Patten University MBA Review

I have just enrolled into Patten University's MBA program in General Management.

So far enrollment was pretty easy.
1. Provide student information: Name, Address, SSN, and billing information
2. The name and graduation date for your undergraduate degree.
3. Provide an unofficial or official copy of your transcripts showing proof of a college level math course and microeconomics with a grade of at least a 3.0 (B)

Your SSN will be used to verify your undergraduate degree.

I found that it is best to do everything over the phone or through email/chat with an enrollment advisor. You can create your own login and complete most of your enrollment but you will still have to provide your degree information and transcripts afterwards. I paid an annual rate of $5988 but received 20% because i'm on active duty so my true bill was: $4790.40.

Once my enrollment was complete my degree plan was open and I was instructed to complete the orientation course. I took the initial assessment and achieved a high enough score that said I could go straight to the final if I choose. I decided to do a couple of modules and quizzes first before taking the final.

The final was a little different than the assessments and quizzes, but if you knew the answers to the assessments and quizzes then the answers on the test were not difficult.

So everyone knows Patten's academic policy will prevent me from placing any example questions or share insider information about the courses. I will do my best to identify any challenges I have while taking the courses, and the overall layout of the course.
(example: length and difficulty of the Projects, but what the project is about)

My first official course "MBA Foundations" starts on the 28th of October. I am able to work ahead but I can't turn in any coursework. I took the initial assessment and achieved a 65% so I have some work to do. I know my weak areas will be Accounting and Finance.

I also have a student advisor who will be contacting me on Friday to ensure I am prepared and understand all of my requirements.

Feel free to ask questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability or as I find the answers!

Cheers!

 

So glad you decided to enroll. I have had nothing but pleasant experiences with Patten. I find the classes I have taken so far to be challenging but not unreasonable. You do need to know the material so memorizing the quiz questions doesn't cut it. I have done the challenge track in all but one class and find it a good way to knock out credits.

 

Thanks a lot. I've been wondering about this program. Any word from classmates, or other people you know, regarding the Health Care track?

 

It is still very early on for me, but the tracks are pretty much the same except for the last 3 classes. The first 9 classes that I review should be pretty consistent with the health care. There is a discussion/comment section for every objective within a course so you can read what others post and respond if you choose. I suspect that most people do not participate and focus on challenging the courses (pass final and project) rather than completing all the individual course work. If I speak with any of the other students in the program i'll be sure to ask!

 

So what's the billing like? I seem to recall someone saying you could start out by paying $250 up front?

 

It depends on which tuition plan you choose. If you choose the annual plan you can get a 60 day deferment so you can start with no initial cost. The monthly plan is $350 a month for undergraduate or $520 for graduate. The semester plan is $1316 for undergraduate and $1996 for graduate. If you are active duty military you can receive a 20% discount to any of these payment plans. For veterans you can receive a 10% discount.

Another option would be to take two courses from New Charter University and transfer them in. Patten allows up to 6 credit hours to be transferred for their MBA. New Charter degree plans mirror Patten University's but at a cheaper rate because of their national accreditation instead of regional. New Charter tuition rates can be found here: Tuition - New Charter University

You can use a credit card, ACH, or mail in a check. Many of these questions can also be found here: Patten University.

Last thing is their withdrawal and refund policy is as follows:
Date of Withdrawal and Percentage of Refund
Within 7 calendar days of term start date 100%
After 1st week of term start date 80%
After 2nd week of term start date 70%
After 3rd week of term start date 60%
After 4th week of term start date 50%
After 5th week of term start date 40%
After 6th week of term start date 30%
After 7th week of term start date 20%
After 8th week of term start date 10%
After 9th week of term start date 0%

Cheers!

 

I am also looking to enroll to Patten University for the same MBA program.

I'd like to ask if its accreditation is accepted by employers (as far as i know a couple of years ago they had some problems with their accreditation) and if it is a self-paced program.

Thanks in advance :veryhappy:
Nikos

 

Patten University is regionallyaccredited through WASC and is accepted by all employers and governmentinstitutions. Most employers consider an MBA an MBA. So unless your MBA is froma Top 25 business school or one that is popular for the region you resideemployers will look at you the same. If you are competitive enough to gainentry into a Top 25 institution and have the financial ability to attend Iwould definitely go that route.
One thing to remember is that HRpersonnel go through 100's-1000's of resumes and many times use automatedsystems to shift through everyone. They don't have the time to or ability toknow every College in America. The MBA will get you in the door and can commanda higher salary, but the interview as always will get you the job.
Theaccreditation order of precedence for an MBA is as follows: (personal opinion)
AACSB- Top 25 School
AACSB
ACBSPor Regional
National

 

Patten was on probation from WASC earlier in the year, but when I checked on this a few weeks ago their status had gone from "on probation" to "fully accredited."

 

They're off the hook for the moment, but will be getting interim visits until the next accreditation renewal. It's up to the school to maintain standards now.

I think for the price, it's a decent risk in terms of viability. Even if they get on probation again, I doubt University Now will let the school falter. Worst case I bet would be they take the whole thing to NA and would probably reapply for RA status again later anyway.

 

I am also planning on an MBA. I am confused whether to go with Patten or New charter. Both have the same parent. Any suggestions?

 

I am also planning on an MBA. I am confused whether to go with Patten or New charter. Both have the same parent. How's your experience so far with Patten?

Thanks

 

I am currently taking the MBA Foundations course and it seems pretty good so far (day 5). The Project is definitely challenging and you have to put work in. I am ready to take the pre-final, but I am trying to get my project done first (~14-20 pages of writing and a presentation). The professor is very responsive to the questions I have asked and I am enjoying the layout that Unow uses.

New Charter and Patten for online learning are the same. When I use the online resources the background even says New Charter instead of Patten....lol The difference is the credentials of the professors and the money that Patten University has paid to maintain their regional accreditation (also why Patten is more expensive). When choosing you should talk to your employer and ask if a National Accredited MBA is acceptable or they require that it comes from a regional University. If you will use the degree for job hunting, then I would use the order of merit I listed in an earlier post.

AACSB- Top 25 School
AACSB
ACBSPor Regional
National

 

@armyb77 after a few months, how would you review this program?

 

If one is a 501c3 and one for profit how can they have the same 'parent'? sounds fishy..

 

Patten was acquired in 2012 by the owners of New Charter. Formerly a 501c3, they took it for-profit. Not fishy at all; only inconsistent if you're looking at dated information (that Patten is 501c3) on one hand and new information on the other.

 

Patten University was historically a non-profit religious school, with a 501(c)(3) exemption. However, Patten was not financially successful, and its assets (including its accreditation) were recently sold to Universitynow, a for-profit company which also owns New Charter University.

The sale only happened in 2012, so Patten may still show up on lists of non-profit schools if they haven't been updated recently.

Edit: like the previous post says.

 

Oh okay a good deal then.

 

ditto, like the previous post says