MBA or MA - Canadian Student

[zzzz24]

A degree from one of the bigger name state universities would be cool and all, but I was just thinking that a competency based degree, from one of these smaller online universities would probably be easier.  Wouldn't it? 

I know a masters is not going to be as easy as the whole ''testing out'' process for a bachelors, but I would assume some courses/programs have to be easier than others.
I have to admit, the thought of writing endless essays again makes me sick haha.  I would much rather have more tests/assignments than essays, if possible.  I know I probably don't have much choice in that matter.

Brand name isn't the biggest deciding factor for me, it's more just to check the box.  In my experience, as long as you have a degree from a western country, nobody really cares where it's from to a certain degree.  I know someone who has a Australian MBA, and I doubt anyone has really looked down on it. 

Has anyone on here done one of the online programs for one of those state universities? 
Just kind of wondering what the advantage would be for me to go to one of those, other than the name.  

I believe there are also many online based masters degrees from Canada as well.

[sanantone]

A degree from one of the bigger name state universities would be cool and all, but I was just thinking that a competency based degree, from one of these smaller online universities would probably be easier.  Wouldn't it? 

I know a masters is not going to be as easy as the whole ''testing out'' process for a bachelors, but I would assume some courses/programs have to be easier than others.
I have to admit, the thought of writing endless essays again makes me sick haha.  I would much rather have more tests/assignments than essays, if possible.  I know I probably don't have much choice in that matter.

Brand name isn't the biggest deciding factor for me, it's more just to check the box.  In my experience, as long as you have a degree from a western country, nobody really cares where it's from to a certain degree.  I know someone who has a Australian MBA, and I doubt anyone has really looked down on it. 

Has anyone on here done one of the online programs for one of those state universities? 
Just kind of wondering what the advantage would be for me to go to one of those, other than the name.  

I believe there are also many online based masters degrees from Canada as well.

You mentioned a preference for public universities, and not all public universities are large. Competency-based programs are offered at public, for-profit, and private non-profit colleges. If you want to attend a school with a campus, that eliminates several of your options. Most of these schools with competency-based programs are easy to get into. From my experience, the schools that require a lot of writing for non-humanities majors tend to be non-traditional schools that cater to adult learners. I did the least amount of graduate writing at University of Florida, and that's a top 30 university. 

I'm going off of memory, so someone correct me if I categorized these schools wrong. Some of the schools competency-based master's programs can be found at:

Purdue Global - for-profit turned public - No campus
UMass Global - private non-profit transitioning to public - has non-traditional campuses in multiple locations
University of Arizona Global Campus (only for instructional technology) - for-profit turned public - I believe they no longer have campuses.
Capella - for-profit - no campus
Walden - for-profit - no campus
University of Phoenix - for-profit - limited locations mostly in business towers and shopping centers
Northern Arizona University - public - traditional campus 
University of Maine at Presque Isle - public - traditional campus
Central Washington University - public - traditional campus
Rasmussen - for-profit - has non-traditional campuses in multiple locations
Western Governors University - private non-profit with government partnerships - no campus
Andrews University - private non-profit - traditional campus

---

WGU's MBA used to require an insane amount of writing before they revamped the program. Walden also required a lot of writing before redesigning their competency-based MBA. So, don't expect the non-traditional schools to require less writing; they usually require more writing and fewer exams.

[smartdegree]

A degree from one of the bigger name state universities would be cool and all, but I was just thinking that a competency based degree, from one of these smaller online universities would probably be easier.  Wouldn't it? 

I know a masters is not going to be as easy as the whole ''testing out'' process for a bachelors, but I would assume some courses/programs have to be easier than others.
I have to admit, the thought of writing endless essays again makes me sick haha.  I would much rather have more tests/assignments than essays, if possible.  I know I probably don't have much choice in that matter.

Brand name isn't the biggest deciding factor for me, it's more just to check the box.  In my experience, as long as you have a degree from a western country, nobody really cares where it's from to a certain degree.  I know someone who has a Australian MBA, and I doubt anyone has really looked down on it. 

Has anyone on here done one of the online programs for one of those state universities? 
Just kind of wondering what the advantage would be for me to go to one of those, other than the name.  

I believe there are also many online based masters degrees from Canada as well.

As others have mentioned, there is no clear correlation that the more well known a program, the "harder" it is.  In some ways, better programs are easier because the professors are more organized and it's easier to understand the material.

The benefit of something like Illinois' masters in management or MBA through its partnership with Coursera is that you can try before you buy.  You can audit some of the actual courses / specializations for free before enrolling in the masters and then decide if it's for you.  That way, you already have a sense if it's easy or too hard for you.  

https://www.coursera.org/degrees/ms-mana.../academics

[ss20ts]

University of Massachusetts Global has a self-paced MA in Organizational Leadership, but "Global" makes it obvious that it's an online branch for UMass.

https://www.umassglobal.edu/academic-pro...ip-my-path

The same applies to Purdue Global. It's a public university, but "Global" indicates that it's a virtual university.

https://www.purdueglobal.edu/degree-prog...ba-degree/

---

UMass Global is Brandman. The MAOL is the EXACT same degree ashkir completed at UMPI. It's VERY intensive. 

At Purdue Global only the ExcelTrack degree programs are CBE. Purdue Global is VERY writing intensive especially the ExcelTrack. Purdue Global is also NOT Purdue University. It's a satellite campus. Only the actual Purdue University campus is now called Purdue. Every other campus is now Purdue - whatever city it's located in. The diplomas also say Purdue Global. PUG is a private school not a public university. They've gotten weird with how they're labeling everything there. I believe it's from the backlash of buying Kaplan and calling it Purdue when it's really not.

---

A degree from one of the bigger name state universities would be cool and all, but I was just thinking that a competency based degree, from one of these smaller online universities would probably be easier.  Wouldn't it? 

I know a masters is not going to be as easy as the whole ''testing out'' process for a bachelors, but I would assume some courses/programs have to be easier than others.
I have to admit, the thought of writing endless essays again makes me sick haha.  I would much rather have more tests/assignments than essays, if possible.  I know I probably don't have much choice in that matter.

Brand name isn't the biggest deciding factor for me, it's more just to check the box.  In my experience, as long as you have a degree from a western country, nobody really cares where it's from to a certain degree.  I know someone who has a Australian MBA, and I doubt anyone has really looked down on it. 

Has anyone on here done one of the online programs for one of those state universities? 
Just kind of wondering what the advantage would be for me to go to one of those, other than the name.  

I believe there are also many online based masters degrees from Canada as well.

Graduate degrees require a lot of writing. In grad programs you're often working with the theory of the topic - so what makes it function, why, how. All that jazz. You're not implementing it. Like in Business Law you learn what the basic concepts of law are in undergrad. It grad you'd learn about how the concepts were developed and what makes them work. You'd be writing about this. In the grad classes I've completed, there were very few tests. It's all been writing for me except for 2 tests. Grad CBE programs are pretty much writing. 

Sure some programs will be easier for some people. It all depends on your knowledge, experience, and interest in the topic. I'd fail a class on tropical birds because I just don't care. I could write about them, but it wouldn't be very good. Now give me project management and I can write and talk about that for days. 

The marketing degree I'm finishing now I can't wait to finish. It's been painful. I'm just not interested in it which is really weird because I was very interested in marketing but as I've worked through the classes I've discovered that there is so much about marketing I dislike that it's made the work very hard to complete. I'm also not someone who falls in line with many of the principles and ideals of marketing. I don't watch commercials. I will change the channel, turn off the tv, pay not to have commercials, leave a website, etc because of commercials. I don't watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. I don't watch it at all. Things like this have caused me some issues with a few professors because I don't fit the mold and I'm going against the grain so to speak. 

I would say find a program and a topic that really interests you. That's the hardest part I think. It's not really about the school's name. It's the courses and their content. Unless your degree comes from one of the big names - UCLA, Stanford, Harvard, Cornell, etc no one is going to care. Sometimes going to an unknown school is a good thing. If the school isn't known for anything that means it's not known for controversies like being a party school, a school where rape is common, all of the problems that have plagued schools like Liberty, Capella, and U of Phoenix. Being under the radar can be a very good thing.

[sanantone]

University of Massachusetts Global has a self-paced MA in Organizational Leadership, but "Global" makes it obvious that it's an online branch for UMass.

https://www.umassglobal.edu/academic-pro...ip-my-path

The same applies to Purdue Global. It's a public university, but "Global" indicates that it's a virtual university.

https://www.purdueglobal.edu/degree-prog...ba-degree/

---

UMass Global is Brandman. The MAOL is the EXACT same degree ashkir completed at UMPI. It's VERY intensive. 

At Purdue Global only the ExcelTrack degree programs are CBE. Purdue Global is VERY writing intensive especially the ExcelTrack. Purdue Global is also NOT Purdue University. It's a satellite campus. Only the actual Purdue University campus is now called Purdue. Every other campus is now Purdue - whatever city it's located in. The diplomas also say Purdue Global. PUG is a private school not a public university. They've gotten weird with how they're labeling everything there. I believe it's from the backlash of buying Kaplan and calling it Purdue when it's really not.

I am aware that UMass Global used to be Brandman. Is there anyone on this forum who has attempted to complete the MAOL at UMass Global/Brandman and has written a review? Having the same major in a competency-based format doesn't necessarily mean that the coursework will be the same. Did UMPI buy an online program from Brandman or from the same company as Brandman? Did UMPI model their MAOL after Brandman's? How are they exactly the same? 

Purdue Global is not a satellite campus; it's a separate university with its own accreditation. Satellite campuses are extensions of a university; they extend access to ground courses to people who do not live near the main campus. For example, Texas State University, which is located in San Marcos, has a satellite campus an hour away in Round Rock. It's the same university under the same accreditation. Other members of the Texas State University System are completely separate institutions accredited individually. While Purdue Global is technically a public benefit nonprofit corporation formed by the State of Indiana to purchase Kaplan, the U.S. Department of Education has classified it as a public university because it is governed by the Trustees of Purdue University. It is not privately-owned. 

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=...&id=489779

https://www.purdueglobal.edu/faculty/art...y-2018.pdf

Most public university systems name their universities similar to how Purdue does. The city or a specialization (e.g. Health Science Center) is added to the end of the name. If there is a flagship university in the system, which is typically the first and most highly-regarded institution in the system, then it may or may not have a city at the end of its name. Colloquially, though, the city is often not mentioned for flagship campuses. For example, Texas A&M - College Station is simply called Texas A&M. The University of California System is unique in that it does not have a flagship university, so the city always has to be mentioned for every institution in the system. With the "new" mostly online universities, systems have started adding "Global" or a similar designator to the end of the university system name i.e. University of Maryland Global Campus, Colorado State University Global Campus, and University of Arkansas eVersity.

[ss20ts]

I am aware that UMass Global used to be Brandman. Is there anyone on this forum who has attempted to complete the MAOL at UMass Global/Brandman and has written a review? Having the same major in a competency-based format doesn't necessarily mean that the coursework will be the same. Did UMPI buy an online program from Brandman or from the same company as Brandman? Did UMPI model their MAOL after Brandman's? How are they exactly the same? 

Purdue Global is not a satellite campus; it's a separate university with its own accreditation. Satellite campuses are extensions of a university; they extend access to ground courses to people who do not live near the main campus. For example, Texas State University, which is located in San Marcos, has a satellite campus an hour away in Round Rock. It's the same university under the same accreditation. Other members of the Texas State University System are completely separate institutions accredited individually. While Purdue Global is technically a public benefit nonprofit corporation formed by the State of Indiana to purchase Kaplan, the U.S. Department of Education has classified it as a public university because it is governed by the Trustees of Purdue University. It is not privately-owned. 

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=...&id=489779

https://www.purdueglobal.edu/faculty/art...y-2018.pdf

Most public university systems name their universities similar to how Purdue does. The city or a specialization (e.g. Health Science Center) is added to the end of the name. If there is a flagship university in the system, which is typically the first and most highly-regarded institution in the system, then it may or may not have a city at the end of its name. Colloquially, though, the city is often not mentioned for flagship campuses. For example, Texas A&M - College Station is simply called Texas A&M. The University of California System is unique in that it does not have a flagship university, so the city always has to be mentioned for every institution in the system. With the "new" mostly online universities, systems have started adding "Global" or a similar designator to the end of the university system name i.e. University of Maryland Global Campus, Colorado State University Global Campus, and University of Arkansas eVersity.

Brandman created the MAOL with Strut Learning. Strut Learning is the platform used by both Brandman/UMass Global and UMPI. The MAOL uses the Brandman professors. They are the EXACT same classes. I've spoken to both schools and it's the SAME program. 

When you're a PUG student they let you know that you are NOT a Purdue student. They are separate institutions. Each campus is it's own institution and NOT Purdue. They've really made BIG changes to this over the last year. I've been watching it because my husband attends PUG and has received emails about these changes. 

Colorado State University - Global is part of the CSU system. However, it is its own school. It has nothing to do with the other CSU schools. They're even weird about transferring from another CSU school to CSU Global. I know because I attended CSU Global.

[sanantone]

I am aware that UMass Global used to be Brandman. Is there anyone on this forum who has attempted to complete the MAOL at UMass Global/Brandman and has written a review? Having the same major in a competency-based format doesn't necessarily mean that the coursework will be the same. Did UMPI buy an online program from Brandman or from the same company as Brandman? Did UMPI model their MAOL after Brandman's? How are they exactly the same? 

Purdue Global is not a satellite campus; it's a separate university with its own accreditation. Satellite campuses are extensions of a university; they extend access to ground courses to people who do not live near the main campus. For example, Texas State University, which is located in San Marcos, has a satellite campus an hour away in Round Rock. It's the same university under the same accreditation. Other members of the Texas State University System are completely separate institutions accredited individually. While Purdue Global is technically a public benefit nonprofit corporation formed by the State of Indiana to purchase Kaplan, the U.S. Department of Education has classified it as a public university because it is governed by the Trustees of Purdue University. It is not privately-owned. 

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=...&id=489779

https://www.purdueglobal.edu/faculty/art...y-2018.pdf

Most public university systems name their universities similar to how Purdue does. The city or a specialization (e.g. Health Science Center) is added to the end of the name. If there is a flagship university in the system, which is typically the first and most highly-regarded institution in the system, then it may or may not have a city at the end of its name. Colloquially, though, the city is often not mentioned for flagship campuses. For example, Texas A&M - College Station is simply called Texas A&M. The University of California System is unique in that it does not have a flagship university, so the city always has to be mentioned for every institution in the system. With the "new" mostly online universities, systems have started adding "Global" or a similar designator to the end of the university system name i.e. University of Maryland Global Campus, Colorado State University Global Campus, and University of Arkansas eVersity.

Brandman created the MAOL with Strut Learning. Strut Learning is the platform used by both Brandman/UMass Global and UMPI. The MAOL uses the Brandman professors. They are the EXACT same classes. I've spoken to both schools and it's the SAME program. 

When you're a PUG student they let you know that you are NOT a Purdue student. They are separate institutions. Each campus is it's own institution and NOT Purdue. They've really made BIG changes to this over the last year. I've been watching it because my husband attends PUG and has received emails about these changes. 

Colorado State University - Global is part of the CSU system. However, it is its own school. It has nothing to do with the other CSU schools. They're even weird about transferring from another CSU school to CSU Global. I know because I attended CSU Global.

Interesting information on Strut Learning. Thanks. 

All of the institutions under a public university system are separate institutions. If you're accredited independently, then you're a separate institution. CSU (flagship in Fort Collins), CSU - Pueblo, and CSU Global are all separate institutions. They're just governed by the same body. CSU - Pueblo students can't say they're Colorado State University students because that would be misleading. When people only say Colorado State University, they mean the flagship campus in Fort Collins. I've had to explain to people not living in Texas that they cannot say that they attended Texas A&M if they were a Texas A&M - Commerce student. Texas A&M is the flagship campus in College Station. Texas A&M - Commerce, Texas A&M - San Antonio, Texas A&M - Kingsville, etc. should always have the city mentioned.

[Courcelles]

I am aware that UMass Global used to be Brandman. Is there anyone on this forum who has attempted to complete the MAOL at UMass Global/Brandman and has written a review? Having the same major in a competency-based format doesn't necessarily mean that the coursework will be the same. Did UMPI buy an online program from Brandman or from the same company as Brandman? Did UMPI model their MAOL after Brandman's? How are they exactly the same? 

Purdue Global is not a satellite campus; it's a separate university with its own accreditation. Satellite campuses are extensions of a university; they extend access to ground courses to people who do not live near the main campus. For example, Texas State University, which is located in San Marcos, has a satellite campus an hour away in Round Rock. It's the same university under the same accreditation. Other members of the Texas State University System are completely separate institutions accredited individually. While Purdue Global is technically a public benefit nonprofit corporation formed by the State of Indiana to purchase Kaplan, the U.S. Department of Education has classified it as a public university because it is governed by the Trustees of Purdue University. It is not privately-owned. 

https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=...&id=489779

https://www.purdueglobal.edu/faculty/art...y-2018.pdf

Most public university systems name their universities similar to how Purdue does. The city or a specialization (e.g. Health Science Center) is added to the end of the name. If there is a flagship university in the system, which is typically the first and most highly-regarded institution in the system, then it may or may not have a city at the end of its name. Colloquially, though, the city is often not mentioned for flagship campuses. For example, Texas A&M - College Station is simply called Texas A&M. The University of California System is unique in that it does not have a flagship university, so the city always has to be mentioned for every institution in the system. With the "new" mostly online universities, systems have started adding "Global" or a similar designator to the end of the university system name i.e. University of Maryland Global Campus, Colorado State University Global Campus, and University of Arkansas eVersity.

Brandman created the MAOL with Strut Learning. Strut Learning is the platform used by both Brandman/UMass Global and UMPI. The MAOL uses the Brandman professors. They are the EXACT same classes. I've spoken to both schools and it's the SAME program. 

When you're a PUG student they let you know that you are NOT a Purdue student. They are separate institutions. Each campus is it's own institution and NOT Purdue. They've really made BIG changes to this over the last year. I've been watching it because my husband attends PUG and has received emails about these changes. 

Colorado State University - Global is part of the CSU system. However, it is its own school. It has nothing to do with the other CSU schools. They're even weird about transferring from another CSU school to CSU Global. I know because I attended CSU Global.

Interesting information on Strut Learning. Thanks. 

All of the institutions under a public university system are separate institutions. If you're accredited independently, then you're a separate institution. CSU (flagship in Fort Collins), CSU - Pueblo, and CSU Global are all separate institutions. They're just governed by the same body. CSU - Pueblo students can't say they're Colorado State University students because that would be misleading. When people only say Colorado State University, they mean the flagship campus in Fort Collins. I've had to explain to people not living in Texas that they cannot say that they attended Texas A&M if they were a Texas A&M - Commerce student. Texas A&M is the flagship campus in College Station. Texas A&M - Commerce, Texas A&M - San Antonio, Texas A&M - Kingsville, etc. should always have the city mentioned.

Several state systems issue diplomas that make this even harder to explain.  The Universities of South Carolina and Michigan have diplomas where that is the big headline, and in small print it says the city and the academic unit you studied at.  Like, if you get a degree in Columbia it would say:

The University of South Carolina

blah blah

Darla Moore School of Business (in small print, or whichever school within USC Columbia your program was in), the one from USC Aiken would have University of South Carolina Aiken here, but not in the big print up top.  Michigan and Michigan-Dearborn do the same thing; they look identical unless you know what to look for.  

University of Texas and North Carolina system schools?  The diplomas I've seen have the city -- even Austin or Chapel Hill -- in a place of great prominence.  Not sure I've ever seen an A&M diploma in real life to know how they do things.

[smartdegree]

There are some state school systems where the degree awarded is a bit ambiguous.  In the case of Penn State, they explicitly state that all campuses are part of "one university" - even though my understanding is that each campus is separately accredited and ranked as separate entities.  They also get the same looking diploma.  That's why when you get a Penn State World Campus degree, it is not clear whether you are getting it from University Park or some other campus.  According to Penn State itself, a Penn State degree is the same regardless of the campus that awards it.  Whether people outside Penn State believe that or not I guess is the question.