List of Cheap Online MBA Programs That Can Be Completed in Under 1 Year

[bjcheung77]

If we consider the most affordable options, would you recommend an MBA from HAU for $3,000, which is RA, or Edgewood, which has additional RA + ACBSP accreditation for $5,500?
What are your suggestions? Perhaps there are more alternatives?

Depends on what you need and want. It boils down to cost, ease, speed to finish and if you need that extra programmatic or secondary accreditation. Here's a post I just did a few minutes ago to answer your other MBA question: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...f-Business

[artem]

Depends on what you need and want.  It boils down to cost, ease, speed to finish and if you need that extra programmatic or secondary accreditation.  Here's a post I just did a few minutes ago to answer your other MBA question: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...f-Business

Thanks for the answer.
Do you think ACBSP  accreditation is important for the US market?
Which MBA do you think would be easier to complete?

[bjcheung77]

For MBA, the HAU is a steal at $3K with the scholarship. For MAOL, UMPI would be the best option. TESU/WGU both have ACBSP, it's not really important to have that, but I chose TESU over COSC and Excelsior because of it, the cost, ease, speed to finish was comparable as well, if not better overall.

[artem]

What do you think about the Boston University OMBA program? It's fully online, costs $25,000, and takes two years to complete. It's very comparable to the iMBA.
Which is more prestigious: Questrom School of Business or Gies College of Business?

[SteveFoerster]

If we consider the most affordable options, would you recommend an MBA from HAU for $3,000, which is RA, or Edgewood, which has additional RA + ACBSP accreditation for $5,500?
What are your suggestions? Perhaps there are more alternatives?

I would pay zero extra dollars for ACBSP or IACBE accreditation. In more than twenty years of watching this space, I have yet to see any evidence that employers place any value on it when hiring, or that graduate schools place any value on it for admissions. 

(AACSB is another matter. That's potentially worth a premium, depending on what one's goals are.)

[NotJoeBiden]

If we consider the most affordable options, would you recommend an MBA from HAU for $3,000, which is RA, or Edgewood, which has additional RA + ACBSP accreditation for $5,500?
What are your suggestions? Perhaps there are more alternatives?

I would pay zero extra dollars for ACBSP or IACBE accreditation. In more than twenty years of watching this space, I have yet to see any evidence that employers place any value on it when hiring, or that graduate schools place any value on it for admissions. 

(AACSB is another matter. That's potentially worth a premium, depending on what one's goals are.)

Can you explain more about AACSB accreditation and how you have seen value in it over the years?

[SteveFoerster]

Can you explain more about AACSB accreditation and how you have seen value in it over the years?

Schools whose business programs have or aspire to have AACSB accreditation prefer to hire faculty, even in adjunct positions, whose MBAs and doctorates are from AACSB accredited programs. 

There's a pretty big intersection between the set of business schools that are highly ranked and the set of those whose programs have AACSB accreditation, so by association it's considered prestigious for one's programs to have it.

[SophiaPrincess]

What do you think about the Boston University OMBA program? It's fully online, costs $25,000, and takes two years to complete. It's very comparable to the iMBA.
Which is more prestigious: Questrom School of Business or Gies College of Business?

They are both great schools with solid reputations. Gies used to rank higher than Questrom. Since Gies went online only, they are no longer submitting data to be ranked. Questrom's online program is also unranked. Gies requires 72 credits for their MBA, as I recall, but courses are 4 credit hours. Some have reported that the workload is no more than 3 credit hour courses. 

Questrom has innovative/creative/weird course titles that would be difficult to transfer if you changed schools. Since all Gies master's degrees are online only, employers will know your degree was earned online. It might not matter. Questrom continues its residential MBA. Gies has a HUGE global alumni network, but Questrom is stronger in New England. I can't speak authoritatively to the quality of an alumni network comprised of graduates who have never stepped foot on campus. Still, I suspect alumni with stronger ties to their alma mater will support each other more strongly.

Please let us know what you decide and your experience as a student.

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What do you think about the Boston University OMBA program? It's fully online, costs $25,000, and takes two years to complete. It's very comparable to the iMBA.
Which is more prestigious: Questrom School of Business or Gies College of Business?

What do you think about the Boston University OMBA program? It's fully online, costs $25,000, and takes two years to complete. It's very comparable to the iMBA.
Which is more prestigious: Questrom School of Business or Gies College of Business?

They are both great schools with solid reputations. Gies used to rank higher than Questrom. Since Gies went online only, they are no longer submitting data to be ranked. Questrom's online program is also unranked. Gies requires 72 credits for their MBA, as I recall, but courses are 4 credit hours. Some have reported that the workload is no more than 3 credit hour courses. 

Questrom has innovative/creative/weird course titles that would be difficult to transfer if you changed schools. Since all Gies master's degrees are online only, employers will know your degree was earned online. It might not matter. Questrom continues its residential MBA. Gies has a HUGE global alumni network, but Questrom is stronger in New England. I can't speak authoritatively to the quality of an alumni network comprised of graduates who have never stepped foot on campus. Still, I suspect alumni with stronger ties to their alma mater will support each other more strongly.

Please let us know what you decide and your experience as a student.

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artem
What do you think about the Boston University OMBA program? It's fully online, costs $25,000, and takes two years to complete. It's very comparable to the iMBA.
Which is more prestigious: Questrom School of Business or Gies College of Business?
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They are both great schools with solid reputations. Gies used to rank higher than Questrom. Since Gies went online only, they are no longer submitting data to be ranked. Questrom's online program is also unranked. Gies requires 72 credits for their MBA, as I recall, but courses are 4 credit hours. Some have reported that the workload is no more than 3 credit hour courses.

Questrom has innovative/creative/weird course titles that would be difficult to transfer if you changed schools. Since all Gies master's degrees are online only, employers will know your degree was earned online. It might not matter. Questrom continues its residential MBA. Gies has a HUGE global alumni network, but Questrom is stronger in New England. I can't speak authoritatively to the quality of an alumni network comprised of graduates who have never stepped foot on campus. Still, I suspect alumni with stronger ties to their alma mater will support each other more strongly.

Please let us know what you decide and your experience as a student.

[PearsonOTHMQualifi7654]

Can you explain more about AACSB accreditation and how you have seen value in it over the years?

Schools whose business programs have or aspire to have AACSB accreditation prefer to hire faculty, even in adjunct positions, whose MBAs and doctorates are from AACSB accredited programs. 

There's a pretty big intersection between the set of business schools that are highly ranked and the set of those whose programs have AACSB accreditation, so by association it's considered prestigious for one's programs to have it.

? Do We Seriously Need AACSB, AMBA, or EQUIS? ?
Business school accreditation is often treated as a status marker — the “triple crown” of AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS. Fewer than 1% of schools hold all three, and many top MBA programs highlight them as a differentiator.
But let’s be real: once you’re in the workplace, especially at major global firms, nobody is asking if your MBA is AACSB or ACBSP accredited. What they do care about is your ability to deliver results, work with people, and lead effectively.
Yes — AACSB recently stepped away from CHEA recognition in favor of ISO. Yes — AMBA and EQUIS still signal prestige. But beyond academia and perhaps doctoral admissions, these stamps of approval don’t define your career.
Here’s what does:
Accomplishment — the results you drive.
Relationships — your ability to collaborate and influence.
Growth — how you adapt, learn, and lead over time.
An MBA, regardless of accreditor, can build confidence, expand perspectives, and provide valuable tools. At the top tier, it’s also about networking — alumni connections often matter more than the curriculum itself.
So whether your MBA is AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS, ACBSP, or IACBE, remember: these are recognized accreditors, but the real differentiator is you.

[Kjnova]

What do you think about the Boston University OMBA program? It's fully online, costs $25,000, and takes two years to complete. It's very comparable to the iMBA.
Which is more prestigious: Questrom School of Business or Gies College of Business?

I think it's a strong choice, and will come down to the details for your particular case when you compare it with the Gies MBA. I think Gies has more flexibility and BU has more of a cohort feel. As for prestige, that can be in the eye of the beholder, or situational. The overall university rankings are fairly comparable, with UIUC typically having the edge, but BU is private, which can make it "more prestigious" for some people. Both are very well known internationally, but BU may have the edge there. BU is strong on Wall Street. UIUC is strong in Silicon Valley/tech in general. BU is strong in the northeast, UIUC is strong in the midwest. I think it's a tough call between the two based on raw value, but understanding the differences may help you decide which appeals more to you and your career goals.

I picked UIUC mainly because I could do the 1-year MSM and if I was feeling good about things, stack it into the MBA without losing any time, which is exactly what I am doing. So, I already have an MSM and am now working on the MBA. Is it worth it? I don't know, but if I apply for a job today, I can choose "master's" in the highest education toggle instead of waiting an extra year to do that, so maybe. On the other hand, I took fewer quant classes in the MSM year so my MBA is now backloaded with more quant I have to take. Specifically, the MSM is 9 classes, of which 2 are quant. The MBA is 18 classes, of which 7 are quant. So, I came into the MBA with 9 classes remaining, of which 5 were quant. That part may be a bit painful, but I'm still happy with my path.

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On accreditation, I really don't know what purpose ACBSP or IACBE serve. I am sure there is a purpose, but I think it's probably niche. AACSB is the main one you want.

For someone who gets an MBA to meet a work requirement "has MBA", any regional or even national accreditation should qualify unless their employer specifies something else.

For someone who wants to teach, AACSB makes that easier because most stronger schools will expect it, and no school dislikes it. It can only help, never hurt.

It's really important for some situations and meaningless for others. It's like talking about your GPA in an MBA program. Your job won't care. But if you want to pursue a doctorate and/or if you want to teach college classes, it will probably matter. Two people with different goals can easily talk past each other because it's important to one and unimportant to the other and both are valid.

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On accreditation, I really don't know what purpose ACBSP or IACBE serve. I am sure there is a purpose, but I think it's probably niche. AACSB is the main one you want.

For someone who gets an MBA to meet a work requirement "has MBA", any regional or even national accreditation should qualify unless their employer specifies something else.

For someone who wants to teach, AACSB makes that easier because most stronger schools will expect it, and no school dislikes it. It can only help, never hurt.

It's really important for some situations and meaningless for others. It's like talking about your GPA in an MBA program. Your job won't care. But if you want to pursue a doctorate and/or if you want to teach college classes, it will probably matter. Two people with different goals can easily talk past each other because it's important to one and unimportant to the other and both are valid.

---

What do you think about the Boston University OMBA program? It's fully online, costs $25,000, and takes two years to complete. It's very comparable to the iMBA.
Which is more prestigious: Questrom School of Business or Gies College of Business?

(Sorry if this post appears twice. My posts in this thread haven't shown up for me yet, so trying again .. maybe it's just the page-count glitch.)

Which is more prestigious probably depends how you define prestige. On most overall university rankings, UIUC is a iittle higher than BU, but, BU is private. So some people may feel BU is more prestigious. BU has more ties to Wall Street. I think BU may be better known internationally. It is better known in the northeastern U.S.

On the other hand, UIUC has more ties to Silicon Valley and tech. It is better known in the midwest.

You may have an opinion about which appeal to you more, "giant public university" or "large private university." It is really the eye of the beholder between these two.

I picked UIUC because of the stacking MSM. I completed the MSM in one year and then entered the MBA program. The MSM is 9 of the same pool of 18 classes as the MBA. So, you get the MSM halfway to the MBA. You could stop there if you wanted. I did that because I wasn't sure if life might get in the way or if I might burn out, and I wanted to maximize the odds I came away from it with some degree. Turns out life has not gotten in the way and I am not burning out, so I am continuing toward the MBA. But I still appreciate that one year in, I can choose the "master's" option in the "highest education" toggle.