Arkansas State online MPA Review

[cardiacclep]

Hi all,

I thought I would give a review of the online Arkansas State Masters of Public Administration for anyone interested. I have benefited from reviews and suggestions from others on this forum so I thought I should give back with a review. I am currently about half way through the program so I feel I have a good grasp of the program and requirements. First off, the tuition is extremely affordable with graduate online tuition being $260/hour including in that is a tech and library fee. I have yet to see a cheaper option out there in my research. Another bonus in my opinion is that it has the brand name of a largely known public university. The brand name and affordability made it a no brainer in my opinion. I work in healthcare so I was looking for an advance degree and narrowed it down to either an MHA, MBA or MPA. I believe all three of those designations are interchangeable in the workforce for the most part especially when coupled with experience. Many MHA programs were twice as expensive as the Arkansas State program and the prerequisites and boring nature (my opinion) of most MBA curriculum turned me off to most programs.

The courses themselves are interesting and applicable to the real world administrative roles. All courses are 7 weeks so they pack a lot of information into those weeks with reading, forums and usually a terminal paper or group project. It is writing intensive with most classes ending with a 15-20 page paper. This sounds daunting but the nice feature of these classes is that the professor often allows you to choose your own topic of interest for most projects. This is the beauty of the program as I focus on healthcare topics thereby alleviating my anxiety of not getting an a MHA.

OVERVIEW SUMMARY
Program website: Distance Learning Programs | Arkansas State University Online
36 hours for MPA
$260 per hour
Two prerequisites: Economics class and US govt class
7 week classes
Arkansas State University brand name
Good professors
Friendly customer service

Let me know if you have any questions regarding this program. I recommend it highly for those looking for an administrative degree.

[KayV]

I have a friend who graduated from Arkansas State's Master of Education program and really liked it for many of the same reasons you gave. Enjoy your studies!

[chapmanp1]

Just applied for next Fall. Not quite sure if you still monitor this thread. If you do, I have a few questions!

[cardiacclep]

Congrats. It's a great program and I personally feel anyone interested in obtaining an online MPA should seriously consider this program. Great university and half the cost of other comparable MPA programs. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

[KittenMittens]

Congrats. It's a great program and I personally feel anyone interested in obtaining an online MPA should seriously consider this program. Great university and half the cost of other comparable MPA programs. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Great thread! I'm basically looking to get a master's degree for promotional purposes and like you said any master's i.e. MBA or MPA or MPH would suffice.

Some questions:
1) How are the courses like? Are they typically textbook driven or lecture driven? I.E. learn on your own and do the assignments? Are any recorded lectures mandatory?

2) How are exams typically taken? What are they typically like? Are they typically multiple choice or essay or project driven? Are they proctored?

3) Are the instructors/professors good, so-so, bad, or nightmarish in general?

4) If courses are 7 weeks long, how many courses could one do at a time? I have no problem writing 15 page papers, but it says 18 months to complete the MPA - how long did it take you to do to get halfway through and what's the shortest time someone could feasibly do it assuming they have little obligations/responsibilities?

5) Is the GRE required?

6) What are some other programs that are of a similar price worth looking into? You mentioned this has the highest accreditation right? So are there any worthy competitors?

7) How many credits can you transfer into the program and from this thread: http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...post186263 are there any courses mentioned that you think could transfer in?

8) Is enrollment every semester or just every Fall i.e. could I start this summer if I wanted to?

9) I took US history and not US government - are they going to be sticklers on that?

10) Are there any comprehensive "mid-way" exams or any "end of degree" exam or capstone & what does it entail?

Thanks!

[cardiacclep]

How are the courses like? Are they typically textbook driven or lecture driven? I.E. learn on your own and do the assignments? Are any recorded lectures mandatory?
Really depends. Every class is a bit different. There is usually one to three books we go through for each class. Some classes require parts of a book, some classes you will read the entire book plus other material. Almost all classes have a forum format for class discussion. Some classes also supplement with videos and internet resources.

2) How are exams typically taken? What are they typically like? Are they typically multiple choice or essay or project driven? Are they proctored?
Again, it depends. Most classes are research paper intensive for the most part. Some combine papers with timed exams without proctors. Discussions forums seemed to be used in all of the classes so far.

3) Are the instructors/professors good, so-so, bad, or nightmarish in general?
So far some of best teachers I have ever had. Reasonable and friendly. [/I][/I]

4) If courses are 8 weeks long, how many courses could one do at a time? I have no problem writing 15 page papers, but it says 18 months to complete the MPA - how long did it take you to do to get halfway through and what's the shortest time someone could feasibly do it assuming they have little obligations/responsibilities?
Actually they are 7 week long classes. I for awhile I was taking two classes simultaneously. That burned me out because I have a full time job and family obligations. If one does not have pressing obligations, you could take two courses at a time accelerating the process. The burnout is not worth it to me. If you did it full time I would imagine you could get it done well under a year.

5) Is the GRE required? Nope.

6) What are some other programs that are of a similar price worth looking into? You mentioned this has the highest accreditation right? So are there any worthy competitors?
Can't remember but it seemed to be the cheapest I could find with a good state university name. I think Troy University has a fairly priced MPA program. MPA tuition can be like MBA programs, all over the map. For example, I have seen some places that charge up to $66,000 for a full program. Again, it all depends. State schools seem the cheapest. NASPAA accreditation is the gold standard for MPA programs.

7) How many credits can you transfer into the program and from this thread: http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...post186263 are there any courses mentioned that you think could transfer in?
Not much if any. Did not really research that. I felt there is no point as nothing is cheaper or faster.

8) Is enrollment every semester or just every Fall i.e. could I start this summer if I wanted to?
I think fall but cant remember. Sorry.

9) I took US history and not US government - are they going to be sticklers on that?
They are listed as co-require so yes you need to have them done at some point.

10) Are there any comprehensive "mid-way" exams or any "end of degree" exam or capstone & what does it entail?[/I]
There is a capstone at the end of the program but I have yet to take. No mid-way exams.

Sorry, Im a bit tired tonight but I hope I helped you. In summary it is a awesome program that is probably the cheapest MPA out there. If there is one cheaper I would love to know not that I would switch. Plus it has the reputation of a good state school versus a more expensive nobody heard of school. I say go for it if it fits into your goals.

[KittenMittens]

I applied then for the summer. Do you know how long it takes to hear back upon a decision or is pretty quick?

An MPA looks like it will be more straightforward, and interesting to do than an MBA. I have a disdain for anything accounting related and there seems to be some overlap between the MBA and MPA in things learned.

Don't need a fancy schmancy MBA or MPA from a $60,000+ program, and MPAs seem to be best suited for government work which is what I'm in + I have tuition benefits each year that can cover the cost of the entire degree practically. More importantly, it is becoming more and more important to have a master's degree for any significant job promotions imo. Bachelor's just isn't cutting it anymore as it has in the past.

[rebel100]

This program was among my top picks for my own masters. Had I not elected an MBA I would have probably gone into this program...good thread.

[KittenMittens]

...

A random thought - are a lot of the books that you've used in ebook format or are they typically those hard to find books that cost like $300. Back in the day, when I had little money, I used to just photocopy pages out of chapters, saving me a few hundred dollars that way, and making my local print shop also happy in the process

[KittenMittens]

X-posted from other thread but for anyone who is curious about the US Government and Economics (I think it's microeconomics) pre-requisites for the MPA program, ASU posted their transfer credit policy here: http://www.astate.edu/a/hlc/resources/_f...n-2013.pdf which basically states that as long as a course or exam were ACE certified, it should count. In my case, I took Penn Foster Microeconomics, and I will be taking the SL US Government "course" to satisfy the pre-req for this program so it should be fine.

"TRANSFER CREDIT POLICY
Transfer work will be entered on the student’s permanent academic record when an official
transcript is presented to the University from a regionally accredited institution. All other transfer work
received is evaluated and considered on a case by case basis in the Office of Admissions, Records
and Registration in conjunction with Academic Affairs and Office of International Programs (as applicable).
ASU will consider awarding credit toward an Associate or a Baccalaureate degree for Advanced
Placement (AP), College Level Examination program (CLEP), Military service education and experi- ence, DANTES, formal non collegiate courses for which credit has been recommended as listed in
the Directory of National Program on Non Collegiate Sponsored Instruction and in the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs published by ACE, International Baccalaureate,
and Excelsior College Exams.
NOTE: Transfer credit may not satisfy specific General Requirements For All Baccalaureate Degrees.
Transfer credit may not satisfy specific degree requirements. Students must review the
university requirements and specific major requirements required for their degree.
The Academic Load Policy will govern the number of hours a student may apply toward the
aca- demic record when concurrently enrolled at ASU-Jonesboro and other institutions of higher education. ASU-Jonesboro hours will be applied first if more than the maximum number of hours are
submitted for approval. Currently enrolled students should not take courses at other institutions
without first checking with the advisors regarding the applicability of the courses for ASU credit and to
ensure that they are not taking inappropriate courses, non-equivalent courses, out-of-sequence
courses, courses on the wrong level or an overload for the semester.
Transfer of English Composition courses will not be accepted from international institutions. This
policy is normally waived for citizens of the British Isles, Australia, the English speaking portions of
Canada and New Zealand."