My husband is an IT professional and has been in the field for almost 10 years. Now that he is getting to the 10 year mark, he really wants to buff up his education and resume for higher paying jobs, most of which will require a MBA and more certs. Most jobs will just want to see 'MBA' and not really care where it is from. What are the best MBA degrees that are legit and accredited, but still affordable? His job offers $5k/yr. tuition reimbursement but may cover more, up to $25K so we are TRYING to be conservative with tuition, but if there is a university that has a stellar program that would really support his field, we may go for it. I have lurked for a long time reading, but didn't see anything IT related, and we are confused which to choose. WGU looked awesome because of self-paced study and price, but it seems it's not highly rated for academics. We would prefer to find a college that has open enrollment all throughout the year, as it is past deadlines to start this upcoming spring term. But we can wait until the fall if needed. Thank You!!
I'm having a difficult time reconciling these two statements. WGU is "legit" and accredited. So it seems to fit your wish list well. I'm not sure what "not highly rated for academics" means. If you mean that they do not appear on a list of top ranked programs or schools, that is accurate. If you mean to imply that it is a joke school, that is inaccurate. Patten University also has a self-paced MBA with an IT concentration as does Southern New Hampshire University. Neither are ranked, however. Both are regionally accredited. So, objectively speaking, the three schools are really very similar. Price can be used to differentiate. If you want to dig deeper, Patten is the only one of the three that is for-profit (if that matters to you). Otherwise, if you just want "an accredited MBA" those three are fine choices. If you want ranking, USNWR publishes rankings for MBAs and a separate list for online MBAs. That first list is more likely to impress an employer. The second list can be useful but isn't going to blow the socks off of most employers. If you want to avoid an "online" school, consider Chadron State College in Chadron, NE. They have an online MBA. Though not self-paced it is very affordable and comes from a completely legitimate brick and mortar state college. No IT concentration, to my knowledge, but honestly MBA specializations are kind of dumb (in my opinion) anyway. An MBA is meant to cover a broad array of business topics thus making you a Master of Business Administration. If a third of your coursework is IT related then your degree is really more like an M.S. in IT Management (still a fine degree). A "general" (i.e. no specialization or concentration) MBA would likely suit your husband just fine as well (perhaps even better as it broadens his business training to potentially apply to other areas of an organization).
Another Nebraska State College System B&M online MBA option—Wayne State College (e.g., 30 credit hour program @ $307.50 per credit hour regardless of residency) https://www.wsc.edu/mba. Wayne State offers the Master of Science Organizational Management (MSOM) – Information Technology online too (36 credit hour program) https://www.wsc.edu/info/20151/master_of_science_in_organizational_management_msom/566/msom_-_information_technology:
WOW, Neuhaus & Major56, thank you SO much! I read in one of the replies on WGU here that "WGU is not highly rated for academia". I'm not sure if they meant that academically, it's not the best (it seems some people said a few years ago the classes seemed sub-par to ones of other universities as far as content and difficulty goes, but that was a few years ago). Or they could mean academia as in a major in the educational field. Not sure. But THANK YOU for that information!! We will look into all of these colleges. Basically, he just needs a "MBA" on his resume to be able to apply to management positions or move up in position. So, yes, the IT part is not really needed it all, the degree is really just needed to move to the next step up in more managerial roles in IT. We love the idea of self-paced study because he does move pretty fast in his studies, so that may be a big benefit to him. Thank you so much for all the information, it's extremely helpful!!
WGU's MBA won't get you to the Management position, unless you already in the management position and just add an MBA to look cool. WGU's MBA is legit, but only help for the check mark requirement...
In addition to the Nebraska State College System options; you may want to also consider Eastern New Mexico University Online Master of Business Administration—too, “Out of state-students enrolling in six or fewer hours per semester pay tuition and fees at the low in-state rate.” Another MBA program that maybe worth a look-see is New Mexico Highlands University Masters Business Administration (MBA) in NMNew Mexico Highlands University
I said in another thread that WGU was not highly rated in academia. As an academic who teaches full time at an RA, AACSB accredited university, who has done contract work in curriculum development for WGU, I think I have standing to make that statement. That said, WGU is not a pile of garbage, e.g., I and those with whom I worked did not produce garbage when doing the curriculum development over the years which they'd contracted with us to do. But... I would rather have a degree from a multidirectional state university or a small nonprofit than a degree from WGU.
Since everyone is talking about Nebraska for some unknown reasons, i suggest Bellevue University ,NE. They have a list of quite interesting Masters, including a regular MBA and a Strategic MBA besides few Masters in Management, Leadership, strategic marketing, finance and blah blah blah.. One interesting fact is at Bellevue University you have to complete 12 courses for one masters but take additional 6 and you get another Masters. Mostly you find fresh grads or Veterans and i know couple of veterans doing 2,3 masters at same time..lol...i always wonder why don't you complete one at a time and my friend always told me that i can't understand that feeling that he is enrolled in 3 masters at the same time so 12+6+6 = 3 masters.
The MBA is a common enough degree that pretty much every state university system is going to have a distance MBA available. Don't worry about an "IT-focused" MBA, just do a general management degree at the most affordable public school in your state. If you were in NC, for example, that would probably be East Carolina University.
Ecu mba Hi, I am currently living in charlotte and I am actually trying to understand if ECU mba is good for me. I am an IT professional working with a mnc for the past 9.5 years. Do you have any suggestions.
Whether it is good for you or not is likely to depend largely on what your goals might be. As it is, ECU is a perfectly fine smallish state school and their program is likely to be no better/no worse than that found at any other smallish state school.
i don't know much about US unis, but most State bodies, and of course ivy league, and other top places such as UCLA or Chicago would be accredited. He should shop around and see which are both the most affordable and recommended/respected. That said, which jobs is he going for? VP? CEO? I'd advise any degree should be directed to a career or fun sense. I don't think an IT-focused MBA exists, tbh. An MBA gives a holistic view of business admin, from marketing, to accounting, organisational behaviour, HRM, the global environment/globalisation. Maybe post-grad certs on the same topic would be better, but then it depends on his exact career goals.
Patten offers an MBA with a concentration in IT, but IT only makes up 9 credits of that degree. I think if a person wants a Masters with a focus on something other than just Business Administration, then they probably don't want an MBA.