MBA - Purdue University Global ExcelTrack

[ReyMysterioso]

I'm about to graduate from COSC and am thinking about the Purdue ExcelTrack program vs. WGU's MBA. Elsewhere on another thread, someone pointed to negative reviews that criticized the allegedly dysfunctional and somewhat predatory nature of the finance department. That makes me a little wary of the program. Did you find the tution and financial aid system to be fairly straightforward? Or did you have any other issues with the program setup and delivery?

[Ideas]

3 years of management experience seem to be strongly recommended (phone representative made it almost sound like they were required), I don't have any management experience & really want to start spring 2019. Is anyone in the same boat (with no management experience) & enrolled/starting/ accepted into the program?

Personally I would ignore the recommendation.

[cortesd79@yahoo.com]

I'm about to graduate from COSC and am thinking about the Purdue ExcelTrack program vs. WGU's MBA. Elsewhere on another thread, someone pointed to negative reviews that criticized the allegedly dysfunctional and somewhat predatory nature of the finance department. That makes me a little wary of the program. Did you find the tution and financial aid system to be fairly straightforward? Or did you have any other issues with the program setup and delivery?

I'm about a quarter of the way through the ExcelTrack MBA with Purdue Global.  In full disclosure, this endeavor is being financed as a split between corporate tuition reimbursement and out-of-pocket so I didn't use any student loans.  Back when I was first applying and registering, I did get the impression that they just assumed that everybody uses student loans.  But aside from that, I haven't had any negative experiences.  You get invoiced per term and simply pay when it's due.    

I didn't think their sales pitch was any more aggressive than some other traditional brick/mortar schools with online MBA programs.  As part of my research, I spoke with advisors from Northeastern University and University of Maryland College Park about their online programs and I ended up getting emails and voicemails for several months.  They were definitely more aggressive than I would have thought a traditional school would have/should have been.  Ultimately, I couldn't justify spending the $60k+ those programs would have cost.  The ROI just wasn't there for me, personally.

[posabsolute]

I almost joined Purdue Global MBA program since WGU is done with Canadians for now, however, the fact that you have 2 courses that aren't self-paced (first and last take a semester each) made me reconsider. It's 3k (almost 4k with the fees) for only those 2 courses then it's a race every 6 weeks.

However I did not experience any predatory behavior and in fact, considering I'm at the last step before paying I'm pretty surprised I did not hear anything from them, maybe joining Purdue tamed their financial department .

[cortesd79@yahoo.com]

I almost joined Purdue Global MBA program since WGU is done with Canadians for now, however, the fact that you have 2 courses that aren't self-paced (first and last take a semester each) made me reconsider. It's 3k (almost 4k with the fees) for only those 2 courses then it's a race every 6 weeks.

You're definitely right about those two courses.  The first course is more of a business foundations type of course with some group-based assignments.  There's also a group-based marketplace simulation where the team functions as a business and competes against other teams in the class to see who can be the most profitable and gain the most market share.  It's actually kind of a cool simulation.

But once you get past the first course, it really is a race every 6 weeks.  I try to target 1 module/credit per week so 6 credits per term.  It's worked out so far.  In the end, the overall cost will, indeed, be more expensive than the comparable offering from WGU, but I wouldn't consider the overall cost to be outrageous.  Including the fixed courses for the first and last term, I'm looking at 11 terms in total or $18,700 ($1,700 per term with the fees).  That's still less than $20k.  It's not the cheapest, but it's a far cry from some other schools out there.

[posabsolute]

For me self-paced has two significant advantages:
* Acceleration, obviously
* Deceleration (Career, kids, etc.).

I really can't see myself decelerate when you are paying that much per 6 weeks, and it's not impossible that I have a 1-month crunch at work where I cannot do any courses. That being said, I can see the appeal and praise those that took that jump!

[mdl]

I almost joined Purdue Global MBA program since WGU is done with Canadians for now, however, the fact that you have 2 courses that aren't self-paced (first and last take a semester each) made me reconsider. It's 3k (almost 4k with the fees) for only those 2 courses then it's a race every 6 weeks.

You're definitely right about those two courses.  The first course is more of a business foundations type of course with some group-based assignments.  There's also a group-based marketplace simulation where the team functions as a business and competes against other teams in the class to see who can be the most profitable and gain the most market share.  It's actually kind of a cool simulation.

But once you get past the first course, it really is a race every 6 weeks.  I try to target 1 module/credit per week so 6 credits per term.  It's worked out so far.  In the end, the overall cost will, indeed, be more expensive than the comparable offering from WGU, but I wouldn't consider the overall cost to be outrageous.  Including the fixed courses for the first and last term, I'm looking at 11 terms in total or $18,700 ($1,700 per term with the fees).  That's still less than $20k.  It's not the cheapest, but it's a far cry from some other schools out there.

Starting my Excel MBA late April. 

Has your coursework been the same as described earlier in the thread? Are you writing one 5- page paper per credit hour? I mentioned this to my advisor who said the this isn't the form of coursework. 

Thanks!

[billalsobrook]

I almost joined Purdue Global MBA program since WGU is done with Canadians for now, however, the fact that you have 2 courses that aren't self-paced (first and last take a semester each) made me reconsider. It's 3k (almost 4k with the fees) for only those 2 courses then it's a race every 6 weeks.

You're definitely right about those two courses.  The first course is more of a business foundations type of course with some group-based assignments.  There's also a group-based marketplace simulation where the team functions as a business and competes against other teams in the class to see who can be the most profitable and gain the most market share.  It's actually kind of a cool simulation.

But once you get past the first course, it really is a race every 6 weeks.  I try to target 1 module/credit per week so 6 credits per term.  It's worked out so far.  In the end, the overall cost will, indeed, be more expensive than the comparable offering from WGU, but I wouldn't consider the overall cost to be outrageous.  Including the fixed courses for the first and last term, I'm looking at 11 terms in total or $18,700 ($1,700 per term with the fees).  That's still less than $20k.  It's not the cheapest, but it's a far cry from some other schools out there.

Starting my Excel MBA late April. 

Has your coursework been the same as described earlier in the thread? Are you writing one 5- page paper per credit hour? I mentioned this to my advisor who said the this isn't the form of coursework. 

Thanks!

i asked my advisor the same question.

[cortesd79@yahoo.com]

I almost joined Purdue Global MBA program since WGU is done with Canadians for now, however, the fact that you have 2 courses that aren't self-paced (first and last take a semester each) made me reconsider. It's 3k (almost 4k with the fees) for only those 2 courses then it's a race every 6 weeks.

You're definitely right about those two courses.  The first course is more of a business foundations type of course with some group-based assignments.  There's also a group-based marketplace simulation where the team functions as a business and competes against other teams in the class to see who can be the most profitable and gain the most market share.  It's actually kind of a cool simulation.

But once you get past the first course, it really is a race every 6 weeks.  I try to target 1 module/credit per week so 6 credits per term.  It's worked out so far.  In the end, the overall cost will, indeed, be more expensive than the comparable offering from WGU, but I wouldn't consider the overall cost to be outrageous.  Including the fixed courses for the first and last term, I'm looking at 11 terms in total or $18,700 ($1,700 per term with the fees).  That's still less than $20k.  It's not the cheapest, but it's a far cry from some other schools out there.

Starting my Excel MBA late April. 

Has your coursework been the same as described earlier in the thread? Are you writing one 5- page paper per credit hour? I mentioned this to my advisor who said the this isn't the form of coursework. 

Thanks!

Just now catching up to this.  I've completed 5 courses in full and am halfway through number 6.  The first two courses were fairly intensive with regards to the writing component although I would not say it was anywhere near 5 pages per module, in general.  The first course had two individual assignments (papers) plus some team assignments (papers/PowerPoints/simulations).  The second course was a business communication course so you'll have to expect some writing there.  There were a few writing assignments plus a PowerPoint.  I would say that only one of the writing assignments took a considerable amount of time (14+ pages).  

The next three courses were what I would call 'calculation' courses.  Business Analytics, Financial Accounting, and Managerial Accounting.  There wasn't much writing in these courses although it still did exist...it just wasn't the focus.  These courses were more focused on problem sets and calculating answers based on the criteria and proper application of the concepts and formulas presented in the course.  Basic algebra and math skills (along with MS Excel) will carry you through here.  The problem sets in all three of these courses were pretty extensive but I found them rewarding and beneficial.

The HR Management course gets you back to writing.

[posabsolute]

thank you for the update, besides the first course, at what rate are you finishing them? (1 week? 2 weeks?)