses at another school. If the courses are listed in the WGU resource guide, then there is no additional cost associated with using those degree resources. If the course is NOT listed in the WGU resource guide, then you would be responsible for the course costs. I never needed to take any external college courses with the notable exception of the first Wasatch eLearning course which helped me build a 98-page thesis on learning theory as impacted by distributed knowledge. The instructor performed sounding-board services as well as structure and grammer checking. She did a really good job. They do offer arraingements through online teaching colleges but I was fortunate enough to have enough foundational knowledge to work my way through the entire program. My worst field of study was accounting. I ended up using an eLearning instructor resources for two terms before I knew enough to pass the examination. And don't get me started on the Certified MBA exam. If you ever want to be scared about a test, the CMBA exam is something to be frightened of. I never have had problems with multiple choice questions. I am naturally a good test taker. I rule out answers before thinking about which one is "right" or "best". But the CMBA was designed to fail. Good luck with that one when you take it. I'd bet that if we forced all 2.4 million MBAs in the US to take and pass the CMBA on pain of losing their MBA designation, we'd lose 70% of all MBAs. Finally, yes this is one of the only learning agreements that I've actually heard of that is somewhat flexible. That is, the AAP created by you and your mentor is a living viable action plan. If you progress faster than expected, the AAP responds. If you progress slower than expected, the AAP responds. Hopefully this gives you enough useful information to make a decision. NOTE: I AM NOT EMPLOYED BY WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY. I AM NOT A TROLL. I HAVE NO VESTED INTEREST IN ANYONE ACCEPTING WGU DEGREE UTILITY EXCEPT AS AN ALUMNI. I HAVE NO RELATION TO WGU EXCEPT AS AN ALUMNI. THANKS.
Wow...Great Info!!! Jmetro, let me just say that the amount of info and feedback that you've provided is amazing. Based on that alone, I'm almost sold WGU's flexible program. On a side note, the name of the school (WGU), makes me think that this school may have been made for me anyway, as the first school that I attended was Western Illinois University, and the last form which I recently graduated is Governors State University, combine them and... well I know it's silly but I find this to be a cool coincidence. Ok back to the subject at hand. I've been involved in the IT industry for the last 13 years, with the last 10 spent with the same company, (a top 15 in the world, Real Estate Investment firm). My A.S. degree was with a business concentration, so I have a pretty sound understanding of how the corporate world works. I really, really like the flexibility that WGU offers for those simply testing out of competencies that that already are familiar with. However I know that I would need to take some additional courses, and I wonder if that process would end up being redundant and also would defeat the purpose of having that amount of flexibility. If I end up taking full courses via other schools why not just enroll in that school (Aspen comes to mind, who is listed in WGU's book), at a reduced cost? All in all you have really given me a ton to think about and I thank you for all of the information that you have provided in regards to WGU.
Response... berniejr: It is only my intention to tell everyone that I meet about the experience I had at WGU. If they choose to take the degree program then that's good. I consider myself a scientist at heart and therefore try to be excruciatingly exact as much as possible. With that in mind, I'd like to answer your point about the extra courses. Like poor Contraras (sp!), I believe that all education can be attained by reading good subject matter, discussing the material with experts, and experimenting with the concepts learned. This means that I think we all could learn anything by sitting down with a good book and taking good notes. With that in mind, the WGU program was designed. The point of the WGU program is to validate existing knowledge and if necessary, shore up that knowledge-base. If you do have to shore up the knowledge-base (which we all do) then the education part of the program swings into place. Here's the thing... Do you have more of the knowledge in your head than you would need to study? Ultimately, for me the decision was "Yes, I have more knowledge in my head than the amount of knowledge I would need to gain for the degree program" which made the decision very easy. I just wanted a regionally accredited university with a good program to tell everyone else in the world that I really do know what I in fact do know. Hope this helps. Jacob
