Where to finish MBA after 1 year of exec MBA a decade ago?

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by WonderWolf, Apr 2, 2017.

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  1. WonderWolf

    WonderWolf New Member

    Back in 2005, I did one year of an exec MBA at one the big University of State Name schools. My employer then cut educational funding and I didn't have the $30K to finish it.

    Fast forward, 12 years later, and now I'd like to finish off my MBA as expeditiously/cheaply as possible. Not saying I don't want to learn, just want to do it in a time- and money-efficient way.

    Ideally, I would not have to retake the GMAT (was 640 first time), and could get full credit for my first year's classes (they were all As or Bs and as I said, it's from one of the big schools). Ideally the school would be AASCB-rated but at this point I'm open to looking at anything.

    I have about 14 years' experience in management at this point. I also have three kids and a demanding career, hence the time-efficient part of the equation.

    I appreciate any advice! Hopefully as I progress in my quest I can report back here.
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    There are over 200 online MBA programs available to you. It's hard to say which one is "best" for you until you say more about your personal criteria/preferences. A word of warning - 12 year old credits don't always transfer nicely. You could read through this thread to help you to think about the choices ahead of you

    http://www.degreeinfo.com/business-mba-degrees/27695-best-mba-degree.html
     
  3. Gabe F.

    Gabe F. Active Member

    Hey WonderWolf,

    Thanks for the question. I appreciate your desire to back and earn your MBA... it's a journey I've done myself.

    These recommendations are based on your criteria - cheap, fast, no GMAT, and the ability to transfer in up to a year's worth of credit. One quick note about that. I don't know how many credits you have, but most institutions will not allow more than 12 transfer credits into a graduate degree program (not even Thomas Edison State University which has some of the most generous transfer policies in the world). Also, I'm guessing that your former "University of State Name" was AACSB accredited which is a good thing because AACSB accredited will not accept credits earned at non-AACSB accredited schools.

    So here's a short list to get you going. All of these schools are AACSB accredited:

    Southeastern Oklahoma State University: Online Programs | Southeastern Oklahoma State University
    Tuition is under $12k, can be completed in 12 months, no GMAT requirement.

    University of Texas of the Permian Basin: UTPB | Master of Business Administration Online
    Tuition is under $10k, can be completed in 12 months, GMAT waiver available.

    Louisiana State University - Shreveport:
    Online MBA Program - General Business | LSU Shreveport Online
    Tuition is under $12k, can be completed in 12 months, GMAT waiver available.

    Admittedly (and obviously), this is a very short list, but all of these schools meet your specific criteria. If you want to expand your search and identify other options, here's a good place to start:

    https://www.geteducated.com/online-college-ratings-and-rankings/best-buy-lists/best-buy-online-masters-mba-aacsb

    Good luck!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 3, 2017
  4. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

  5. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

  6. Fortunato

    Fortunato Member

    What Kizmet said. Graduate credits are notoriously difficult to transfer, old graduate credits, more so.

    I know you say you want to finish as cheaply as possible, but your best bet for finishing as quickly as possible might be the school you started at. Have you checked out what they'd do for you? If your current employer has good educational benefits, you might find that you could finish your degree at your original "name" school for more or less the same as it would cost you to start completely over somewhere else.

    Best of luck!
     
  7. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

    So, what educational background do you have? A NA or RA Bachelors? Which specialty and from which institution?
    What is your spending limit and time frame you are looking at? Under 10K and under 1 year? There are a few.
    Give us more details so we can provide you some recommendations, such as the ones mentioned earlier...
     
  8. WonderWolf

    WonderWolf New Member

    It was $30K a year then...it's $40K a year now :-(

    BA liberal arts from a top 25. I'm nearly 50. I did take a round of pre-MBA accounting/econ/etc. classes, and then I have 30-something credits from an AACSB grad school. I'm assuming none of those will transfer, but hopefully will fulfill any pre-work/undergrad business requirements.

    Under 10K and 1 year would be ideal, sure...I saw the U-Texas at Permian Basin program which fits that criteria. But I'm somewhat flexible on both points.

    Thanks much!
     
  9. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    I'm a little surprised no one has said this yet. While the age of the credits is likely to be a serious impediment to a swift and easy transfer there is another major factor at play; most graduate programs only allow 6-9 credits to transfer.

    When you see MBA programs with more generous transfer policies they typically include the foundation credits which are, usually, waived for those with business undergrad degrees. If you take the foundation courses out of the mix you find that they tend to fall in the 6-9 credit range.

    There are some exceptions to the rule, of course. But they aren't plentiful. And they likely won't carry the same gravitas as the University of State Name.

    Excelsior College is an option.Though they state that they won't consider credits earned more than 10 years ago for their MBA.

    The other option is far more affordable. Amberton University. $750 per 3 credit graduate course. From what I hear they are pretty liberal with credit transfer provided the credits are RA. They will allow 12 credits to transfer. They don't list a hard and fast time limit but they note that the age of the credits may affect transferability.

    To summarize, you have two major impediments going against you: The age of the credits and the fact that the max credit transfer you're likely to find is 12 credits.

    No matter how you cut this you are likely going to have to repeat some, or all, coursework.
     
  10. WonderWolf

    WonderWolf New Member

    BTW, I'm also considering a Master's in Management.
     
  11. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

  12. Phdtobe

    Phdtobe Well-Known Member

     
  13. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

    Hi WonderWolf,

    If you are looking for just Regionally Accredited universities and don't really require the extra programmatic/specialty accreditation, then you
    might want to consider Patten University for your MBA, they have MBA with 7 different concentrations. The only difference to them are the
    final 3 courses for each "concentration". It's probably the cheapest at $2 grand per 4 month term, I think it's a competency based program.

    Another option is the RA MBA and Masters in Management & Leadership programs at WGU, they're also competency based, meaning you work
    while you take your courses. They are slightly more expensive at $3500 per 6 month term. These schools are known to be "competency" as
    most students, if not all are working in a similar position while they're taking their courses. I highly recommend WGU, but Patten is affordable.

    BTW, I know a few people who have finished their MBA at either school under 6 months. Even if you take up to 7 months at Patten, you're just
    paying for two terms, which is $4 grand total. You can't beat that price and speed for a Regionally Accredited program, not even the cheapest
    lesser known Nationally Accredited programs at $4500 such as the MBA from University of the People and William Loveland College.
     
  14. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    If you don't mind the UK, you might be a good candidate for a top up MBA such as the ones below:

    1121 MBA (Top-Up)
    https://arden.ac.uk/our-courses/distance-learning/postgraduate/MBA-top-up?gclid=CI6SmrbgkNMCFYmLswodUPIA2A
    MBA (Top Up) - MBA - Postgraduate course | London Metropolitan University
    Courses MBA Advanced Entry Programme (MBA Top Up)
     
  15. Jim Jeffreys

    Jim Jeffreys New Member

    I really appreciate your decision. There is no limit bar for education, you should complete your degree with full of positivity. There are number of online MBA program is available, but you need to find the best that provide a boost to your career.
     

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