Which degree to pursue to enrol into a recognized MBA program?

[danyalati]

There seems to be so many routes leading to apply for an MBA program. Anyway since i am 21, i want to attend a brick and mortar MBA program, rather then a online one and preferably a well recognized university. Has anyone done this that you know about? please advise or atleast lead me towards any of the big 3 colleges.

furthermore, I want to know if there's a difference between having gre vs clep/dsst on transcript that might impact the admission officer's decision for a mba program? to me it seems that clep/dantes display a wider area of knowledge and perhaps closer to the education one would recieve in a brick and mortar school.

Also, how would the grading system, like the gpa acheived work through clep and dsst if most of the credits are tested out?

And you guys are doing a great job! i wish more teenagers start testing out and recieving credits through clep/dsst

[danyalati]

bump.

this is my first thread so please ignore my ignorance

[skyfall123]

Below is a link to one of the best MBA programs that you could hope to get into. The site is full of answers, profiles, statistics, job placement info...etc. They also have an online program which has been done successfully by at least one Excelsior grad. Full-Time MBA Program: Kelley School of Business: Indiana University Bloomington

[perrik]

Frankly, unless you have some solid business experience already, you're going to struggle to get accepted in many traditional MBA programs.

To have a reasonable shot at getting into a good B&M MBA program, you will need the following:
1. GPA of 3.0 or higher. That's the minimum for most masters-level programs in any subject, online or B&M. Some will accept a lower GPA, but the higher the better.
2. Strong GMAT score. Check the B-schools that interest you to find out the average score of those accepted. When your other criteria are a little weak, a really good GMAT score can balance them out. Think 80th percentile or better.
3. Letters of recommendation. You'll need two or three LORs that speak to your academic potential and business potential.
4. A really strong admissions essay. Why do you want an MBA? What do you think you'll get out of the program? What experience and skills will you to contribute to your cohort? Why does this particular school interest you? Not all programs will have a mandatory essay, but if it's an option, take advantage of this chance to sell yourself to the admissions committee.

Academic background - your major does not matter. However, it would be a great idea to take at least introductory classes in management, statistics, and business law, plus other business-related electives. Get in the full intro year of both accounting and economics (all four classes can be CLEP'ed). Check out the math requirements of the programs that interest you - some won't require any specific math, some will require at least algebra, and others will require calculus.

As for getting credits, focus on ones that give you letter grades. You can use Straighterline to get letter grades for accounting I & II and econ I & II. Excelsior grants letter grades for many DSSTs including the business ones.

Although I'm using the subject GRE to grab a whole major's worth of Excelsior credit, it will appear on my transcript as a number of pass/fail credits granted at lower and upper level, rather than as individual classes. This might matter to an MBA admissions committee. Or it might not. When in doubt, just focus on maximizing your graded credit.

[malcs]

In my opinion, it makes sense to have a little bit of diversity in your education. Getting a BS in Business, then an MBA does not give you that, even though it is the most direct route to meeting the MBa pre-reqs.

I am in the application process for an MBA at Jacksonville State, and here is what the dean told me I need as pre-reqs.

Accounting 1
Statistics
Intro to Mgmt
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Finance
Introductory Business Law
Principles of Marketing
Operations (search the forums for Pueblo, 311 course)

You can probably work most of these into whatever degree you are taking.
Statistics, and Macroeconomics can be worked in to any degree for sure.
If you are a manager at work you might get away with Intro to Mgmt.

Marketting is probably the easiest CLEP test ever created, and requires no more than a week of part time study. Walk around KMart for a few hours and know how to calculate a markdown, and you will be an expert. That leaves only five other courses to work in to your undergrad degree.


GREs are a great bang for the buck, but they are not standard credits. CLEP, DSST, and ECE correspond 1:1 with Brick and Mortar courses.

The feelings about GRE credit change over time. How do I know? Well, I watched my GRE in Comp Sci go from 36 credits, to 6 credits, to nothing, over a long period of years. EC completely changed how they convert these to credits, and since my degree was not conferred I lost most all of them. It also annoys people that you got 36 credits for a three hour test, and they had to sit through four years of classes in their major for the same credit.

[Gary]

Wilmington University Distance Learning
Brick and mortar w/online to boot. Somehow this might answer your question. There are programs out there that accept students w/only Bachelor Degrees w/no certain reqt's. This is one school, I'm sure there are quite a few others. No GMAT, GRE or high GPA req'd. They have what appears to be a good program, I personally walked through the school w/the Director, who was very personable and accessable. They start you the prereqs you need and you move forward. While AACSB accreditation may be important to some, it is not the end all be all. Between this website and googling, it opens up a world of possibilities.
Note: I do agree w/perrick BUT there are options out there. Even though some schools are dropping GMAT/GRE reqt's, for most, it's the norm. In other cases, a strong work background can be used in lieu of. Luckily, there are some other options, even if they are limited.