Western International University

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by catlin0915, Jan 12, 2017.

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  1. catlin0915

    catlin0915 New Member

    This is my quick review of WIU and it's MBA in MGMT. This school is RA and I first learned about it while reading through some old threads on this forum. It's affordable at $350 per credit hour as of this post, and its online was a must for me. It's done 100% online and text e-books are included in the price. Being in Asia having free ebooks is nice. The format consists of 8-week classes that can be one by one or have one start every month overlapping.
    I've had one outstanding professor so far with one really bad one to balance and the rest who were there enough to do the class. I'm currently half way through my MBA and would recommend it to others.
    This school is for profit, but its affordable and RA. My wife is thinking of enrolling once I finish my Masters. I'm doing this out of pocket so I appreciate the price.
    This is my first time doing this, hope it's eventually helpful for someone.
    I haven't had any problems with the school in or outside of class. They have been very helpful with any questions that I've had. I know there are some bad reviews floating around on a google search, but if someone is curious while reading this I would recommend them.
     
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I'd have paid less to do an AACSB-accredited MBA through a school like the University of South Dakota, but if you're happy, you're happy.
     
  3. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    They have a Master's in Accounting that's reasonably priced and is specifically for nonmajors; so if one is a career-changer and only wants to qualify for a CPA (but check with the state board first), it can be a very reasonable choice. Compared with the Excelsior degree my wife did, this path is more expensive, but also more straightforward. I believe AMU also has a program like this.

    WIU is a corporate sister school of the University of Phoenix, but smaller and cheaper. So you're getting a Phoenix way for less and with less bad press. My general feeling is it's an adequate means to some ends. (Full disclosure: I taught for Meritus and still occasionally receive mass e-mails aimed at faculty members of Apollo schools. Also briefly had an IT gig at UoP headquarters in Tempe AZ).
     
  4. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    From my view AMU/APU will be the better choice than WIU. Also Western Governor has an MS/Acc 30 Credits. That looks interesting. :beerchug:
     
  5. catlin0915

    catlin0915 New Member

    I currently work and live in South Korea, WGU required me to purchase books separately and the online proctoring sites they prove of have issues with Korean ISPs. I would have to find someone to act as my proctor here in South Korea they would accept who was willing to help me with all of my exams. This was the primary reason I didn't go with WGU. They also weren't very willing to have an American enroll who was outside of America. I have a phone conversation about it with them before I left the states.
    They told me that I would have to pay as an international student despite being an American if I took classes outside of America which no other school has told me. This was from a phone conversation a week before I left the country back in 2014. They weren't willing to work with me.
    At WIU, the connection to UoP is there, but it is RA as mentioned here. Also, both schools are for profit. People who are biased will throw the both in the same boat. With WIU the books were covered with the tuition, and any issues I have had with being in Korea has been handled fairly well with one exception, and it wasn't all that much of a problem.
    As for the post for the University in S. Dakota, as a non-resident, it's nearly double the cost right now.
    I have taken two classes with UoP when pursuing my degree right after I got out of the army, and felt that the classes were useless and an easy A when I took them. So far with WIU, I have had to work for my classes to date. One or two felt that they weren't overly hard to pass, while others left me glad that I was able to get by them with a passing grade.
     
  6. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    What catlin0915 said. WIU and WGU are different enough that some people would prefer WIU over WGU, and vice versa, based on their legitimate needs. In general, I'm more impressed with WGU; individual programs for individual students might be a different story.

    Accounting Master's is actually a good example. Back in 2006, my wife qualified for CPA by doing second Bachelor's at Excelsior, for a total cost of about $7-8K. WIU MS Accounting costs $13,650 and looks to have exactly the same kind of courses a second Bachelor's in Accounting would entail. It is also a far more straightforward path (provided that it'd work with your state Board), and from my experience with the Phoenix Way, classes are doable (very possibly, some classes are easier than counterpart LSU's undergrad classes she took). No English Composition requirement! If we'd do it all over again, we'd ... still prefer Excelsior, because we were dirt poor at the time, so $5K difference is significant. However, WIU is not a bad alternative, for someone who eg. have access to student loans. WGU's MAcc looks more rigorous and is a great degree; however, it requires an Accounting major for admissions - it is not an entry level program. Very different degree.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 25, 2017
  7. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    WGU is non-for profit.
     
  8. miebrown2

    miebrown2 New Member

    I was looking at WGU graduate programs myself recently. I had looked into them before a little over three years ago to finish my Bachelors but they wouldn't take any of my NA credits that I had and I ended up using CCU instead. This thread reminded me of a call I received from them (WGU) last week. A lady said she "reviewed my file" and thought I was a good candidate for WGU and wondered if I was interesting in pursuing a degree. I found it odd she contacted me after 3 years for a follow up call....
     

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