Grad School: Online Top Tier or B&M Lower Tier?

She has the requirements from the Maryland Board of Accountancy and has been on the phone with them a few times. She already has a number of undergraduate classes that will satisfy some of the prereqs. Further, graduate level hours count as 1.5 hours toward the 57 hour requirement, so 18 hours of accounting courses at the graduate level count as 27 toward the 57 hour requirement. We've already mapped out the various programs to determine what she will need to meet the Maryland CPA requirements:

Arizona State MBA: She will need 9 hours of undergraduate prereqs.
GWU/Georgetown/Maryland MBA: She will need 9-12 hours of undergraduate prereqs.
GWU Master of Accountancy: She will need nothing

Depending on the program, she may also need a few leveling courses for the MBA program itself.

Pug

 

Actually it includes MBAs - look at the tabs along the top of the list of schools. There are rankings and/or lists and profiles for full-time, part-time, executive and distance.

 

You're way ahead of me then. I just wanted to correct the statement that an MS in Finance would allow one to sit for the CPA exam.

 

I just want to clarify a couple things regarding faculty. The comparison chart does not disprove my point. Take UF, "Warrington" Faculty IS the FT campus faculty. Now for Indiana, Bloomington has the FT campus faculty. Indianapolis has the PT campus faculty. You will notice the faculty list for the Kelley Direct programs is heavy on the FT campus faculty at Bloomington (ranked #2 by Princeton Review 2007, #1 2006).

Penn State iMBA faculty are full-time Graduate School faculty. Not all are from the flagship Smeal school though.

So no adjuncts.

 

Correct, no adjuncts, but not the flagship faculty either. I'm not knocking those programs in any way, I just felt ASU's was closer to the campus version than were the others.

Pug

 

Very true with respect to Kelley - I'd say around 75% of my professors have been from Bloomington, and 25% from Indianapolis, but ALL have been excellent and very responsive.

With DL, while the method of instruction is different, and there is a lack of "face to face" contact with your peers and instructors, this might be awkward for at most one or two weeks. I've had team members that I've never met in person but have worked with successfully over the phone or via web conference. This is often like working with peers in a multinational corporation.

On the ASU comparison page there also appears to be a subtle dig at residencies, such that ASU only requires one. I'd argue that it's always a good thing to have periodic face-to-face contact with University staff and your cohort. In the case of Kelley's program each of these in-residence weeks contain 1.5 credit hour courses which is why they are required. Also, the program doesn't require 51 credits but 48 so I don't know where that came from...

Finally, regardless of the program across the top schools the experience should be very positive. Students are almost without an exception very motivated and have had to be at least somewhat competitive to get into the program. I have yet to work with students who don't participate in team projects, unlike what I've heard about many other MBA programs.

 

Q: Are these the correct links to ASU faculty for the full-time and online programs?

http://wpcarey.asu.edu/mba/ft/faculty.cfm

http://wpcarey.asu.edu/mba/online/community/faculty.cfm

From a quick glance it appears that only 2 Online professors also teach in the FT program with a couple also teaching in the Evening program. This would make it similar to the other listed Online programs - no worse, no better.

 

Could be. I was going off the literature on the ASU page. In any event, I am almost positive se isn't going to go DL.

Pug

 

I think if there's any way she can sit in a B&M program that'll be the best for several reasons:

- build relationships that she can leverage as she moves up the ladder
- build a program that suits what she wants
- confirm that she does really want to pursue the CPA / CFO route

Most DL programs are better targeted to those who already know what they want (and are reasonably sure) and don't need extensive career or networking services.

Good luck! It's a challenge going back to school after staying at home with a little one; from one full time job now to another at school!