There hasn't been an Aspen thread in quite awhile so...

I recently enrolled in their MBA-IM program.

$3600 tuition for the entire degree. So far great service and a not at all unchallenging curriculum.

Happy.

/end of Aspen praise thread

 

Right on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You made one hell of a good choice. With Aspen, you get a reply to ANY question almost instantly. I have studied at UCI and UCLA, and there you are just a number, and the customer service sucks!!!!!!!! Especially at UCLA, if you call them, they try to bite your head off!

Keep us updated on your studies. I received my MBA from Aspen, and I learned a lot. It was challenging.


Abner

P.S. Sorry, I am still trying to figure of how to post the emoticons. I will have to look at the FAQ section. The real smiley has always been my signature.

 

What course are you currently taking at Aspen? How is it going? Thanks.

 

I actually sent Abner a PM looking for some Aspen info No response though..

I was thinking about their Master in IT program.... I'd love to see a sample syllabus or get an idea of the expectations for work/study in any given week per average class. Their Tech and Innovation degree program looks pretty interesting as well.

 

Right now I am taking Managerial Accounting and Managing in an Age of IT Change.

Good stuff!

 

Feel free to PM me and I can give you what information I have thus far.
B

 

Sent! Thank you.

 

I am actually very tempted to enroll at that price... the only problem is they don't allow me to defer payment more than 30 days ($2700 upfront) and I need to start my first class within 90 days of enrollment. I am also about to send my paperwork to start an MA in Biblical Studies so now I am torn. Can't imagine myself doing both degress with family, work and about 15 hours of ministry a week.

The price is hard to beat though.

I was a bit turned off by Aspen when they told me this afternoon I had get my 'foreign' degrees evaluated (Toronto & LSE) to make sure they are up to American standards. Still thinking that it may be a mistake and that I won't have to fork over the extra money for the evaluation.

The other thing I was hoping was for Aspen to accept some of my 10 years as an operations consultant and executive trainer towards the degree...

All this has to be decided by Sunday.

 

I'm trying to decide by Sunday as well, but in previous reading, it seems that this "deal" has been offered before and prolonged more than once. Maybe not the exact price and payment structure, but something awfully close. This is one of those things that has turned me off.

However, I haven't seen many negative things said about Aspen -- almost all positive. You know how the Internet is -- people love to gripe and moan, much moreso than give something positive praise... so its almost difficult to believe.

Also, the $2700 up front kind of bites.. However, its probably more like 3K, no? I'm sure there are "fees" as well.

 

Sorry if this is a dupe post -- but I replied, and it says mine is the last reply... but alas, I cannot see it.

Anyhow, Joe I am in a similar boat. Thinking about the MS/IT program and possibly enrolling before Sunday. I'm trying to get more info regarding coursework. Hopefully someone can help.

I'm not so sure I'd worry about the "pricing deal". From my recent reading, they have had similar deals in the past that have been extended multiple times. In a way, this has turned me off from the school, but I have read hardly any negative comments about them. On the Internet, this is extremely rare, as reviews are either blatantly fake or overwhelmingly negative in most circumstances.

I'm also curious about textbooks. They claim you should always get the most recent, but is this like any other school where it isn't necessary unless they really change the content? I looked up some of the textbooks they use and it seems they couldn't have picked more expensive, or worse rated ones (Amazon).

 

Well, my experience that traditional college's distance learning customer service is suck. For example, Southern Methodist University...it took 3 months for my academic advisor to return my emails and phone calls. Troy University took several days, Georgetown University took several days as well. Capella University and Aspen University took them within 24 hours or less.

 

Curious question... why doesn't Aspen try to get RA? Is it incredibly expensive to get the accreditation? Are they incapable of doing so?

 

I'll be curious to see if this prepay option gets extended again... It's almost car-dealership like from what I've read. One of the things that's turned me away from the school.

 

Hi. The textbooks are listed on the website. I imagine that a new textbook edition could be released before the course is revised. From memory, if you click on the textbook link it will take you to the appropriate edition for the current version of the course. They are probably revising courses all the time, so you'll want to make certain to order the appropriate edition for that version of the course.

 

I have heard rumors that they are attempting to do just that. There is no timeframe given though, so it could be soon, not soon or maybe not at all.

 

Try as I might, I just can't pull the trigger on this school. I'm interested in the MS/IT program and I'd love to apply, given the price, and lord knows its a good deal, but I can't help but filter through my recent research in my mind that has seen this "register before XX/XX/XXXX to prepay for $XXXX" many times before. I can understand giving a small discount (5-10%), or having an early registration deal, but to knock over half off the price? Something just SEEMS strange. Is this a car dealership, or a institution of higher education?

The RA/NA thing has been argued (apparently) a multitude of times, but aside from that, I can't say I'm overwhelmed in the quality of their web site or in their electronic communications either. I don't know... I've seen that people are mostly pleased with the program and the courses are challenging. That's great, but if their most accessible source of info (web site) foremost advertisement is the prepay deal on the front page, then I can't say it really comes off as entirely reputable. It's not the worst web site in the world, but I've found many inconsistencies in formatting, casing, grammar and requirements, and I'm no English major.

Not knocking anyone that attends Aspen and maybe I'll change my mind and apply at a later date, but there's just something about them that deters me.

 

I'm not an Aspen student or employee, so I can speak honestly to you about their quality. You should not worry about the legitimacy or the quality of an Aspen education, we have it from many sources that Aspen is a good quality operation. I agree that the website is a little funky, but you should not let that put you off. (We have mentioned the look of the website to Dr. Lady, the dean, in various threads on this board. It actually looks much better than it did not too long ago.)

Your only real concern if whether or not a DETC accredited degree will work for you. It's a quality accreditation and it insures that the school is a quality school, but it is not as highly recognized as regional accrediting institutions. Your units would likely not transfer to a RA school and you would not be able to teach on a university level. If that does not bother you, then you have no reason not to "pull the trigger" on Aspen.

 

The honest truth is.. I don't know if DETC works for me. My BS is RA, so I've got that going for me... but as for DETC, I'm not totally against it, but not totally for it either. RA has been around a long time, is truly the gold standard (whether this is correct or not is arguable). To be honest, I just started considering furthering my education about two weeks ago. Maybe I should give it more time? Then again, that "deal" is in the back of my mind.

On one hand, I know if i pursue an MS its going to be distance learning. I don't have the time, or desire to physically attend a class around my schedule. So should I worry about RA/NA if its a no-name RA vs Aspen DETC? Or should I spend the extra bucks and go for a name school RA? However, it may have the DL stigma anyway.. so would I gain THAT much?

Decisions decisions..

 

Hmm MSwol. You keep repeating this car dealership nonsense. Why? There is nothing strange about this type of payment system. Most of us experienced, long time hard core education/DLr's know this. You are starting to sound like a competitor. If you are not, please forgive me.


Abner

 

What the sagacious Michael Oliver said. Ditto.

Abner