Mba

[snafu]

Starry, just so I have this straight, you plan to qualify shortly, to begin taking MBA courses online this fall, while continuing your current job. This is a huge commitment of time, effort and money. What personal support and assistance will you rely on? Those individuals know and understand what is needed?

What is the timeline for completion? You will fund the cost of each course from funds at hand or borrowed; you've rejected the idea of having employer contribute to cost due to the 2 year commitment it requires. You have not researched possible partial funding via scholarship, grants, bursaries, awards. You anticipate total payout to be $ __________.

[Cost of an Online MBA: Average Program Tuition and Fees - According to U.S. News & World Report the total cost for online MBA programs offered by public schools ranged from $2,000 to $96,000 during the 2014-2015 school year. The average total cost for a public school online MBA program that year was $25,525.]

Going forward, you will complete this advanced degree by _____________, and begin applying for[list of potential positions] with[list of potential employers within reasonable commute].

[TexasHusker]

This also brings up the whole question of "what" MBA and from "where."

There is a cottage industry of "executive" MBA plans out there from pretty stout schools. From what I understand, these are relatively easy degrees to get - you just have to have the $$ cash.

The schools are monetizing their good name and charging $50-100K to give you a sheep skin. Sounds awful but it's going on like crazy.

I don't know that most prospective employers ever really look into the rigors of a particular MBA program. An MBA program at a small college in your home town might be quite rigorous, while the rigors of an Executive MBA program from a brand name university might be quite minimal. Again, it's about the cash.

Sounds awful, but if I needed "MBA" after my name, I'd find the highest-profile program with the least rigor for the least cost and go with it.

[viewsfoggy]

MBA student here, currently in my last 2 classes before I graduate by end of summer (1.5 yr program). I was in your boat and knew the only way to advance in my career was through an MBA. I also did not want to take out so much money in loans. I had two options: 1) Take GMAT and go B&M route through local state university. This would add $30-$40k in more student loans. 2) Find a better alternative.

I came across WGU, found that it was regionally accredited, much cheaper and completely online which worked for my schedule. I have found great value in the content and competency based model and will end up only taking out $9k in student loans for the MBA. Since I don't plan to work for a Fortune 50 or Fortune 100 company, I knew where I went didn't matter. What mattered was what I learned from the curriculum which I've been able to demonstrate to leadership in my company already. This alternative may not work for everyone but it has worked for me.

There are other options out there without getting into so much debt, you just need to look for them. I highly recommend you take the plunge and get your MBA.

[Starry436]

I've not heard of WGU, but I will look into it. The cost at my local university will be around $16k, not including books but this is before applying for grants or scholarships. It's the cheapest I've found. I looked at other online programs and they were upwards of $30-60k. I also like knowing that I can go to campus if needed because I found my undergrad there to be challenging. Although, they've just recently started offering the program fully online so I'm interested to see how it's setup. I'd also hope to complete it in two years.

I don't think I'd necessarily learn anything substantial from the MBA.. It's more like another said, as a female in this industry, especially in my area, I think I'm going to need it to advance.

[~bs]

This also brings up the whole question of "what" MBA and from "where."

There is a cottage industry of "executive" MBA plans out there from pretty stout schools. From what I understand, these are relatively easy degrees to get - you just have to have the $$ cash.

The schools are monetizing their good name and charging $50-100K to give you a sheep skin. Sounds awful but it's going on like crazy.

I don't know that most prospective employers ever really look into the rigors of a particular MBA program. An MBA program at a small college in your home town might be quite rigorous, while the rigors of an Executive MBA program from a brand name university might be quite minimal. Again, it's about the cash.

Sounds awful, but if I needed "MBA" after my name, I'd find the highest-profile program with the least rigor for the least cost and go with it.

things are probably different nowdays, but back in the old days, part of the benefit of doing mba's and other programs is the opportunity to network. That's why many programs didn't offer part time, night, or online. They wanted you to not be working and commit fully to the master's degree.

nowadays, if all that's necessary is the extra alphabet letters after your name, probably online from a less brand name college in your free time is sufficient.