All in Education from Associate to Doctorate for $9k Game

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by Ed Edwards, Feb 19, 2014.

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  1. Ed Edwards

    Ed Edwards Member

    Okay so with all the recent low cost education options I sat down and tried to figure out what the lowest realistic cost of a complete college education could be. Since I'm in the US I am leaning to US schools first if the math works. Seems to me you can do it with:

    1 - University of the People AS & BS = 40 Classes * $100 or $4000
    2 - New ILM MBA = $3000
    3 - The Doctor of Business Leadership from UNISA = $2000 (R21930 using today's exchange rate)

    $4000 + $3000 + $2000 = $9k and you would have AS, BS, MBA, DBL

    Seems pretty good. Anyone else?
     
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Someone tell Rick Perry! :wink:
     
  3. Phdtobe

    Phdtobe Well-Known Member

    Interesting, the free degree cost the most.
     
  4. Ed Edwards

    Ed Edwards Member

    I honestly didn't think of it that way. Is there a less expensive undergrad degree than $4k?
     
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Awesome take. :)
     
  6. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    How about the one you don't take? There are master's options available for those without a bachelor's. Also, schools that require one will sometimes consider the nontraditional applicant.

    Box. Outside of box. Think. Unanticipated result.
     
  7. Ed Edwards

    Ed Edwards Member

    Sure, skipping the undergrad degree is cheaper that completing it. Can't argue with the theory, but in practice I'm not sure it is a broad reaching viable strategy. As the saying goes "completely accurate yet wholly unhelpful". I'm not really sure 'skipping a bachelors degree so you can save money on graduate degrees' is as impressive an approach as your box analogy suggests. Either way though for this exercise I was seeking more realistic answers to actually competing degrees not avoiding them..
     
  8. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Or, you can just skip the masters.

    Someone on the other forum put together the cheapest way to finish a degree at Thomas Edison State College. The cost came in under $5,000.
     
  9. Ed Edwards

    Ed Edwards Member

    Well $5k is > $4k so purely on cost UOTP is still the cheapest legit identified.. Is there a cheaper legit undergrad that you actually complete?
     
  10. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Yes, it's cheap and legit, but I just thought I'd put a regionally-accredited option out there that could give you more options for seeking a funded PhD. If one could land a funded PhD, the cost for an education (not counting opportunity costs) stops at the bachelors (or masters).
     
  11. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Yes - but you have to seek it in India. Msganti, our ..um, Guru :smile: of Indian Higher Education sent us this one a while ago. It's one of several amazing finds he has given us.

    Don Bosco Global | DBU Global

    A B.B.A. degree by distance is about $1700 complete, for non-Indians. It's cheaper still for Indian Nationals.

    The school is 100% accredited-equivalent in Indian terms - UGC and AICTE and is run by a Roman Catholic religious order. One caution - it's a Commonwealth-format 3-year Bachelor's degree... but Indian degrees from good schools (like this) tend to do pretty well here.

    They also teach Master's degree programs - including an MBA for about $2,300 complete for overseas students. Hey, that's $700 less than ILM - but again, not a US degree, though a perfectly good one!

    BTW - that UNISA Doctorate. I thought $2,000 was the yearly fee - not the whole program. Are you sure?

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 20, 2014
  12. Ed Edwards

    Ed Edwards Member

    Thanks and I get it but I just want to find the cheapest possible legitimate american focused education, period. Of course you can always spend more for better and we know the top is nearing $100k++ but what is the absolute least expensive?
     
  13. Ed Edwards

    Ed Edwards Member

    Cool and good find if that works for you, but at 3 years that's not really comparing apples. I am thinking of a 4 year legitimate degree (that you actually take not skip)..:)
     
  14. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    Sadly in my experience, when one receives something for nothing, the perception is that it is worth nothing.
     
  15. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    News Update! There is NO BOX. :smile:

    Johann
     
  16. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    [​IMG]
     
  17. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Oh, the degree is legit, all right. But if you don't like it, you don't like it. That's OK. But here's another low-cost plan - take both degrees from Don Bosco U. Bachelor's + Master's =$4k total. Not US degrees, but the MBA from there should equal an American MBA when evaluated. Bonus, if it's held to be equal to an RA degree, as the ILM Master's is NA. :smile:

    Johann
     
  18. Phdtobe

    Phdtobe Well-Known Member

    This may not hold for education. Cost may be more of a barrier to education than a perception of worth.
     
  19. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    But what do those programs charge? You'd have to be able to complete the masters for under $7k for it to be a cheaper plan.
     
  20. Ed Edwards

    Ed Edwards Member

    Terrific point!
     

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