Amberton University...Opinions

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone has any experience with Amberton University? http://www.amberton.edu . My reason for asking is that our HR department has a bunch of literature on these guys are are really pushing this as the graduate school of choice. I'm pretty much settled on SJCME, but thought I'd hear them out since they are paying for it.

They suggested it for their MBA...but I don't really like their MBA nearly as much as SJCME, but I do like the MMS (Masters of Managerial Science).

 

WARNING! (unless you prefer to have "christian values" mixed in with your education)... For an example of their dogma, see line #3 under the heading "AMBERTON UNIVERSITY AFFIRMS"

BTW, I think that any serious pursuit of line # 5 (under the same heading), would negate statements #1, 2 and 3. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Ah well, at least they won't adminster "any religious test for admission or graduation."


THE CHRISTIAN COMMITMENT OF AMBERTON UNIVERSITY
Amberton University is a nondenominational Christian institution; all employees of the University believe that Jesus of the New Testament Bible is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior. We believe that our Lord has blessed and continues to bless our service in Christian education, and that Amberton University has been shaped by Christian values and devotion to academic excellence in educating working adults.

AMBERTON UNIVERSITY PURPOSE STATEMENT
Amberton University is a specialized institution designed to meet specific educational needs of mature students.

Amberton University is committed to Christian values, both in its conduct of business and in its educational philosophy. The University’s employees endorse and strive to live the ethical values and principles taught by the New Testament of the Bible. This commitment to Christian ethics enables the University to provide its students with a stability of values and a value system.

Amberton University combines relevant technical and cognitive training with techniques for problem solving in developing the student’s capability to identify and select solutions to economic, social and personal problems. The academic skills and Christian values imparted by the University enable each student to better appreciate his/her own worth and to exercise insight into those patterns of facts and events that affect human relations and social values.

Amberton University will provide educational programs and services in those areas in which it is best qualified. When academically and financially feasible, the institution is committed to the continuous transformation of the educational process in direct response to the needs of the student and the community.

Amberton University, in its endeavor to be a center for learning, a society in which all are students, will employ responsible experimentation and innovation. New as well as traditional techniques will be continuously identified, applied, and evaluated in an effort to facilitate teaching and learning.


AMBERTON UNIVERSITY AFFIRMS

That there is a God and He is clearly revealed through the Bible;

That Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is the example to be imitated;

That the educational process may not be divorced from the divine reality of God;

That spiritual commitment, tolerating no excuse for mediocrity, demands the highest standards of academic excellence;

That truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, must be pursued relentlessly;

That freedom, whether spiritual, intellectual, or economic, is indivisible;

That the student, as a person of immortal heritage, is the heart of the educational enterprise;

That knowledge calls, ultimately, for a life of service;

That into this specialized Christian institution, there shall never be admitted any religious test for admission or graduation; but, that all students hereof shall forever enjoy full, free, absolute, and uninterrupted freedom of conscience.


Source

- Tom

 

Steve,

That does make sense. I've heard that a lot of institutions with a religious background tend to remove this element from the online population. Good thing to know!

- Tom

 

The school I currently attend is supposed to be Methodist, but you wouldn’t know it. I actually like the fact that the school is Christian oriented, they will probably respect using the Bible as a source for an argument where some “enlightened” schools would not. Not to mention, some of America’s most prestigious schools were founded as religious schools.

 

Amberton

Amberton certainly represents value for money as far as regionally-accredited degree programs are concerned. It's not the Harvard of DL but I think it offers a decent education.

Several years ago I was prepared to enrol in Amberton's MS in Human Relations & Business. But...for some reason...they wouldn't accept my brick & mortar, Chartered, Canadian BA. Hmmm...how very un-Christian of them. For some reason they only accepted undergraduate degrees from American universities. Perhaps they're scared of foreigners. No problem....I took my student dollars and enrolled elsewhere.

 

I loved it!

I loved Amberton. I highly recommend it. The student support was outstanding. The interaction, feedback with the Professors was thought provoking and helpful. I learned a ton, but it was also enjoyable.

Amberton also isn't just a DL school, but has 2 campuses (B & M). Like a few have already posted, they don't shove the bible down anyones throat.

I felt the classes were much more applicable to the real world and business. I use the information I learned everyday.

 

How long did it take you to finish your MBA through them? These guys are just down the street from me practically.

 

About 1.5 years

Looking back, I could have done it faster, but I finished in 1.5 years. The first semester I only took one class. The following semesters I took 2 classes each term, and the last term I took 3 classes.

It's a ton of work, research, writing, but a worthwhile venture. I learned a ton, most of which has an immediate impact on my business. If you are working full time, kids, spouse, etc. then taking more than 3 classes per semester would be tough. If you are without all of these commitments, than 3 classes per semester would be very doable.

 

Re: About 1.5 years

If I did go, it would be for the MSMS degree (MS in Managerial Sciences). I'm not super keen on their MBA program.

 

Hi all. I'm new to this forum so please bear with me. I'm interested in Amberton myself. Low cost and flexible program. I have a M.S in Criminal Justice from Capella and currently working on my public administration certificate thru ISU online. I like Amberton's MBA or M.S in Human Relations/Business programs. I'm a busy person, married, home, full time job, military reservist. Anyone care to share with me their online experiences at Amberton? I tried for to go the traditional educational route at my home university, but it was too difficult in terms of time constraints. I just want a no nonsense approach to obtaining another masters. I live in Honolulu btw. Thanks everyone.

 

Makana take a look at...

Makana, take a look at www.Degreeforum.com ; as I've posted my entire MBA experience at Amberton. I loved it, and can't recommend it enough. Great student service, terrific curriculum, Brick and Morter and DL classes (Same professors), low cost, 4 sessions per year, and plenty of Specialties.

All the best

 

Thanks for your reply Ultimale. Thank you for providing your personal experiences to me. Quick question, is the MBA better than the M.S in Human Relations & Business? I'm kind of looking for a degree program at Amberton that is more focused on management/leadership issues as opposed to the more technical side of things. I like the fact that the M.S is more balanced in terms of course selection. Thanks.

 

I am a current Amberton student working my way through the MBA in Strategic Leadership. I have recommended it to a couple of friends and colleagues and we all feel that we are having a very positive experience.

I am finding that the Strategic Leadership program is meeting my needs quite well. I am in HR and I have taken a lot of HR-related electives -- Adult learning in the Workplace, Compensation Management, Organizational Staffing, etc. I have been very, very pleased so far. I plan to pursue a doctorate in Leadership Studies after my time at Amberton and I feel that my experiences here will serve me well.

An RA school with a B&M campus was very important to me. At four terms per year and only $200 per credit hour for an RA program, I think it is a great place to be earning my degree.

I am taking things at a slightly slower pace than Ultimale did -- 1 or 2 classes per term and only 3 terms a year due to my work and family obligations. The courses have just enough rigor to make them challenging and interesting, yet are still very doable. All of the profs I have had so far have been great and they are very, very in tune with the needs of the adult learner.

I strongly recommend Amberton.

Just out of curiosity, friendorfoe, what kind of a reputation do they have in the local market there?

 

Excellent actually. They are pretty much held right up there with Abilene Christian University (the parent school) and are known to be selective of their student body. I know of at least a couple of people who were turned away. They are a professional school and as such, stress the "professional" aspect. Our HR dept. adores this school, probably for more reasons than just price. The interesting thing about this school is that they don't pressure the market like say....University of Phoenix or to a lesser extent Dallas Baptist U. does. (Meaning heavy advertising)

I never hear them advertise, their clientele know who they are.

 

Thanks, friendorfoe-

Your response was even better than what I had hoped to hear and confirms what my experience has been to date.

Whatever they are doing must be working, as they are on the grow and have just opened up a second B&M campus in Frisco.

 

one more thing...(two, actually)

I re-read the posts and saw that the two of you had some interest in the MS in Managerial Science and the MS in Human Relations and Business. The two of my friends who I "recruited" for Amberton are in those two majors. The managerial science guy is an IT manager and the one who is taking HR&B is one of my HR colleagues. We are all bright people, but we all are working hard and enjoying our programs.

As far as the shoving the Bible down your throat aspect, I am not seeing that at all. There is a required ethics course that all grad students have to take, but that is about the extent of it. This is no Regent or Liberty, but more akin to probably any number of small, private mainstream Christian colleges across the country.

 

Re: one more thing...(two, actually)

I'm probably going to be flamed for this...but who cares. In my "limited" experience and observation "Christian" schools are more tolerant than non-Christian if for no other reason than you may base an intellectual argument off of a religious belief without being beat with a stick. You may use the Bible as a source and not have to "prove" that the Bible is a non-fiction work. I won't get into specifics as to which schools I'm talking about but you can probably guess from my signature line what I mean. Southwestern College is a Methodist school and so far nobody has challenged me on the use of a Bible as a source, especially in ethics.

Would you mind sharing what your assignments are like? How long are your semesters? How busy is it? Right now I spend an average of 10 to 15 hours a week on school. Is that about what you guys are experiencing?

 

Great question. I considered both of these two Degree Programs as well. I ultimately chose the MBA for a few reasons:

1. I am a Real Estate Broker, I have no desire to work in HR and the MBA is more well known in my Profession. MBA > MS

2. I love courses about Human Behavior, and selected a couple of classes (electives) that would be taken in either program. I took negotiation, Compensation Mgt. I tried to get Human Behavior, but it wasn't offered at the time.

3. If you intend to pursue a work promotion, higher level job, then a MS might be a better fit. Ultimately, it will come down to your goals with the degree. Talk with a few HR people in your field, as well as a few MBA/MS graduates from Amberton.

I don't think you can make a bad decision on this one, it's more like which of the 2 good answers is best.

Best of luck.