Where's the best place to get an MBA (off campus or distance, of course)???

[Ubuntu_user]

I haven't been able to find out whether TESC would allow me to do my BSBA in accounting and MBA in the same enrollment year... But anyway, I was wondering if there's a better college out there to get a MBA from? I'm looking for the lowest cost possible (while of course still being reputable and accredited)...

[ryoder]

TESC is not the best choice for 2 reasons. 1 is that it has no business school accreditation and 2 is that it is expensive.
Go to GetEducated.com | Review, Rate, Rank & Compare Online Colleges & Degrees and look for AACSB public schools first. Jacksonville State University is a good one JSU | Office of the Bursar | Tuition & Fees*

[rebel100]

WHere do you live? Best cheap MBA is likely in your backyard. Also take a look at Eastern New Mexico University if going part time, and Chadron State in Nebraska. Both are quite affordable and are solid state schools. both should be less than 10K total

I would likely pass on TESC for an MBA.

[sanantone]

TESC does not have an MBA program; it only has an MS in Management and an MS in Human Resources.

[ryoder]

TESC is probably coming out with an MBA though. The school asked me to participate in an online survey about the upcoming MBA.
If you want a self-paced MBA that is ACBSP accredited, you have 2 options.
Northcentral University and Nichols College. These both have no name recognition but Nichols College is brick and mortar. ACBSP is below AACSB on the food chain.

[Yenisei]

Try to get your MBA from a school that gets a lot of corporate recruiters (that's obviously going to be a B&M school) in the area you want to work.

[Ubuntu_user]

Wow, interesting stuff guys! Thanks for all the helpful information – it's really appreciated.

I had no clue about the AACSB accreditation thing... It's a good thing I asked!


How long does an MBA take to complete? And is it necessary to get work experience before getting my MBA (I'm heading towards a CPA)?

Thanks everybody!

[Ubuntu_user]

WHere do you live? Best cheap MBA is likely in your backyard. Also take a look at Eastern New Mexico University if going part time, and Chadron State in Nebraska. Both are quite affordable and are solid state schools. both should be less than 10K total

I would likely pass on TESC for an MBA.

I live out in the boonies in MT. Seriously though, I'm a couple hours away from MSUB.

[rebel100]

If your planning to stay in Montana I would consider any offering they had that would allow you to get the MBA.

If you look into the competitive MBA programs you will find they provide a couple of important things. First they are very serious about you networking with your classmates, At the University of Florida Hough school (a top 50 MBA program) even your spouse or significant other is expected to make appearances, and they have field days to draw your group together. Vaunted Harvard is known for the same kind of style. Secondly these schools gain much of their value from placing the students in jobs upon graduation. If the school doesn't have an active post grad placement service then you should maybe re-think going there. It's about connections. Now id your already in a job and just need the MBA to move up then a lesser distance program might make sense. Here is where accreditation takes on an even bigger importance, you want a vetted program that meets a high standard.

Schools will usually suggest a couple of years workforce experience, but that varies greatly from school to school.

I believe the University of South Dakota offers a respected MBA program. You might also consider the MA management from Minot State....though it is not an MBA.

Read through this site to get a feel for what's out there and what to expect: Poets&Quants’ Top 100 MBA Programs in the U.S. | Poets and Quants

For the contrarian view try some Kaufman: The Personal MBA - Master the Art of Business I particularly like his take on the Big 3 and Harvard Extension School. Hacking Higher Education, Part 3 - Mike Stankavich Case Study

[ryoder]

I completed mine in 7 months at NCU but many people take the full 36 months due to having to take 12 months of remedial business courses followed by 24 months of part time courses.

Wow, interesting stuff guys! Thanks for all the helpful information – it's really appreciated.

I had no clue about the AACSB accreditation thing... It's a good thing I asked!


How long does an MBA take to complete? And is it necessary to get work experience before getting my MBA (I'm heading towards a CPA)?

Thanks everybody!