University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign

[MichaelDoesMarketing]

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion.

[Pats20]

Yes. It’s been mentioned on this forum before. Definitely a solid choice. I think the msm is $12k now unless I’m mistaken. Their msa program is around $24k as well. So I’m curious as to how your family member faired from the program. Have they received a generous promotion , pay raise , or job offer ?

[Duneranger]

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

[Pats20]

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

I absolutely agree with Michigan. The biggest downside is it cost $130k.     Which isn’t a viable option for most of us on this board, but if you’ve got it heck yea. Go for it.

[Duneranger]

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

I absolutely agree with Michigan. The biggest downside is it cost $130k.     Which isn’t a viable option for most of us on this board, but if you’ve got it heck yea. Go for it.

My other degree was already 130k, I’ll pass haha!

[bjcheung77]

Yeah, U of I - Urbana Champaign has been mentioned numerous times for their 70% off scholarship to the IMSM... it's the only AACSB degree for around $4K if you get that discount! A few members were accepted, but no one reported back they got the scholarship... so, not sure how that is going to work, but for 12K, it's a steal for AACSB and a Masters from a high ranking institution. I just love what Coursera and Edx has done, much cheaper options available for those who needed it...

[Pats20]

Yeah, U of I - Urbana Champaign has been mentioned numerous times for their 70% off scholarship to the IMSM... it's the only AACSB degree for around $4K if you get that discount!  A few members were accepted, but no one reported back they got the scholarship... so, not sure how that is going to work, but for 12K, it's a steal for AACSB and a Masters from a high ranking institution.  I just love what Coursera and Edx has done, much cheaper options available for those who needed it...

It would def be a super bargain if you can get it for $4k. The msm sounds good but I don’t think acceptance into mba is guaranteed upon completion. Which makes it a little more risky if an mba from UIUC is your long term objective.

[MichaelDoesMarketing]

Yes. It’s been mentioned on this forum before. Definitely a solid choice. I think the msm is $12k now unless I’m mistaken. Their msa program is around $24k as well. So I’m curious as to how your family member faired from the program. Have they received a generous promotion , pay raise , or job offer ?

He owns his own company now but prior to that it definitely helped him get promoted at his previous job. He now owns a successful workout supplement company and has his products in large retail stores like Wal-Mart and Target.

---

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

The group project part is honestly one of the drawbacks that doesn't make me want to go all-in. I was born and raised in Illinois as well but wasn't sure if the online version had the same rep of the B&M so that's good to know.

---

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

I absolutely agree with Michigan. The biggest downside is it cost $130k.     Which isn’t a viable option for most of us on this board, but if you’ve got it heck yea. Go for it.

I wish I had 130k to shell out for a degree hahaha

---

Yeah, U of I - Urbana Champaign has been mentioned numerous times for their 70% off scholarship to the IMSM... it's the only AACSB degree for around $4K if you get that discount!  A few members were accepted, but no one reported back they got the scholarship... so, not sure how that is going to work, but for 12K, it's a steal for AACSB and a Masters from a high ranking institution.  I just love what Coursera and Edx has done, much cheaper options available for those who needed it...

I think they gave out all the scholarships already until the end of next year. The iMSM still seems promising to me though. I love what Coursera and EdX have done too.

---

Yeah, U of I - Urbana Champaign has been mentioned numerous times for their 70% off scholarship to the IMSM... it's the only AACSB degree for around $4K if you get that discount!  A few members were accepted, but no one reported back they got the scholarship... so, not sure how that is going to work, but for 12K, it's a steal for AACSB and a Masters from a high ranking institution.  I just love what Coursera and Edx has done, much cheaper options available for those who needed it...

It would def be a super bargain if you can get it for $4k. The msm sounds good but I don’t think acceptance into mba is guaranteed upon completion. Which makes it a little more risky if an mba from UIUC is your long term objective.

If I do choose to pursue this route, I'll prob do the grad cert firs and then the iMSM. I'd see how I felt after that about finishing out the iMBA (if I get accepted of course). I will probably do the something like WGU or the UMPI-MAOL in the meantime.

[Duneranger]

Yes. It’s been mentioned on this forum before. Definitely a solid choice. I think the msm is $12k now unless I’m mistaken. Their msa program is around $24k as well. So I’m curious as to how your family member faired from the program. Have they received a generous promotion , pay raise , or job offer ?

He owns his own company now but prior to that it definitely helped him get promoted at his previous job. He now owns a successful workout supplement company and has his products in large retail stores like Wal-Mart and Target.

---

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

The group project part is honestly one of the drawbacks that doesn't make me want to go all-in. I was born and raised in Illinois as well but wasn't sure if the online version had the same rep of the B&M so that's good to know.

---

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

I absolutely agree with Michigan. The biggest downside is it cost $130k.     Which isn’t a viable option for most of us on this board, but if you’ve got it heck yea. Go for it.

I wish I had 130k to shell out for a degree hahaha

---

Yeah, U of I - Urbana Champaign has been mentioned numerous times for their 70% off scholarship to the IMSM... it's the only AACSB degree for around $4K if you get that discount!  A few members were accepted, but no one reported back they got the scholarship... so, not sure how that is going to work, but for 12K, it's a steal for AACSB and a Masters from a high ranking institution.  I just love what Coursera and Edx has done, much cheaper options available for those who needed it...

I think they gave out all the scholarships already until the end of next year. The iMSM still seems promising to me though. I love what Coursera and EdX have done too.

---

Yeah, U of I - Urbana Champaign has been mentioned numerous times for their 70% off scholarship to the IMSM... it's the only AACSB degree for around $4K if you get that discount!  A few members were accepted, but no one reported back they got the scholarship... so, not sure how that is going to work, but for 12K, it's a steal for AACSB and a Masters from a high ranking institution.  I just love what Coursera and Edx has done, much cheaper options available for those who needed it...

It would def be a super bargain if you can get it for $4k. The msm sounds good but I don’t think acceptance into mba is guaranteed upon completion. Which makes it a little more risky if an mba from UIUC is your long term objective.

If I do choose to pursue this route, I'll prob do the grad cert firs and then the iMSM. I'd see how I felt after that about finishing out the iMBA (if I get accepted of course). I will probably do the something like WGU or the UMPI-MAOL in the meantime.

One thing about their MSM that I find interesting is the myriad of specialties and concentrations you can choose. That’s a pretty cool plus.

[MichaelDoesMarketing]

Yes. It’s been mentioned on this forum before. Definitely a solid choice. I think the msm is $12k now unless I’m mistaken. Their msa program is around $24k as well. So I’m curious as to how your family member faired from the program. Have they received a generous promotion , pay raise , or job offer ?

He owns his own company now but prior to that it definitely helped him get promoted at his previous job. He now owns a successful workout supplement company and has his products in large retail stores like Wal-Mart and Target.

---

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

The group project part is honestly one of the drawbacks that doesn't make me want to go all-in. I was born and raised in Illinois as well but wasn't sure if the online version had the same rep of the B&M so that's good to know.

---

I haven't seen anyone mention U of I - Urbana Champaign so I thought I'd add to the list. It's a top ranked school and the Gies School of Business has a strong reputation. The reason I'm mentioning them is two-fold. 

1.) They have an awesome system to ladder-up your way to your MBA. You can start on Coursera (for $49/month) and take individual U of I classes and even earn a specialization. You can then ladder these into a graduate certificate (or just take the graduate certificate on Coursera. I believe it's around 3k for the grad cert). You can then ladder your graduate certificate (which is equal to 12 credits) into their one-year Master of Science - Management degree. After that you can ladder up your Master of Science Management into your MBA (the MSM is exactly halfway to completion of the MBA) and then finish out with two degrees. It's a great system because you're making achievements all along the way by being able to showcase a graduate certificate (or two), then a MS Management degree, and then eventually an MBA.

2.) The MSM degree is 10k which is a great price for a top-ranked degree. The MBA is 20k total (or an additional 10k if you get the MSM first). It's also a pay-as-you-go schedule but you can still get student loans if need be. 

Just thought I'd share as I'm exploring this option in the coming future. I have a family member who did this exact process and I attended a webinar on it yesterday with current and former students. It looks very promising and would most likely open a lot of doors upon completion

Yeah it’s a decent program, although I think neighboring Indiana U (Kelley) is better.

People don’t talk about it here for multiple reasons but mainly because people want cheap, easy, accelerated and tend to avoid group projects.

I’m in IL and the rep for the online school isn’t as good as the in person program (MSM). Obviously the degrees are the same but there are some issues with large class sizes and tons of international students doing the online program and getting group projects done.

Had a friend transfer out of the iMBA because he said half the students were like fish out of water and should not have been there. It soured his experience. To him the school name has pull but the program did not. He went to UMich which probably has the best ranked online MBA.

An online MBA is not going to get someone without a ton of experience into a FAANG company but for a student who is older and already peaked out in their career field it could provide a small boost. The magic for hitting those insanely high paying jobs happens at T25 full time programs that have a ton of networking. A few colleagues of mine stopped working in their late 20s and went back the MBA school full time and it paid dividends. All making 300k plus.

I absolutely agree with Michigan. The biggest downside is it cost $130k.     Which isn’t a viable option for most of us on this board, but if you’ve got it heck yea. Go for it.

I wish I had 130k to shell out for a degree hahaha

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Yeah, U of I - Urbana Champaign has been mentioned numerous times for their 70% off scholarship to the IMSM... it's the only AACSB degree for around $4K if you get that discount!  A few members were accepted, but no one reported back they got the scholarship... so, not sure how that is going to work, but for 12K, it's a steal for AACSB and a Masters from a high ranking institution.  I just love what Coursera and Edx has done, much cheaper options available for those who needed it...

I think they gave out all the scholarships already until the end of next year. The iMSM still seems promising to me though. I love what Coursera and EdX have done too.

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Yeah, U of I - Urbana Champaign has been mentioned numerous times for their 70% off scholarship to the IMSM... it's the only AACSB degree for around $4K if you get that discount!  A few members were accepted, but no one reported back they got the scholarship... so, not sure how that is going to work, but for 12K, it's a steal for AACSB and a Masters from a high ranking institution.  I just love what Coursera and Edx has done, much cheaper options available for those who needed it...

It would def be a super bargain if you can get it for $4k. The msm sounds good but I don’t think acceptance into mba is guaranteed upon completion. Which makes it a little more risky if an mba from UIUC is your long term objective.

If I do choose to pursue this route, I'll prob do the grad cert firs and then the iMSM. I'd see how I felt after that about finishing out the iMBA (if I get accepted of course). I will probably do the something like WGU or the UMPI-MAOL in the meantime.

One thing about their MSM that I find interesting is the myriad of specialties and concentrations you can choose. That’s a pretty cool plus.

That was one of the best parts for me tbh..