Online MBA universities - experiences

Hi,
I am interested in studying for an Online MBA.
My criteria for selection is
a) Should be almost 100% Online (upto a week/year resiidency is acceptable).
b) Offers courses in E-Commerce - Specialization desired (not interested in a general MBA)
c) a US University
d) at least regionally accredited
e) Cost < 20K$ (wont mind stretching to 25 K for the right univ)
f) Can be completed in upto 2 years.
reputation of college and flexibility of schedule is also desired.

Other criteria like service, delivery, etc, should be at an acceptable level.


After researching quite a bit, I have shortlisted the following institutions
(list does denote any order of preference):-

1) Kelley Indianapolis (expensive, but nationally ranked)
2) Suffolk University (Sawyer), MA
3) University of Baltimore (Merrick), MD
4) University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
5) Capella University, MN
6) Jones International University, CO
7) University of Phoenix, AZ
8) Regis Univ, CO

Has anybody completed, or is studying for, an Online MBA from any of these institutions.
Particularly experiences would be valuable.
I would appreciate any opinions, thoughts that you can share that
would help in making my decision.

 

I assume by saying "Kelley Indianapolis" you are referring to Indiana University's Direct On-Line MBA? If so - there is no question. IU is AACSB accredited and nationally recognized. They will almost certainly deliver an MBA experience that is significantly above the rest of the pack, especially the for-profits (Capella, Jones, UoP).

Each may offer the same degree (MBA), but the experience is likely to be quite different. The caliber of students and faculty will almost certainly be higher than with the other programs you've listed. It may be more expensive and they do require the GMAT - but the resulting degree will carry much greater prestige. Go with the best - go IU.

Regards - Andy

 

Kelley at the Indiana University is far superior to any of the schools on your list. I was thinking the cost was over 30k though. I am about to begin the 100% online MBA program at UMass (Amherst). It should cost around 22k, and is AACSB and RA. It would rank ahead of any of the schools on your list except for Kelley.

Also, you should check out the University of Maryland-University College program. It is RA and costs around 20k. This program would also rank pretty high on your list. I don't know about the others except for Regis. I have a friend who completed that program a few years ago and he liked it.

Suffolk, Baltimore, and Wisconsin-Whitewater are all good programs too from what I hear.

Best of luck.

Reed Liggin

 

Have you looked at Touro University International? It's a part of Touro College's (of New York) university system. I believe it would meet all of the criteria you've mentioned. I am finishing their MBA program this month and have been very pleased with it. http://www.tourou.edu

Steve

 

My question is not meant to be cynical or rhetorical. I am curious by what measure or metric the Indiana University program was determined to be "far superiror" to any other school on the list. Was the program itself compared with the others? Far superior in what way?

Paul C.

 

Indiana University has a long history of having a very strong MBA program. It has been nationally ranked for decades. They require the GMAT and are selective in their admission. They are AACSB accredited and, hence, employ full-time faculty. Such faculty are active in research and, according to their website, active in consulting. IU, as a state school, isn't as money driven as the privates and for-profits on the list. Employers that hire MBA grads are much more likely to know (and respect) IU than the other schools.

By comparison most of the remaining schools employ part-time faculty, aren't AACSB accredited and have never been ranked in any national publication. They admit virtually anyone who applies and has the money to pay tuition. This makes sense since these schools are tuition driven and lack outside funding (such as the State of Indiana or a big endowment).

Bottom line - there are 100's (if not 1000!) places to earn the letters "MBA". There is a huge difference in the quality of such programs. My suggestion - go to the best school you can. This may mean taking the GMAT, working harder and, heaven forbid, showing up on campus. But so what? Your career is worth it.

Regards - Andy

 

How about....

University of Michigan -- Flint or University of Michigan -- Dearborn? Both cost around $26,000, however.

But, when someone asks where you did your MBA, you can just respond "University of Michigan".

 

Thanks for you advice.
I have ruled out UoP.
Touro had made my shortlist - to be honest
The lax admission policy did put me off. But, since you mentioned it, i am reconsidering. Does the univ enjoy a good reputation ?
Univ. of Michigan Dearborn does not offer any eCommerce courses. ditto for Univ of Maryland- Also, the cohort-based system does take away the flexibility of schedule (I am aware of its advantages, too). UMass also does not offer any significant course in eCommerce.
I have had some management education. And my reasons for pursuing an MBA include having the 'MBA' stamp and learning in my area of interest.
I am currently inclined to have IU(Kelley) as my 1st choice, inspite of the cost.
I am quite impressed by the courses offered by Jones and Capella. But am not so sure of doing it through a virtual university. Also, am at odds to choose between the 2, as both have similar pros and cons - so might base my decision on Cost.
I do think the choice for Online MBA is limited by the courses offered and participation of recognized schools.

 

I can't offer advice about particular MBAs, but a frequent poster here has an excellent list of online MBAs (148 US, 60 non-US at the moment) here, if you want to do some research: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/distance.html

 

Andy, that was the kind of info I was looking for. On a related note, I do wonder about the real world impact that an MBA from Indiana would have on the career of the average MBA recipient that an MBA from any of the other accredited school wouldn't have.

I would very much like to see the results of a study that looked at what the real life impact is on the careers those that receieve their MBA from school x as opposed to school y. Take out the unquestioned top 10 MBA programs, then compare how careers have been impacted based on MBA selection from the wide diversity of remaining MBA choices.

 

Paul C,

Andy answered your question much better than I could have. My statement was that IU was far superior was based on my knowledge of their reputation and high ranking. In my experience, an MBA from a highly ranked school does make a difference. Greater career opportunities often come from the slightest advantage. However, you make a great point. Outside of the top 10 programs, is there really much of an advantage? I think that there is still an advantage. For example, I live in Georgia and the mba grads from UGA, Ga. Tech, and Emory do much better in the market than grads from the state's other schools.

I did not mean to imply that any of the other schools on the list were not good programs. At Sawyer, one may have a better experience, learn more, etc. But, I was just considering the value of the degree in the job market which is what people want most from their mba.

Thanks, Reed

 

I can assure you that Touro's MBA program is quite rigorous. It is a not-for-profit academic institution with full time faculty and the main campus (Touro College) enjoys a fairly good reputation with numerous campuses in the US and other parts of the world (student body exceeds 10K). TUI is also accredited by the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) and now seriously seeking (AACSB) accreditation. Gaining Middle States accreditation with a 100% DL Ph.D (no residency require) it will not surprise me if they succeed with the AACSB acceptance.
Both faculty and admin are extremely professional and their growth is staggering!
BTW, due to TUI's growth they are shifting to a much larger premises starting the month of June.
Live broadcasting of the graduation ceremony will also take place on August 18th.

It is been a fulfilling experience with Touro. Highly recommended.

Eli

 

revised list

Here's my revised shortlist (in order of preference):-
1) Indiana University's Direct On-Line MBA
2) Univ. of Baltimore (Merrick)
3) Capella Univ.
4) Suffolk Univ. (too expensive)
5) Regis Univ.
6) Tourou Univ.

Thoughts, opinions are welcome.

 

MBA

Have you looked at Amberton in Texas?

I was also looking at Regis and Touro.

The program at Amberton seems equal to other MBA programs I looked at. The deciding factor for me was the $165.00 per credit tuition.

You can review the sybullus for each MBA class on their website.

www.amberton.com

Good luck

 

Correct URL

The correct url is www.amberton.edu
the .com will take you to a "for sale domain" heavy on pop-up advertising and javascipts

 

Web site for Amberton

Sorry

 

I started on Regis. So far, looking very good. But I don't think they have e-Commerce.

 

A UK totally on-line MBA

If you are also interedted in looking at non-US institutions you may want to check out the Surrey European Management School at the University of Surrey in England. This school offers a range of MBA programmes one of which isa totally 'virtual'. There are no residency requirements (if I read the web site correctly) at all for the 'virtual MBA' although there are other part residency/distance learning options. They have students from all over the world and the age range is roughly 35-55. They even offer a free lap top!

The programme would seem to cost approximately $12,000 and discounts are on offer!

The web site is: www.sems.surrey.ac.uk

Best of luck with which ever programme you select.

 

I know exactly what you are going thru trying to make a decision regarding the MBA program. I spent over 20 non-stop hours reading postings from this forum and researching online MBA programs about three months ago.

While not on your list, I feel I should mention the Bellevue University MBA program. This was the school I selected largely based on feedback from this group.

I am about to complete my first class and it has been a very pleasurable experience. There is nothing negative I can say.

As mentioned here, the staff could not be any better. They offer the kind of excellent service you don't get nowadays. At least for me, just the friendly attitude alone takes Bellevue out of the "vanilla" category.

A large portion of the students are actually from the Bellevue/Omaha/Lincoln area and prefer to take courses online than to drive to the school. I think it is a good thing to have the school supported by the local community. Two out of four people in my study group were locals. Also they seem to have many students participating from U.S. military bases, embassies and installations throughout the world.

My first class, Organizational Theory has been excellent. Just the right level of complexity while still enabling new knowledge to take hold.

I will continue to post periodically regarding my experience with Bellevue University as I progress thru the MBA program.

And no jokes about Bellevue being the name for a mental hospital please! You get used to it after a while.

And if you most know, in the movie K-Pax currently showing via Directv, Bellevue IS the name of the mental hospital Kevin Spacey's character gets sent to shortly after arriving on earth and before being transferred to the Psychiatric hospital where Jeff Bridges character works. Oh well.

 

Just to follow up on Eli's post, I too have found Touro University International's program to be very strong and well received by employers. It's worth your time to take another look at the school. I think you will find their 100% DL approach to be a major selling point.

I came inches away from going to a local school (Averett College) for my MBA. During the past two years, there have been a few unforseen events which forced me to take a semester off, twice. At the local schools, I would have switched from one cohort to another; which sort of defeats the purpose of being in a cohort in the first place. You simply cannot predict the future and chosing Touro has made all the diference for me. I will graduate the MBA program at the end of this month and I couldn't be happier. More importantly, I've learned a lot. (And I have an undergraduate degree in Management from an on-campus RA state university.) Touro is a good school and was the right choice for me. Good luck in finding the best school for you.

Steve