AJU or Liberty MBA

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by CCBapt, Oct 9, 2008.

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  1. CCBapt

    CCBapt New Member

    I enrolled at Liberty University http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=814for an MBA. Their entire program minus books is about $28,000. I was waiting for financial aid when I missed the Fall Semester. :(

    I began looking for a more affordable program and foud Andrew Jackson http://www.aju.edu/ Their program is more like $7,200 with corporate supprt AND they have a tuition payment plan.

    NOW I get a letter saying I am approved for financial aid through Sallie Mae.

    WHAT DO I DO???

    I want to start a couple of new businesses so the entrepreneurial emphasis at AJU looks good. I want to go on and get a doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership/ Quality Management but do not plan to teach. Liberty's MBA looks mor "mainstream".

    HELP

    CCBapt
     
  2. DBA_Curious

    DBA_Curious New Member

    I'm going to run contrary to what you often read on this board and say that I don't think a Liberty MBA is worth $28K UNLESS you plan to teach. Yes, it's RA so it has that advantage but the perceived value of a Liberty degree may be over-estimated on this forum.

    I know they have a law school. I know they have a growing program.

    But here's my caveat - I used to live very close to Liberty and the school isn't considered the best (or even 2nd best) option in a very small town (Lynchburg has a population of approximately 50K) by many people and the Falwell reputation may haunt you.

    Is a RA MBA usually better than a DETC one? Of course, but given the premium you're considering paying for it, I think there are better options.

    Have you considered a more politically-neutral DL school like UMUC? Yes, they're more expensive and no, they're not considered to be top-flight but you'll avoid what may be costly associations with Falwell's reputation moving forward.

    Where Liberty does excel is in giving you options. You may not think you want to teach now but who knows?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 9, 2008
  3. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 9, 2008
  4. CCBapt

    CCBapt New Member

    Thanks.

    I will look into these other schools.

    Honestly, I DON'T have a real reason NOT to go somewhere else. But, until I was approved for financing, I was looking for the least expensive option.
     
  5. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    The Excelsior MBA requires 48 units at $410 per unit (=$19,680). However Excelsior will allow 24 units to be transferred in so total cost could be reduced.

    The AMU MBA, 36 units at $275/unit costs $9,900.

    In addition to a loan do not forget to account for interest and inflation costs.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 9, 2008
  6. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    I have written extensively elsewhere here, and at degreediscussion.com, on three relevant issues, since a doctorate is in your plan.

    One is the surprising (to me) number of regionally accredited doctoral programs that do not accept an MBA as meeting their Master's requirement (if they have such a requirement). They consider it a professional, terminal degree. Roughly a third, is my guess. (Would be so nice to have research data.)

    Two is the number of regionally accredited doctoral programs that do not usually (or ever) accept DETC-accredited degrees. It was about 40% when I did my research 8 years ago, but may well have changed.

    Third thing is that a good many RA schools admit people into their doctoral programs without a Master's degree. They award their own Master's degree along the path to the doctorate. This alone could save a year of your life and a good deal of money.

    John Bear
    Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning
     
  7. macattack

    macattack New Member

  8. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Is the Liberty University MBA worth a 20,800 premium over the Andrew Jackson University MBA? With your entrepreneurial desires, the issue of nationally accreditation (AJU) versus regional accreditation (Liberty) may not be such an issue. However, with your desire to get a PhD in Organizational Leadership/Quality Management, you may want to check whether there is a doctoral program to your liking that will accept a nationally accredited master's degree as adequate credential for admission if you take AJU over Liberty. Good luck!
     
  9. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    I totally agree with you on AJU. I know it's the flavor of the month on this board right now but your academic future with the AJU degree may be limited.

    If I had to do it all over again, I would be looking at Jacksonville State University. An AACSB MBA for around $10k is a heck of a deal.
     
  10. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Northcentral University: "The requirement for admission to a master's or doctoral program at NCU is the same: A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited or approved institution." A nationally accredited MBA degree from Andrew Jackson University would not be an impediment to gaining admission to doctoral studies at NCU. Presumably, the original poster has a baccalaureate degree which is all that is necessary for admission to graduate studies at NCU; the MBA is immaterial though credit hours might be transferable to the doctorate degree.
     
  11. CCBapt

    CCBapt New Member

    Thanks one and all. I especially like the comment from Mr. Bear. I wonder where I might find these programs ( one year off of masters if I go directly to institution that gives MA/MBA in route to Ph.D.).

    OR is it possible get a D.B.A. or equivilant "working" doctors with a DETC MBA?

    I DO have a BS Business Psych degree at state accredited school.

    Seems Norhcentral does receive DETC Masters to Doctorate. I have seen someone on this blog with such degrees. In fact, I like Northcentral's DBA in Org/Lead I REALLY like it's Ed.D. in Org/Lead. Will have to check.

    I have looked at other programs and like
    Columbia http://www.ccis.edu/onlinemba/
    Upper Iowa http://www.uiu.edu/catalogs/eu/grad_mba_1.html
    Northcentralhttp://www.ncu.edu/academics/graduate/business_mba.aspx

    I want a Doctorate - not to teach per say. More consulting and personal goal.

    But still have not given up on Ole AJU.

    Still thinking,

    CCBapt
     
  12. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    I'm thinking that Northcentral University www.ncu.edu and the University of Phoenix www.phoenix.edu or www.uopxonline.com would likely accept a nationally accredited master's for their doctoral program, though you should certainly check beforehand. If you were okay with a nationally accredited doctorate, Columbia Southern University www.colsouth.edu offers the Doctor of Management degree, and the University of Management and Technology www.umtweb.edu offers the DBA in Project Management, both of which are accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council www.detc.org .
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 10, 2008
  13. pugbelly

    pugbelly New Member

    AJU is not a substitute for a RA degree, but it could be a great supplement. If you don't want to spend the cash on Liberty, don't. There are regionally accredited degrees out there for half the cost of Liberty. How about considering either Chadron State or Cal State (Dominguez Hills)? Depending on your undergrad credits, UMass (Lowell) can be done in 10 courses at a cost of under $16,000 and is also AACSB accredited.

    Pug
     
  14. haestra

    haestra New Member

    tuition

    I don't think tuition is $28,000.
     
  15. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Do you have a link?
     
  16. rtongue

    rtongue New Member

    I am not sure how you came up with the $28,000 figure. Tuition at Liberty is $395 per credit times 45 credits equals $17,775. I would recommend Liberty over Andrew Jackson University. A coworker of mine was enrolled in AJU's MBA program back in the 90’s when they were only state approved. I remember looking at their catalog at the time. They offered many different degrees including several types of doctorates. They presented very similar to a mill. It appears that has all changed and they have made great strides in recent years. However, I would look for a RA program at a well established University with a brick and mortar campus.

    http://www.luonline.com/index.cfm?PID=14407
     
  17. CCBapt

    CCBapt New Member

    I guess it all depends on what I want to do with the degree.

    It is interesting that we seem to have forgotten the utility of a degree. I don't necessarily want the degree for the degree itself - I am much more pragmatic. I want the degree for what it will do FOR ME. The personal development. Frankly, I have seen many MBA's who can't find a way out of the theory to work in real life - NO THANKS.

    If I open my own businesses, it might be worth pursuing AJU. Liberty does not seem to be inclined that way.

    You may be right, tuition may be lower, but figure in books, loan interest and all the add on fees and your getting close. The last time I ran the numbers I was close to that. Even if I am wrong it is - LOW END - $ 17,000.00 as opposed to what? $7,000.00 WOW!

    What are all you Liberty MBA's DOING with your degree?? Is it really worth it for all you do? Do you have a good ROI?

    Thanks for the Dr. help.

    CCBapt
     
  18. DBA_Curious

    DBA_Curious New Member

    So then why go through any program, especially one with a self-learning component like AJU, when you could do the research for yourself?

    Make no mistake...any MBA program is a certification of sorts. If you're going to go up ye olde 'I just want the knowledge' route, ask yourself why you're not just going to the public library and checking out the appropriate books.

    To me, and it's not like this matters, it seems like you're rationalizing why you want to go to AJU. You've said "Hey, I want to open my own business". What track record does AJU have for developing entrepreneurs? You've also said "Hey, it will be cheaper." Of course, it will. It doesn't have the same accreditation, network of graduates, or future utility.

    But I wouldn't pay more than $200 - $250 at most per credit for LU either.

    Don't fool yourself though. Neither AJU nor Liberty is going to be a transformative experience like you're suggesting above. At worst, you'll be teaching yourself with minimal assistance and, at best, you'll be teaching yourself with moderate assistance. You're not going off to some integrated and intense graduate program that will fully immerse you in the subject matter.

    Just my $0.02
     
  19. Clapper

    Clapper New Member

    DBA, In your opinion, is there any DL program that deviates from the model you describe? That is, one where the student isn't primarily teaching him/herself with only "moderate assistance," and lacking the full immersion that is only available at, where?, a B&M program?
     
  20. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Clapper,

    I don't want to answer for someone else but did want to address your question.

    Capitol College might be a more interactive program. I haven't taken any MBA courses from them but in my discussions with the grad school they use an interactive program that allows for real time interaction with professors.

    http://www.capitol-college.edu/academicprograms/distancelearning/index.shtml

    "Our graduate degrees are offered entirely online. They all mirror the traditional classroom experience while providing the convenience of online learning with the quality of real-time, two-way audio interaction.

    They blend synchronous (real-time), professor-led events with asynchronous learning sessions. They are led by scholars who average 11 years of industry experience. And they are small - averaging 20 students each - so you get plenty of personal attention"

    The MBA program is here:

    http://www.capitol-college.edu/academicprograms/graduateprograms/mba/index.shtml

    Not as inexpensive as other options but a good school.
     

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