MBA program not too writing intensive?

I was looking at some regionally accredited MBA programs and noticed the course guides at Liberty University. I noticed they are pretty heavy on research writing and discussion board post. I have no problem writing, but noticed when taking 8 week courses, it seems very hard to maintain the course load when trying to take two courses per week and a full time job.

Are all MBA programs similar to Liberty that have this much writing? I have no problem writing, but just curious if there are MBA programs that have more quizzes and exams and less writing?

 

The MBA I earned from Ashford University was pretty heavy on writing and research. In fact from what I have come to understand, case studies tend to be an MBA program's bread and butter. These often use scenario based planning, research, etc. that will most likely culminate into some form of a paper. I think we did a case study about once a week and for one semester only I took two of their 6 week classes at once and I will tell you that was a mistake. If the semesters are only 8 weeks long I might just take 1 class at a time were I you.

 

For me personally, I have a tough time working full-time and taking two courses during an 8 week term. Out of 7 courses through AMU, I would say I have had to write maybe 4-5 research papers. Approx. 15-20 pages depending on the course. Nothing too extraordinary. I am not big on writing either, but learn to get it done.

At AMU, it is really course specific as to how much you write on discussion boards. For an accounting course it was one post per week, plus weekly assignments of 5 questions from the book. Maybe 2-3 pages for those assignments. Some courses require 1 post per week and you have to reply to a couple of posts.

I have enjoyed AMU so far, but the military name scares a lot of people off. Good luck,

Cory

 

I'm curious if there are any programs that you can take one at a time and still finish in 18 months?

From reviewing Liberty University (schedule page), you would take 1 class every 8 weeks, which is two classes per semester and it will take 2 1/2 years to complete. If you take 3 classes per semester, it appears the middle class will overlap the last four weeks of course 1 and first four weeks of course 3 and can finish in 18 months, but man that looks tough.

 

Ashford uses 6 week semester formats, one right after another with no break between classes. You can finish there in under 18 months with one class at a time for sure. 66 weeks if you have the required pre-req undergraduate work, 72 weeks if not.

 

Kempo, if you don't mind me asking, why are you looking to complete a MBA?

A MBA is usually sought to increase knowledge and theory on business and management principles, and of course to give people an opportunity to advance in their career or switch careers. There is an increasing trend to what I call "MBA-lite" programs that have a handful of courses. Are you looking for the diploma or to really learn something?

There are typically a bunch of core courses for most programs.

From http://businessmajors.about.com/od/programcomparison/a/CoreCurriculum.htm

Common MBA Core Curriculum
The MBA core curriculum offered at most business schools includes combinations and variations of the following courses:

* Accounting
* Business Strategy
* Economics
* Finance
* Human Resources
* Marketing Management
* Manufacturing and Production
* Operations Management
* Statistics
* Technology and Information Systems

In my experience, Accounting, Finance and Stats will typically be more exam-based than writing-based, as it's quantitative in nature.

Business Strategy and Marketing tend to have more case studies and written papers.

Economics and Production/Operations, IT management tend to be in the middle - some papers, some exams.

The reason why I ask why you want a MBA is because one of the common end states of a MBA program is for the graduate to be able to write well in a business context. If you're looking for an education as opposed to a degree, you might want to consider taking one class at a time and maximizing your learning potential rather than short-cutting the process. Of course if you have a pressing need for completion then there are programs that can accommodate.

 

I plan to graduate from Excelsior College in four weeks with B.S. in General Business. The closer I am getting to my degree the more confused I am getting toward the direction I want to head in my life. I am now 44 years of age and been in the insurance claims industry for 18 years now. I have reached a plateau in my job and the income is at a ceiling at 60k range. The only way to move forward is getting into management and even that is really hard to get into.

As mentioned above, as I am getting closer to completing my degree, I am starting to think of different possibilities and do something that I will enjoy, but I'm stuck between two different avenues. Matter of fact, I think I can both, but not sure the best route. The reason why I feel like I am in a rush, because our company was purchased by another company from another country and over half of our offices will be closed down. Some of the members in my unit have already been cut loose and staffing is being re-evaluated in a monthly basis until the reorganization is complete. You have no idea how challenging it is for me to complete my degree averaging 12 to 15 units a semester for the past two years both online, community college, and CLEP exams while knowing for the past six months I keep seeing people get canned. I have been working hard on completing these courses because the company is providing tuition reimbursement and going to keep pushing forward until either I survive the cuts or get canned.

I would like to see myself in five years from now having a CPA and MBA and teaching at a university. The reason why I said MBA instead of MS Accountancy, because of my insurance background and have the opportunity to teach not only accounting courses, but also business and insurance courses.

The steps I am looking at is to obtain my Certificate in Accounting at LSU and study for the CPA exam and try to get my foot in the door with an accounting firm, or try to move into the accounting dept within my company. Once that is done, I would like to get my MBA, preferably in accounting concentration continue to move forward in my career as either an auditor or business analysis and also teach part-time. My goal is to gain real-life experience, so I can also teach.

Here is one of the reasons why I was getting a little frustrated. It seems that even if I obtain a CPA, trying to get into the accounting field as an auditor would be hard because I have no actual accounting experience. Maybe it was the recruiter I spoke with at Robert Half International. She did seem rude by said she couldn't even place people with experience and how would she consider even placing me. Talk about feeling like an idiot for even calling that company for advice. Either I take her remarks as a grain of salt keep moving forward.

Sorry about the rambling, but there is so many directions my career can take if I get canned or not. If I know I would still have a job for the next three years, I would have focused on an MBA w/accounting first, and work on teaching, but feel it would be safer to get my CPA so I wouldn't get too much of a cut in pay to move into another field and continue to work on my MBA. The reason why I am looking online, because if I get canned, I will have to look for work pretty much nationwide, because it would be hard to find another job as a senior claims rep in my city, and I can continue to move forward on my education.

 

Guitarmark...

My experience in the quantitative stuff was that I took on average of 1 to 2 tests during the 6 weeks, however they were not in lieu of a paper but instead added on top. In fact one quatitative paper I had in Managerial Economics (I think) was only a 6 page paper, but had somewhere like 15 pages in supporting material and formulas to prove my work and method.

Applied finance, accounting, statistics, etc. can easily be rolled into a paper as well as a test. In fact I found the paper writing method much tougher to do. But that was just me.

kempo,
I'm sorry to hear about your troubles but there are a few things you should know:

1.) An MBA is not a rock solid teaching credential. In fact you need at minimum 18 grad hours focus in one discipline before being minimally qualified to teach. An MBA by nature of being interdisciplinary does not give you that.

2.) A MS in Accounting, if that is your passion will allow you to teach, however it may also pigeon hole you into a career track that you admittedly have no experience in. Tough choice...

3.) Accountants are almost always in demand, however not necassarily in finance, accounting and banking industries... But you'll find that every organization in the U.S. needs accounting services in one form or another. Don't expect the big bucks coming out of the gate, but after about 5 years experience and with a MS degree, teaching experience and CPA, you'd be swinging a pretty big stick.

Again, just my humble opinion.

 

yup, that's one of the reasons why I am looking at the MS in Accountancy. When I spoke with somebody at my local community college, I was told with my 18 years in the insurance industry and MBA, I would have a good chance to teach some risk management classes, since I have some insurance designations.

On another note, I'm curious if any regionally accredited schools accept ACE credit toward an MBA or Master's degree? I noticed my ACE credits show about 21 credits in graduate business law credits.

 

I have no idea, perhaps if it fits in under their maximum transfer requirement. It's not likely to get you more than 3 credits in an MBA program as Law is only one class out of about 12.

 

When I was attending City University's www.cityu.edu MBA program (I did it residentially, by night classes), they had what was called a fast track program. Classes were three hours a night two nights a week for five weeks (instead of three hours a night one night a week for ten weeks) but the five-week fast track program got you finished up in 18 months because there was only a one weekend break between one class and the next with a two-week break at Christmas. Note: City U had back then a DL program and they have an online program now (so I believe you could do your online claases at a rate of one every five weeks too). Rich Douglas earned his MBA degree from National University www.nu.edu by night classes (1985, I think). He once posted that, at that time, the residential night classes were based on a one course at a time for one month. National University has an online MBA program. American Intercontinental University's www.aiuonline.edu online MBA is designed around a cocept close to City University's fast-track program. I'm sure there must be other possibilities that allow for completing one's classes at a rate of one per month.

 

My CC offers the fast track programs as well, but I'll say from experience that 4-week courses are brutal beyond belief. I tried it with an easy intro class, American Federal Government. Even with that class, I was reading about 100-200 pages a week, with a exam and essay due the first three weeks plus the final on the fourth week.

It's great if you're in a hurry and have plenty of time, but it's brutal if you're working at the same time. I honestly think it moves at too fast a pace to learn anything... I took that class in January and I can honestly say I don't remember anything. Did get an A though.

 

Yes, one of my female colleagues in City U's MBA program once described the fast track courses as being like as unto bulimic learning.

 

I am curious if there are any other MBA programs out there that have a concentration in accounting with min 18 units? Only one I can find is Upper Iowa University. If I go that route, I will most likely have to get my Cert. in Accounting at LSU to meet the 30 undergrade accounting requirements.

MS in Accountancy looks good, but doubt my employer would approve that, but I can see them going for MS in Accountancy. I have also put my name in the hat to get transferred into another dept that is actually growing, so hopefully I can get in there and create more piece of mind that I can continue my education and not worry about getting laid off.

 

I highly doubt that you will find very many MBA Accounting programs that require 18 hours of accounting. For the MBA program, usually 2/3 of the degree is general business and only 1/3 of the degree is in the concentration (e.g., 24 hrs. general business + 12 hrs. accounting = 36 hr. MBA). What you might look for is a program that, while it only requires a 12 hour concentration, nevertheless has enough choices of classes in the concentration that you could take 18 hours of accounting even if you would end up graduating with a few extra credits.

 

Might I assume that the reason you desire the 18 hr. accounting concentration is the 18-hr. rule for teaching gigs? If so, the 18-hr. rule is specific to the Southern Association and each of the six RAs can set their own rules. As it would just so happen, the North Central Association specifies a 15 hr. concentration. And the University of Phoenix www.phoenix.edu does have an MBA in Accounting with a 15 hr. concentration. So ........... if you are in North Central territory (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming), this option may work for you. And, again, it's not so much whether the university requires 15 or 18 hours for your concentration; it's whether the university offers you enough classes that you could take 15 or 18 hours (or more) in a concentration, if you're willing to graduate with a few extra credits.

 

Initially, I am looking at a community college in California in order to gain experience and continue to further my education.

I noticed it states the following:

http://www.losrios.edu/hr/downloads/CAMinimumQuals.htm
Statewide Minimum Qualifications

Assembly Bill (AB) 1725 and the Board of Governors have established statewide minimum qualifications for California Community College instructors. The minimum qualifications are as folllows:

For subject areas where master's degrees are available, minimum qualifications required a completed master's in the subject area; OR, a bachelor's in the subject area PLUS a master's in a related discipline; OR, equivalent.

For subject areas where a master's is not expected or available, the minimum requirements are a bachelor's degree in a reasonably related discipline PLUS two years of professional experience PLUS licensure (if available); OR, an associate degree in a reasonably related discipline PLUS six years of professional experience PLUS licensure (if available); OR, equivalent.

In the PDF is shows the following for the subjects I am interested in.
http://www.losrios.edu/hr/downloads/min_quals%20_revFeb2206.pdf

Accounting: Master’s in accountancy or business administration with accounting concentration OR Bachelor’s in business with accounting emphasis or business administration with accounting emphasis or economics with an accounting emphasis AND Master’s in business, business administration, business education, taxation, or finance OR The equivalent.

Business: Master’s in business, business management, business administration, accountancy, finance, marketing, or business education OR Bachelor’s in any of the above AND Master’s in economics, personnel management, public administration, or JD or LL.B. degree OR Bachelor’s in economics with a business emphasis AND Master’s in personnel management, public administration, or JD or LL.B. degree OR The equivalent

Management: Master’s in business administration, business management, business education, marketing, public administration, or finance OR Bachelor’s in any of the above AND Master’s in economics, accountancy, taxation, or law OR The equivalent

 

Initially, I am looking at a community college in California in order to gain experience and continue to further my education.

I noticed it states the following:

Statewide Minimum Qualifications

Assembly Bill (AB) 1725 and the Board of Governors have established statewide minimum qualifications for California Community College instructors. The minimum qualifications are as folllows:

For subject areas where master's degrees are available, minimum qualifications required a completed master's in the subject area; OR, a bachelor's in the subject area PLUS a master's in a related discipline; OR, equivalent.

For subject areas where a master's is not expected or available, the minimum requirements are a bachelor's degree in a reasonably related discipline PLUS two years of professional experience PLUS licensure (if available); OR, an associate degree in a reasonably related discipline PLUS six years of professional experience PLUS licensure (if available); OR, equivalent.

In the PDF is shows the following for the subjects I am interested in.

Accounting: Master’s in accountancy or business administration with accounting concentration OR Bachelor’s in business with accounting emphasis or business administration with accounting emphasis or economics with an accounting emphasis AND Master’s in business, business administration, business education, taxation, or finance OR The equivalent.

Business: Master’s in business, business management, business administration, accountancy, finance, marketing, or business education OR Bachelor’s in any of the above AND Master’s in economics, personnel management, public administration, or JD or LL.B. degree OR Bachelor’s in economics with a business emphasis AND Master’s in personnel management, public administration, or JD or LL.B. degree OR The equivalent

Management: Master’s in business administration, business management, business education, marketing, public administration, or finance OR Bachelor’s in any of the above AND Master’s in economics, accountancy, taxation, or law OR The equivalent

 

Fantastic!

I'm going to search for ways to use that term!

Reminds me of any advanced math(s) I've ever done...