need advice on mba for pharmacist

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by gatlinx, Sep 1, 2002.

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  1. gatlinx

    gatlinx New Member

    I am a pharmacist, 35 y/o, who owns 4 pharmacies (in partnerships). My question is: I want to obtain an MBA to give me the business knowledge that my education didn't give me. I've muddled along so far learning by trial and error, and fortunately have made more good decisions than bad. What would be the best one for me that is completely online, no GMAT, and would not overwhelm me because of my lack of business background? As you could imagine, being the main decision-maker and manager for 4 businesses can place significant demands on your time. One other comment: I am fascinated with computer technology and seem to have a "talent" for computer science, etc. If I wanted to pursue this for the future, could you recommend a few schools and the type of degree? eg BSIT, BSCS, etc. Since I am not in the field I don't know which path to follow, but networking and software would be my areas of greatest interest. Thanks for reading and I'm glad to be a part of the discussion.
     
  2. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    Some University have full online MBA with no GMAT example is


    Upper Iowa University, Depending on GPA and possible you will have to take some courses in Business to Satisfied the req for entry. I am in this program Will hat the MBA in Accounting FEB 2003. I Find to be a good one. The waive the GMAT since I have high GPA. go to www.uiu.edu .

    There is long list of online schools, most will required you to take some basic courses in bussines if you dont have a business background.

    I am pretty sure the gurus will guide you to the right direction.
     
  3. gatlinx

    gatlinx New Member

    Thanks.
    I will look into UIU. I have been looking at the long list of schools. Since the "reputation" of the school will not be a top priority (as long as it is a solid school) and the content will be, would the online universities such as Jones International be a good choice? I had narrowed it down to Jones, Capella, Bellevue, and Tourou. Unless my businesses go bankrupt, I won't have to depend on the MBA for a job, just for enabling me to be an effective manager and businessman. The entreprenuer specialization that Jones offers seemed to be a good fit for me. Any suggestions?
    thanks
    :confused:
     
  4. StevenKing

    StevenKing Active Member

    Touro U

    Rich,

    I recently completed an MBA through Touro with dual concentrations in healthcare admin/information technology management. I was pleased with the school, support, and material covered.

    Key points:
    1) NO GMAT
    2) 100% residential
    3) Regionally accredited

    As Adam Sandler might quip...not too shabby. :D

    Furthermore, it is possible to work towards the following concentrations, as listed on the Touro website http://www.tourou.edu :

    Criminal Justice Administration
    E-Commerce Management
    International Business
    Health Care Management
    Information Technology Management
    Hospitality Management
    Public Management
    Human Resource Management
    General Management
    Logistics Management
    Conflict and Negotiation Management

    And finally, once you were completed with the MBA you could easily seque into one of Touro's online PhD programs.

    How does that sound?

    Steven King
    BA, Bethany College
    MBA, Touro University International
     
  5. gatlinx

    gatlinx New Member

    That is perfect!
    Thanks for your advice, and I hadn't even thought ahead to the PhD.
    I appreciate it,
    rich
    :)
     
  6. bgossett

    bgossett New Member

    Baker College is another school offering an online MBA with a CIS concentration. Other concentrations available include e-commerce and health care management.
     
  7. Steve King

    Steve King Member

    Just to give you a second thumbs up on Touro University International, I too recently graduated from Touro's online MBA program. My concentration was in Health Care Management. I highly recommend it!

    A good friend of mine, whose office is just across the hall from mine, is finishing his MBA at City University. He's found the coursework less challenging than what I was expected to do at Touro. More importantly, he's been very frustrated by the lack of relevance of his coursework. Meanwhile, I used much of what I had learned in class to truly evaluate our company's financial statements – something others really wanted to do but couldn’t. Thanks to Econ501, I learned some helpful formulas for evaluating cash flows. The assignments at Touro were almost always directly relevant to real world business problems.

    I also liked the flexibility of the professors (within limits, of course), the fact that there were no textbooks to buy, no hidden fees, excellent IT support, no on-campus requirements, and professors with very respectably doctoral degrees (Cornell, Columbia, Boston U., UCLA, etc.) who were always available, approachable and quick to help.

    Everyone has different wants and needs when it comes to education. I wanted no on-campus requirements, regional accreditation, and preferred no GMAT requirement. I can only share with you my experiences. I was very, very happy to have attended Touro.

    Best of luck,
    Steve
     
  8. David Williams

    David Williams New Member

    During grad school in psychology I had the option of a proficiency in Spanish or computing. I chose the latter which required a three term sequence in computing for social science doctoral students. At the time data were still entered on Hollerith cards which will tell you how long ago that was. Computer literate clinicians in my age cohort were scarce and over the years Chiefs of Staff at the medical center where I practice assigned me to numerous committees on the basis of those skills. About five years ago I was assigned as the clinician rep to an MIS team and I quickly realized I needed a skills tune up. I made a couple of key decisions. The first was to go in at the BS level for the purpose of developing a foundation as opposed to attempting a bridged MS. The second was to go IS/CIS v. CS as my interests are pragmatic and applied. I looked for a program that would award credit for the first BS and I decided on the UMUC second BS/CIS which, if one has an accredited bachelors, awards the second degree upon completion of the CIS program w/o any sort of general ed coursework. The program was disappointing and I transferred to the UMass Lowell BSIS which has been great. UML does not have the same arrangement as UMUC about undergraduate credit; however, the University was extremely liberal in applying credit toward general ed requirements. I was able to achieve the "tune up" pretty quickly and I decided to complete the degree for the challenge. I've focused on software; UML offers a strong C/C++ sequence. Two basic courses in C, two courses in C++, and a course in Visual C++. I'm starting the first of a two course sequence in Visual Basic this term. One caution: not all online IS students are created alike. There are a lot of gifted computer professionals who skip undergrad in favor of going directly into the world of work. A number of these folk discover they need the BS and wind up in online programs where they can, frankly, teach the course. I have also encountered the situation where the course is populated by established BSCS types who seek continuing eduction. This was the case with Visual C++. The net effect is it can make the playing field anything but level for the true neophyte learner. While challenging it has been fun and I would encourage you too take a look at UML when you finish the MBA.
     
  9. gatlinx

    gatlinx New Member

    I really appreciate the advice from everyone.
    You have helped me tremendously.
    I encourage anyone else to share their thoughts also.
    thanks,
    rich gatlin
    :)
     
  10. Tim Dotson is a pharmacist who graduated with an MBA from eriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Tim is now in related upper management and operates a pharmaceutical-oriented consulting business on the side. Here is the link for his website on the H-W MBA. His email link is also posted there.

    http://www.abbeyassociates.com/hwpage.html

    Good luck
    Earon Kavanagh
     

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