Getting My Feet Wet

[Elizabeth A]

Greetings,

I would like to get a BA in business or MBA as quickly and cheaply as possible. I mainly want to check off a box for the sake of finding better job opportunities. My ultimate goal is to be able to finance a PHD in Psychology. I'm in a city where everyone and their dog has a Bachelors or Masters, it's a real struggle to find any job, let alone a good one. I have actually worked in marketing thanks to a rogue hr manager when I lived oversees, and I found out that I have a knack for it. This is why I'm thinking of using this degree to check the box. 

TESU seems to be the faster option, they even offer a MBA prep course which takes 4 months to complete and satisfies the admission requirement. It costs $1,195.00. I might be able to finish within a year or a year and a half.

WGU has the best price per term, but I don't think it allows you to accelerate at the same pace... I would need to do The BA and then the MBA and I don't think ti would be cheaper in the long run. I think it would look better on my CV though reputation wise...

I don't know whether to go for TESU, WGU, or even WGU for my Bachelors and the LSUS for MBA. I want to check a box, but I still want to be able to get a good job. Also, I'm in Canada and my nearest CLEP testing centre is a 6 hr drive away... I do have family there so at least there's that...

Also, I'm concerned that TESU doesn't appear to have a Bsc. in Psych, which is what I would need to apply for Grad school. Sorry, for bombarding you all with questions. I'm just fulfilling my late night rambling quota. 

In all seriousness, any help would be very very much appreciated!  

[dfrecore]

1) IMO, you should focus on your BA/BS first, and then decide if you want an MBA (or even if you need one). Then, focus on that.

2) For the BSBA, TESU is fine, although they aren't any faster than COSC which is $2000 cheaper. TESU also has a BA in Psych, and COSC has a BS in Psych, and they're completely test-outable, as are their BSBA's.

3) WGU doesn't accept foreign students, so you're out of luck there - although they would be your fastest and cheapest option by far for a BSBA.

4) You can't normally get an MBA without having a BA/BS first here in the US. Not sure how it works in Canada.

5) Also, I can't quite figure out why you'd need a Psych degree to apply for grad school?

6) MBA's at the big 3 are WAY too expensive, there are tons of cheaper options once you're done with a BA/BS degree.

[Ideas]

TESU has a BA in Psychology. https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/ba/psychology

If you decide to go for Psych, you could do a double major. The options for the BA are at https://www.tesu.edu/heavin/ba/index

I feel like doing Psych as your undergrad major is going to lead to job hunting problems, because it's so competitive. I'd probably do something else for undergrad and maybe for your masters degree too.

Are you comfortable with math? Because some people get slowed down by the math parts of a business degree (accounting, economics, statistics).

[allvia]

If your ultimate goal is to get a PhD in Psychology why do you need a business degree at all? If your goal is to get a bachelor to check a box why not just get a BA in Psychology (if you 'business pursuit' involves marketing then a Psych degree works just as well, in some ways better than as a generic BSBA could (especially if you already have experience in the field).  Here is the wiki page specifically set up for a BA in Psychology from TESU - https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/JS...Psychology  

Also, it is possible to get an MBA without a bachelor in business (you just need a bachelor degree in something first) - it is not even uncommon, after all an MBA is still the most commonly pursued master option.

[Tlm]

I agree with the others, focus on your bachelors first. If you want a pursue psychology, I would look at what graduate schools are looking for and work backwards from there.

[bjcheung77]

Eh... So, where are you or which city are you referring to in Can-a-duh that's 6 hours from a CLEP test center? Most bordering cities are usually 1.5-2 hours from testing centers. I assume you're in Ontario, as Toronto is the center of the Universe! haha... You've been doing some research on the schools, you know your MBA programs pretty well as LSUS MBA is AACSB accredited and one of the cheaper ones on the block. My only suggestion is to do your undergrad with a US institution and your Masters as well. The PHD or other doctoral degrees you're after, you can get them from Canada.

[Elizabeth A]

If your ultimate goal is to get a PhD in Psychology why do you need a business degree at all? If your goal is to get a bachelor to check a box why not just get a BA in Psychology (if you 'business pursuit' involves marketing then a Psych degree works just as well, in some ways better than as a generic BSBA could (especially if you already have experience in the field).  Here is the wiki page specifically set up for a BA in Psychology from TESU - https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/JS...Psychology  

Also, it is possible to get an MBA without a bachelor in business (you just need a bachelor degree in something first) - it is not even uncommon, after all an MBA is still the most commonly pursued master option.

I can't do much with a BA in Psychology. I know this for a fact, perhaps it's the job market here as well as the requirements. I need to work towards a Masters with at least four years of post masters degree experience in order to work in the field. I'm in Canada...     Anyway, I wanted to get something that will give me a quicker return on investment in the meantime due to very important personal reasons (family member I take care of). Thank you for the advice though. I think schools are more uptight here, I'll definitely get this from the US!