Marylhurst vs Phoenix

Hi Everyone -

I am thankful to have found this site and the wealth of information it offers (spent 3 hours searching and reading!). I was moving closer to pulling the trigger on starting my MBA at U of Phoenix as an in-class program in Bellevue, WA. However, I am concerned about about the negative image that U of P has. I have been doing research and talking to many recruiters who all agree that a U of P degree is not viewed in the most favorable way when compared to any "traditional" school and this has scared me away.

To make a long story short, I am now looking at Marylhurst online accelerated MBA program. The only downside is that Marylhurst is not ACBSP accredited, however U of P is. I am hoping to start classes in January.

Any thoughts or suggestions for me on the choice between the two? My thought is that the Marylhurst degree will have more credibility in the business world and that is important to me.

Any other suggestions on an 18-month MBA?

 

Hi and welcome to Degree Info. UoP and Marylhurst are not your only choices. There are a number of programs that will fit your needs. NCU has an MBA that you can do in about that time frame and it's ACBSP. They offer a good, rigorous program but the customer service is pretty poor. There are a number of other schools to choose from and I'm sure the members here will offer a number of better options than I have.

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Here in the Portland area, Marylhurst is well regarded as a small non-residential school for adult learners. The campus is really nice, and the school has a lot of other stuff going on besides academics. I know zero about MBA programs, but you'll receive tons of good suggestions here. All I can say is that I'd definitely choose Marylhurst over UoP.

 

Our old friend Jonathan Liu has cataloged almost 200 DL MBA programs. You'll find the listings here:

AggieTechie

 

Great, thanks. Now if they only had a sortable field for "degree completion time"!

 

The University of Louisiana-Monroe offers a 30 credit hour AACSB-accredited MBA that can be completed for about $8000.

 

These are all wonderful suggestions. I hadn't imagined this many choices. The problem now is that I haven't taken my GMAT and was hoping to start in January. Looks like I might be too late for most of these schools to start in January.

I was hoping to find an 18-month program starting in January.

 

ACBSP accreditation won't matter all that much. Any gain in reputation you would receive from it would be utterly negated by the Phoenix name.

Phoenix just doesn't have a good reputation, even among the for-profits.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but National University's MBA costs around $10000 and can be finished in 18 months. It doesn't have any of the extra business school accreditations, though.

 

Yes, and as an NU alumni, I can highly recommend the school.

 

Agreed, and they are trying to make up for it with heavy advertising. I'm seeing them on TV on occasion now too.

 

Marylhurst is a fine school. I thought their MBA is a little costy for an IACBE program, when compared to the numerous other degrees out there.
Chadron State College in NB is ACBSP and runs about $7K. Have you checked out state schools local to you? Eastern Oregon University has an IACBE-accredited program that is IIRC about $11K (classes in Portland and other Oregon cities). It's not online, but there can be upsides to that. Perhaps a WA school has something similar.

MBA is a pretty big bandwagon in higher ed.

Phillip

 

Have you consider Washington State University's MBA? I just received an email that they are launching online MBA. I would recommend to stay with state school because in-state tuition is cheaper. Also, it has more reputation within the state itself and outside of the state as well.

 

I did look into that. The cost is 30K online and it takes 24 months. The key for me is a program shorter than 2-years.

 

I have looked into the program, but they want 30K and it takes 24 months. 18 months and starting this January is the sweet spot for me.

 

Just a quick update... I spoke with Marylhurst this morning and with books their total cost is 26K. That does seem a bit steep for their program.

Baker College is 19K and you can complete the program in 16.5 months assuming a General MBA is selected.

Still going to contact Bellevue and Ashford.

Any other options I am missing for a 15-18 month MBA?

 

You might want to investigate the online executive MBA program at California State University/Monterey Bay: Program Overview | California State University Monterey Bay Online Executive MBA Program

 

Quick update... I am 2/3 through my first class. It has been a challenge, but I feel very good about my choice to attempt my MBA at Ashford.

 

Who would have thought... this simple little post started something bigger! I am now done with my MBA from Ashford. Thanks for your help everyone!