University of the People Launches MBA Program

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by scaredrain, Mar 15, 2016.

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  1. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

  2. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

  3. Messdiener

    Messdiener Active Member

    scaredrain, just so that you are aware, the initial MBA announcement page (found here) mentions that "students may take as many as three courses each term." Yet, on the FAQ page (found here), students are told, "The maximum number of courses students can take during the MBA is two per term."

    Beyond that minor critique, I found the program to look quite interesting. I may write to an admissions officer and discuss if this is a good fit for me!
     
  4. Phdtobe

    Phdtobe Well-Known Member

    Excellent deal!
     
  5. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I love their plan, I love the price, I love that their employees are volunteers- what I am still a little icky about is how this would look on my resume. I mean, I don't know if the average HR guys would take them seriously. I hope they continue to grow, and I know their NA accreditation is awesome, but I still feel like they have a lot of "educating the consumer" left to do before people will believe it's a "real" MBA. I know....I'm being shallow....but time is time and work is work- there is more to consider besides cost.
     
  6. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    My guess is that it's not much good as a standalone credential to break into big business. It might be good as an add-on to other credentials to show someone took the time to get a business degree in a really practical and economical way. It's also a nice way to support a non-profit if you believe in its mission.
     
  7. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Wow! $2,450? That's almost unreal! :shock:

    Least expensive NA MBA I knew of was William Loveland College at $4,500 plus $200/yr. library/technology fee.

    This UotP program is SO much less and has exactly the same accreditation! It's US-based, NA, yet priced at about what a decent Indian school (e.g. Don Bosco Global) would charge overseas students!

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 20, 2016
  8. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Wasn't there a DEAC school someone here worked for that offered an MBA under $2,000? Or, was it in the process of earning accreditation? I'm having a hard time remembering the name of the school.

    The cheapest MBA I know of is Patten University if you can finish in one term. Even if you take two terms, which is more likely, $4,000 for an MBA from a regionally accredited school is still an excellent deal. You might even pay less since Patten regularly offers discounts. Addressing Cookderosa's concerns, while Patten is for-profit, it is brick and mortar and has a more "normal" name.
     
  9. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    Having the Gates foundation and Clinton foundation behind it may give it some added prestige.

    Are most MBAs this day more than an add on credential? If you graduate from top notch business schools maybe. Your average night program, online University of Phoenix style MBA is probably not. So, why take out massive loans?
     
  10. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    If employers barely know about accreditation and still don't really understand it, I doubt they're going to look into who's funding the school.
     
  11. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Dr. David Lady, Provost of William Loveland College (DEAC), in Colorado contributes here from time to time. He has been involved with more than one low-cost MBA program over the years, but I don't remember any at $2000 - and I think I would, at that price. I think basic cost of a W.H. Loveland MBA is around $4,500 - texts included.

    Dr. Lady is a former President of Aspen University (DEAC), a school which has offered low-cost MBAs many times - although none at $2000 that I remember. Outside of his Aspen days, I also remember his announcing a series of four (I think) very low-cost courses through AIMS that were worth credits towards a distance MBA from W.H. Taft University (DEAC). Again, although the AIMS courses were a very inexpensive way to earn credits, the complete Taft MBA cost considerably more than $2,000.


    Yes - I think it's phenomenally inexpensive for an RA MBA. Most low-price competitors start at around double that, or a bit more. Even a two-term quickie at Western Governor's would cost $6,500 - and not that high a percentage can finish in two terms, per the stats.

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 20, 2016
  12. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    I think we tend to worry more about these things than actual employers do, many of which don't know the difference between one program or the other.

    When you can go on LinkedIn and find people in very good careers using a phony Rochville University milled degree, and doing so with major companies, that should tell you a lot about what's happening in the real world.

    I think a University Of The People MBA will do fine.
     
  13. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    You might be thinking of the incredible deal that Andrew Jackson University (since inexplicably renamed "New Charter University") had for awhile. I forget the specifics, but you could earn a DETC/DEAC-accredited degree for very short money.

    I also agree about the name; "University of the People" sounds like something that should be in North Korea.
     
  14. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    That's how little faith I have in employers. Rochville University sounds normal, so a lot of employers probably wouldn't even bother researching it. University of the People is sort of a strange name, so I could imagine employers either tossing the resume or looking up the school just to see "online university" on their website. I don't know how they would view the "tuition-free" advertisement.

    I remember the school starting with an "I." I'm trying to find it on the forum.
     
  15. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Never mind. That's it. It's from the Institute of Logistical Management of William Loveland College. Their MBA used to be $3,000 including texts a few years ago. I can't see the current price because the website is not working, but I guess they're at $4,500 now as you say.
     
  16. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Perhaps, although not necessarily among educators, many of whom have come to dislike many of the models being pushed by the Gates Foundation. (I'm not among them, but it's still a point worth noting.)
     
  17. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef


    Didn't Andrew Jackson University (MA) offer "free tuition" with some kind of proctor fee that pulled their cost up to or around $2000? I don't know what they're doing now as New Charter University.

    EDIT: Dang! I just read ahead, Bruce beat me lol
     
  18. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    It also sounds like something that should be in the People's Republic of China.
     
  19. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Yeah, it does sound pretty generically communist. If you told me it was a school in Cuba I wouldn't be shocked.

    Biggest issue I have is the name. It's the kind of name that stands out (and not in a good way). That said, there are plenty of places with shady names. American InterContinental University is the most frequent one where hiring managers come to me and say "is this a real school?" That said, of American InterContinental offered a $2500 MBA I'd probably jump on it just because it was a deal.

    But I also feel like if an HR person were to visit the UofPeople website they'd be a bit more impressed than if they were to be looking at the website of, say, Penn Foster or Ashworth.
     
  20. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    ICI University? They merged with Berean to form Global University.
     

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