WGU MBA in 57 days - NOT ME!

[jsh1138]

"That's AMAZING, but I'd be cautious. We all know that WGU is a quality school, but I'm not sure I'd want a future employer knowing that I got an MBA that can be had in 57 days."


I believe the University of Glasgow offers an MBA that can be had with just an oral exam that lasts 3 days, iirc.

[jsd]

I believe the University of Glasgow offers an MBA that can be had with just an oral exam that lasts 3 days, iirc.

Can you provide more information about this? It seems so far-fetched. I'd be curious as to what the specifics are.

[noswttea4u]

I'll be done tomorrow with everything except the capstone. Started on 9/1, so 26 days to complete those classes.
I can't start the Capsim until October 4th unfortunately - earliest date available.

Nice! Which specific degree/area of study are you working on, and any tips to share in terms of how you were able to get through the courses quickly? I'm planning to enroll as soon as my degree is confirmed and am hoping to get through everything within a single term, and hopefully much faster.

Then again, I'm also debating between MBA in IT Management, MS in IT Management, and MS Management & Leadership. So the choice of degree may change the approach.

If I can get through WGU quickly I may also consider the Georgia Tech MS in Computer Science as well. I'm waiting to see how the others do with getting into that program given we don't know how non-traditional degrees affect acceptance.

I'm in the standard MBA. After you do orientation on the 15th, you get access to all of your classes; I started writing all of my papers ASAP.
My undergrad was in Economics from a traditional school, UGA, so I had a good foundation in Econ and I have about 6 years of HR experience so that made the exams for Human Capital and Econ cake.
Just write exactly to the rubric; no more, no less.

I was previously accepted into Tech's OMSCS, but changed my mind as it is not really relevant to my career. I may do the MSML at WGU next (would have to wait til March) or Ph.D. from the University of the Cumberlands. I haven't decided.

[Merlin]

I'll be done tomorrow with everything except the capstone. Started on 9/1, so 26 days to complete those classes.
I can't start the Capsim until October 4th unfortunately - earliest date available.

Nice! Which specific degree/area of study are you working on, and any tips to share in terms of how you were able to get through the courses quickly? I'm planning to enroll as soon as my degree is confirmed and am hoping to get through everything within a single term, and hopefully much faster.

Then again, I'm also debating between MBA in IT Management, MS in IT Management, and MS Management & Leadership. So the choice of degree may change the approach.

If I can get through WGU quickly I may also consider the Georgia Tech MS in Computer Science as well. I'm waiting to see how the others do with getting into that program given we don't know how non-traditional degrees affect acceptance.

I'm in the standard MBA. After you do orientation on the 15th, you get access to all of your classes; I started writing all of my papers ASAP.
My undergrad was in Economics from a traditional school, UGA, so I had a good foundation in Econ and I have about 6 years of HR experience so that made the exams for Human Capital and Econ cake.
Just write exactly to the rubric; no more, no less.

I was previously accepted into Tech's OMSCS, but changed my mind as it is not really relevant to my career. I may do the MSML at WGU next (would have to wait til March) or Ph.D. from the University of the Cumberlands. I haven't decided.

Got it. My background is in software engineering, IT, and technology management (mostly in game development) so I figured that the OMSCS would be an easy fit for a second degree. But before that, I am more interested in expanding my credentials on the business operations & organizational leadership side since that is what I do most these days. So I figure the MBA or MS ML would be a great supplement to my resume to show my credentials.

That said, I don't know if any of my experience will give me an upper hand in any of the MBA coursework. How long are the papers you've been writing in general?

I'm not looking forward to the writing since I tend to have a hard time focusing on a topic and limiting my research when doing academic writing, but once I have a strong grasp of the material I can burn through papers pretty quickly. Given the IT focus, I wonder if that will mean less, more, or the same amount of writing?

In addition to the papers I assume there are exams (and certifications in some cases, like the IT Management AOS)? What is the balance between the two? Given the pace you've been moving, I have to assume those are relatively quick to get through as well.

Thanks!

[GoodYellowDogs]

"That's AMAZING, but I'd be cautious. We all know that WGU is a quality school, but I'm not sure I'd want a future employer knowing that I got an MBA that can be had in 57 days."


I believe the University of Glasgow offers an MBA that can be had with just an oral exam that lasts 3 days, iirc.

I've already addressed the short time in another post - how I would feel about it as an employer.  I'd be overjoyed to take an employee who was that focused and determined.  Stretch GOAL!!!

[quigongene]

If I can get through WGU quickly I may also consider the Georgia Tech MS in Computer Science as well. I'm waiting to see how the others do with getting into that program given we don't know how non-traditional degrees affect acceptance.

I'm pretty sure I saw someone with a WGU undergrad get into the OMSCS program. It was in the OMSCS subreddit.

[Merlin]

If I can get through WGU quickly I may also consider the Georgia Tech MS in Computer Science as well. I'm waiting to see how the others do with getting into that program given we don't know how non-traditional degrees affect acceptance.

I'm pretty sure I saw someone with a WGU undergrad get into the OMSCS program.  It was in the OMSCS subreddit.

That makes sense. I'll be coming from TESU with 90% of my credits coming from alt. sources, so I'm not sure how that will match up. I'd most likely be looking at the OMSCS after I already have an MBA or MS from WGU though rather than the other way around, but I don't know if having an existing masters from the IT or business side would be helpful or a hindrance to getting accepted to the OMSCS. Going the other way is also an option, but I figure I can move through the WGU program more quickly, plus it would probably be more relevant to my current career.

That said, I do have close to 30 years of experience in software engineering and technology leadership, so I assume that would be a bonus in my favor for the OMSCS. However, the bulk of my CS skills are self-taught or were learned on-the-job. I've since moved into senior management so I don't really code anymore other than for fun, but this still seems like something that would be in my wheelhouse.

[jsd]

I've definitely seen WGU folks on reddit getting into the OMSCS. Hopefully I will be one of those stories, with the OMSCySec instead of OMSCS though.

[quigongene]

I've definitely seen WGU folks on reddit getting into the OMSCS. Hopefully I will be one of those stories, with the OMSCySec instead of OMSCS though.

Ditto for me for Fall 2019.

[noswttea4u]

I'll be done tomorrow with everything except the capstone. Started on 9/1, so 26 days to complete those classes.
I can't start the Capsim until October 4th unfortunately - earliest date available.

Nice! Which specific degree/area of study are you working on, and any tips to share in terms of how you were able to get through the courses quickly? I'm planning to enroll as soon as my degree is confirmed and am hoping to get through everything within a single term, and hopefully much faster.

Then again, I'm also debating between MBA in IT Management, MS in IT Management, and MS Management & Leadership. So the choice of degree may change the approach.

If I can get through WGU quickly I may also consider the Georgia Tech MS in Computer Science as well. I'm waiting to see how the others do with getting into that program given we don't know how non-traditional degrees affect acceptance.

I'm in the standard MBA. After you do orientation on the 15th, you get access to all of your classes; I started writing all of my papers ASAP.
My undergrad was in Economics from a traditional school, UGA, so I had a good foundation in Econ and I have about 6 years of HR experience so that made the exams for Human Capital and Econ cake.
Just write exactly to the rubric; no more, no less.

I was previously accepted into Tech's OMSCS, but changed my mind as it is not really relevant to my career. I may do the MSML at WGU next (would have to wait til March) or Ph.D. from the University of the Cumberlands. I haven't decided.

Got it. My background is in software engineering, IT, and technology management (mostly in game development) so I figured that the OMSCS would be an easy fit for a second degree. But before that, I am more interested in expanding my credentials on the business operations & organizational leadership side since that is what I do most these days. So I figure the MBA or MS ML would be a great supplement to my resume to show my credentials.

That said, I don't know if any of my experience will give me an upper hand in any of the MBA coursework. How long are the papers you've been writing in general?

I'm not looking forward to the writing since I tend to have a hard time focusing on a topic and limiting my research when doing academic writing, but once I have a strong grasp of the material I can burn through papers pretty quickly. Given the IT focus, I wonder if that will mean less, more, or the same amount of writing?

In addition to the papers I assume there are exams (and certifications in some cases, like the IT Management AOS)? What is the balance between the two? Given the pace you've been moving, I have to assume those are relatively quick to get through as well.

Thanks!

There are 5 classes with just an OA, aka test. 4 of the tests are 69 questions; 1 is 50. The slowest(most boring) class to get through is Operations Management, but if you have a PMP, six sigma certification, or a good understanding of what they entail then this will be fairly easy.
There are 4 classes with just a PA, aka essay.
There is 1 class with a PA and OA. The capstone is PA and Capsim.

Minus the capstone, I have written:
Marketing - 15 pages
Data Driven Decision Making Task 1 - 1 page
Data Driven Decision Making Task 2 - 11 pages
Ethical Leadership Task 1 - 12 pages
Ethical Leadership Task 2 - 9 pages
Ethical Leadership Task 3 - 10 pages
Management Communication Task 1 - 3 pages + 7 slide powerpoint + 6 minute video presentation
Management Communication Task 2 - 10 pages
Organizational Leadership Task 1 - 15 pages
Organizational Leadership Task 2 - 10 pages

Capstone will be:
Task 3 - 3 pages
Task 4 - 18 pages (est)
Task 5 - 12 slide powerpoint + 10 minute presentation (est)
Tasks 1 and 2 are the capsim with the group.