West Texas A&M University MBA

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by bpreachers, Jul 2, 2015.

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  1. bpreachers

    bpreachers New Member

    So I have found the above college and online MBA that is an amazing price (328 dollars a credit for out of state) but wanted opinions from here. I haven't found any "bad press" about it online but figured I would check here too for opinions and to see if any here have hands on knowledge of the program. Also, I am assuming the school is part of the Texas A&M family (due to the name) but less prestgious and well known. Is this correct?

    I know there may be better options but my employer is providing 5250 a year for tuition and I am trying to find something that will fit within that number with a completion in 2 years (so under $10,500 in 24 months) and this fits the bill.
     
  2. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    It is a solid university with AACSB accreditation. It'll get the job done on a resume.
     
  3. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    What you say about WTA&M is correct. Not HBS, not junk.

    If you want to stay with your company and want to be able to be considered for management and need to tick the MBA Box to do it, it would be a good plan. If you want to be competitive for middle management at small or mid-sized companies, preferably in Texas or in your home state, fine.

    If you want an MBA that's transportable round the country to land a job with a big company, I'd think flagship university or well-regarded private, top-50ish programs.

    If you want to be the next big thing in Investment Banking and work in a NYC skyscraper, then gulp big time, prepare to go in debt $200K and start studying for the GMAT (plan to get at least 700 with 95th percentile + on quant) and apply for an Ivy or equivalent MBA program. And it helps to be an ultra-aggressive, movie star handsome 20-something with three to five years of upwardly-mobile big biz experience, no family attachments and a willingness to work 80 hours a week.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 3, 2015
  4. bpreachers

    bpreachers New Member

    Well not a grand review but I suppose it is better than a negative haha.
     
  5. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    I have no experience with the school itself, just a feel for the general reputation (I'm on the faculty of an AACSB-accredited business school). As it's AACSB, that gives it immediate credibility, but of course it's no UT-Austin, Texas A&M (flagship), Rice or UT-Dallas. What is your intention with the MBA? As your employer's willing to kick in the max amount excludible of $5250/annum, and it generally takes four years to complete an MBA part time online while working full time unless you're a glutton for punishment, that opens the door to pretty much anything up to $30K, which opens the doors to a lot of solid schools.

    One of my alma maters, UMass-Amherst, has a fine MBA program close to that price range that has flirted with being in the overall top 50 to 70-ish range for years. There are others in that price range, such as Auburn, Florida State, James Madison, Nebraska, Washington State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Cincinnati that probably have more panache nationwide than West Texas A&M. Again, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying their program is junk or a joke, it's just that they're on pretty much exactly the same level as the state university for which I teach--which also has an online MBA--and I generally do not recommend even my own school to people unless they simply need to tick the MBA box or plan to continue their careers for the foreseeable future in my state.

    Now, if you're determined to finish the PT MBA in rapid fashion, less than three years, and you'll run out of employer contribution at anything more expensive that WTAMU, then fine, it's not a bad option and is a legit school. But if you're like most or have any family commitments, plan on four years. I personally know two people with families and FT jobs who undertook that online MBA route, it took exactly four years on the dot for both.

    So what part of the country are you in? This might help direct your search.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 4, 2015
  6. bpreachers

    bpreachers New Member

    I live and work in Eastern Tennessee. Maybe I was looking at it wrong time wise. I was able to finish my MSHRM in 12 months while on Active Duty in the Navy. But you are likely right I will be likey to end up stretching the program for an MBA further out.

    As to my reasons. I am mainly doing it just to do it. But I want it to be a degree with some backing in case I need to leverage it in the future.
     
  7. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Either you have no family or no life or you are made from a substance with which I am unfamiliar. That's a heck of an accomplishment to finish a master's in 12 months whilst working FT. No, you don't need to worry too much about graduate b-school, it is not the toughest degree in the world. Generally you get more nuts-and-bolts tough stuff in an undergraduate business program than in b-school. I've taken accounting courses in a MBA program (and have an MBA) and in undergrad, no comparison, the latter is far tougher. So don't worry about stretching it out, no need, you've already proven yourself.

    Frankly, though, forget the MBA. Why don't you pursue a doctorate from a neighboring state?

    Valdosta State - Doctor of Public Administration
    http://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/arts-sciences/public-administration/documents/pa-brochure-dpa.pdf

    You only have to show up for a weekend at the start of each semester, just a drive down I-75, rest entirely online.

    Tuition's in range of $300/cr hr, I believe, and I'm sure you'd be in-state being in TN whether they distinguish between in state and out-of-state for this program or not. Given your cost requirements, experience with the government and educational background, this seems like an awfully good fit for them and you. Would also enable you to insist on being referred to as "doctor".
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 4, 2015
  8. bpreachers

    bpreachers New Member

    I may have to look into that more/call them. I had been avoiding the Doctorate route maily because a 300+ page publishable document requirement scares the hell out of me. Yeah completing my MSHRM program was tough but I had a crunched timeline and had a dead set date I needed to be done by (was getting retired medically from the military due to back/neck surgery and I needed the degree and my PHR cert done before I was pushed out).

    I'd also hate taking the GRE again but that pricetag for the degree is pretty damn attractive.
     
  9. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Fits your background so well and some of the studies would overlap an MBA program, core even includes an HR management course. Could open the doors to academia down the road as well. Looking at the curric, I'm not convinced you need to do a full blown dissertation, it cites a "capstone project", which I'm sure involves some writing, probably some substantial writing, but looking at it, I sincerely doubt it's anything along the lines of a doctoral dissertation.
     
  10. bpreachers

    bpreachers New Member

    I have reached out to the veteran coordinator for Valdosta to get some info. The price is way too good. So it is worth a shot. Thanks for the info.
     
  11. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    You are very welcome. Could probably focus a capstone project on HR issues that interest you, or something like that.
     
  12. bpreachers

    bpreachers New Member

    Luckily I am 1 point over their required cumulative GRE score (mine is 296 and they require a 295 lol)
     
  13. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Ha! You don't have to retake. One point. Unbelievable. Well, I hope it works out and we have to start referring to you as "doctor" on this forum one day in the future, should you ever see fit to come back.
     
  14. bpreachers

    bpreachers New Member

    I think the only thing I will have in my corner for getting in will be my disabled veteran status. Most likely that will be a check in the box for some federal funding thing lol. Without that I doubt I am even competitive.
     
  15. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    I teach at a university within the same system as Valdosta State, just a couple hours away. I'm somewhat familiar with them, they're a legit uni. I think you have a shot, would be a good program given your experiences and background. As far as the DVS, use it, baby, use whatever you have, because be assured that everyone else is using whatever they have. I sure did to get into grad school.
     
  16. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I wouldn't be quick to assume that. Even at schools where doctoral work is referred to by some other term than "dissertation" it typically still requires a comparable amount of research and writing. (And rightly so.)

    We do have a number of people here who have gone through this program, so searching for their previous comments is probably in order. But I don't remember any of them describing the program as a cakewalk.
     
  17. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    Steve ,

    I don't know for sure, I've never spoken with anyone in that department at VSU, so I was just giving a horseback opinion, and for all I know they have a massive writing component, I assumed they have a substantial one, and I certainly don't think "cakewalk" would be an appropriate term to use with any doctorate at an RA state uni--so we're holding hands there.

    But looking at the curriculum and considering the very applied nature of the degree and the subject, I doubt students are required to produce an 80,000 to 100,000 word original contribution to the field that makes substantial use of high end statistical methodologies; if the OP is accepted, I doubt he's going to have to master multivariate statistics or know what the heck is a MANOVA.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 8, 2015

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