MBA anyone?

[ChristaKB]

Now that I graduate next month from EC, I have been looking at reasonably established colleges that offer on-line MBA degrees and are still affordable (I do not consider $1800 per class affordable). I found Amberton College. What do you think?[URL="http://www.amberton.edu/MDegrees.HTM#MANAGEMENT"]

I also considered the University of Aspen but there are so many schools to choose from, I don't know what's best.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude, would that give me a good chance to get a scholarship with one of the good schools (Texas A&M or Rice?). I have no experience with this whatsoever!

Thanks!

Christa

[naturallyme82]

I've been doing some research and it's hard to find a decent MBA program online with classes less than $1800. Here is the only one I know of:

Webster University - Webster University - $540/credit (online)
Each class at Webster is 3 credits and the MBA program is 36 credits (not counting prereqs)

Some schools offer reduced out-of-state tuition if you are affiliated with the military so that may help you as well.

Graduate school courses are overall much more expensive than undergraduate courses, especially if you want to take your classes online. There are a number of schools that offer great online MBA programs but you have to be willing to make the investment.

[SimonTam]

Hi Christa,

While there are plenty of regionally accredited MBA programs out there. You should see if you can find one that meets your needs that is AACSB accredited. I'm not disparaging RA MBA programs or even NA MBA programs, it's just that there will be more opportunities the higher up the pecking order you get. That is AACSB first, RA second and NA third.

What is your current state of residence? Most state MBA programs will probably distinguish between in-state and out-of-state tuition. However, from my understanding, there is an excellent program an University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The MBA program is AACSB accredited and is online. It is 16 courses (48 semester hours) at approximately $950 per course.

As for RA MBA programs, Amberton University is hard to beat in cost. At only $200 per credit, there are very few (if any) that are cheaper.

Good luck,

[Papa Georgia]

If cost is an issue, I think this one is about 174..00 per hour. I do not have any personal experience with the school.
Distance Learning Programs at Chadron State College

[yutzyj]

While there are plenty of regionally accredited MBA programs out there. You should see if you can find one that meets your needs that is AACSB accredited. I'm not disparaging RA MBA programs or even NA MBA programs, it's just that there will be more opportunities the higher up the pecking order you get. That is AACSB first, RA second and NA third.

Hi SimonTam-
What is AACSB? Is this higher than RA?

[iwannapass]

What about Thomas Edison State College. They have a comprehensive plan that allows you to take up to 36 credits in a year for a fee.

[SimonTam]

Hi SimonTam-
What is AACSB? Is this higher than RA?

Hi Dawn,

AACSB is a program accreditation for Business programs. Usually a program accreditation is a higher level of accreditation than RA. RA and NA are accreditation programs for an entire school. ABET, AACSB and other program accreditations require regional accreditation first. The exception to this may be some foreign schools that have AACSB accreditation. In most instances, RA or NA accreditation will be sufficient. However, human resources departments that know about accreditation may require an AACSB accredited degree for certain positions.

So if there is little difference in costs or other issues, I believe a person should choose an AACSB program for their MBA if at all possible. It will open more doors but there will always be opportunities for well educated MBAs.

[tcc]

Western Governors University (wgu.edu) and St. Josephs College of Maine (sjcme.edu) come to mind. You should also go to degreeinfo.com and do a search for online MBA's. There are many, and I think there's a good selection of programs that are affordable.

[yutzyj]

Hi Dawn,

AACSB is a program accreditation for Business programs. Usually a program accreditation is a higher level of accreditation than RA. RA and NA are accreditation programs for an entire school. ABET, AACSB and other program accreditations require regional accreditation first. The exception to this may be some foreign schools that have AACSB accreditation. In most instances, RA or NA accreditation will be sufficient. However, human resources departments that know about accreditation may require an AACSB accredited degree for certain positions.

So if there is little difference in costs or other issues, I believe a person should choose an AACSB program for their MBA if at all possible. It will open more doors but there will always be opportunities for well educated MBAs.

Thanks SimonTam, I'll keep that in mind if I travel further down this educational road.

[justintime]

Christa, if you are a Texas resident, Texas A&M-Commerce offers a 30-hour, AACSB-accredited online MBA that is slightly less expensive than Amberton if attending full time (9 hour/semester). Current tuition rates work out to around $6,600 for the entire program.

The staff at TAMU-C is very helpful, I might add.