Anyone here doing their MBA? (1 Viewer)

[Moe Maishlish]

I'm seriously considering pursuing my MBA...

After Graduating University with an Honors Degree in Comp. Sci. a couple of years ago, I thought to myself that I'd had enough of the school experience... and I still kind of feel that way. However, I know the value of a good education, and think that an MBA might be valuable to me, especially if I want to start my own business sometime in the future.

The thing is that I work fulltime, and don't want to give up my job. I'd be a lot more comfortable with part-time MBA studies.

Is anyone doing this? Is there a way for mature students to complete an MBA via online courses? What options are open?

Thanks,

Moe.

 

[John_E]

Moe,
I'm halfway through mine at SUNY at Buffalo. Their MBA program is ranked among the top-40 in the world (WSJ & Forbes). It's a great program for part-time students, and I'm enjoying it very much. I take two classes a semester (fall, spring, summer) two nights a week. The summer classes end in mid-June, so we still have most of the summer off. All told, it is a 33 month program (no summer classes the 3rd year). However, it is fairly expensive to take this program compared to the daytime MBA....around $25,000US for the entire program including books. My company is paying so I don't really pay too much attention to the cost. Actually, we have a few Canadians in my class. I think that there is someone who commutes from Toronto. There are also people from Welland, Hamilton, and Niagara Falls. Here's the website: http://mgt.buffalo.edu/
Here's the program that I'm taking: http://mgt.buffalo.edu/pmba/
Good luck.

 

[Ryan Wright]

Check out the University of Phoenix. (www.phoenix.edu) They have an online degree program. A coworker is pursuing his MBA there now and says it's only a couple of hours per week worth of work. I am also finishing up a degree in Information Technology there, and spend maybe three hours per week on it. It's quick & easy. The fact that it's online means you don't have to set aside a specific time every day. You can login whenever you feel like it, so long as you keep up with your work. And yes, they're accredited.
It's not cheap, though. I'm taking two classes at a time and am going through about $2,600 every five weeks. Or rather, my employer is going through that money. By the time I'm finished it will have cost over $40k for a BS degree.

 

[Moe Maishlish]

Thanks guys!

John, I'd heard about the program in Buffalo, and know someone who drove to the US on a weekly basis to complete a teaching degree. The thing is that I don't want to commute, and that's a lot of commuting time for me (min 1.5 hours from Toronto to Buffalo, in clear weather & traffic).

Ryan, that's exactly what I'm looking for in terms of versatility & flexibility for completing my work.

Because of my schedule (working full-time, and yeah, I have a social life), I want to be able to maintain day-to-day activities without throwing a money-wrench into my life. So the phoenix program definately sounds up my alley...

All I need to do is figure out where the hell I'd get the money to pay for this thing though!!! $2,600 every five weeks is almost $5,000 in Canadian dollars... which I definately couldn't swing even if I stoped spending money.

Maybe my employer might consider subsidizing the degree. I'll need to check and see if this is an option.

Thanks!

Moe.

 

[John_E]

Moe,

UB also offers an EMBA program (E is for executive). It is a 22 month program (4 classes a semester). It runs 8am-5pm on Friday and Saturday. Several students that live relatively far away spend the night in a local hotel....

 

[Karl_O]

Moe, after you receive your MBA, what kind of business do you want to pursue?

 

[Moe Maishlish]

John,

Unfortunately I can't take a day off work for classes. My job requires me to be available Mon-Fri, during normal business hours. Springing for a hotel could also get somewhat costly. I've done some research into EMBA's here as well, and it's offered through Queens University (in Kingston), and the IVY School of Business (affiliated with the University of Western Ontario). They both have very good reputations, but don't fit with my schedule.

Karl,

I have a lot of aspirations, so I'm not quite sure yet. I currently work in the IT/Technology field, so I definately have a lot of vested interest there. There's also the possibility of perhaps becoming involved in Real-Estate/Property.

Moe.

 

[Ryan Wright]

All I need to do is figure out where the hell I'd get the money to pay for this thing though!!! $2,600 every five weeks is almost $5,000 in Canadian dollars... which I definately couldn't swing even if I stoped spending money.

I doubt it will cost you that much. I'm taking two classes at once - effectively doubling my degree. For a BS degree, if you take one class every 5 weeks, you'll complete it in 4 years like everyone else. If you take two, you can cut that time nearly in half. I say nearly because they do limit the number of credits you can get in a single year, so it's more like 2.5 - 3 years for a 4 year degree.

Assuming you take one class at a time (and I don't even know if you can double classes in a graduate program), you're probably looking in the neighborhood of $500 a credit. For a 3 credit course that's $1500 every 5 weeks. Still spendy as heck, but not the end of the world. At any rate, give them a call and see what they can do for you. For me, it's been the quickest and least intrusive (on my existing life) path to my degree.

 

[John_E]

Moe--I understand completely...I would have loved to get it over with in 22 months, but I couldn't take off the 1 day per week either. So far, two classes a week haven't caused too much of a cramp in my lifestyle. The only thing that I have really given up is my racquetball league. It was on the same night as one of my classes. I still have time for my ice hockey league in the winter and plenty of golf in the summer. I also have plenty of time to spend with my wife and son....mainly beacuse I do most of my studying at work!!!

In short, I have learned a great deal while becoming well-networked. The major drawback of the on-line course is you miss out on all of the networking opportunities. My class is full of budding executives in the Buffalo area. If I lost my job tomorrow, I'll bet that I could find a job within a week from one of my classmates. I highly recommend going for it no matter which school you choose provided you can make the finances work. Don't get me wrong....you will sacrifice some time/fun, but in the end it will be well worth it.

 

[MikeH]

Moe, for a Canadian alternative check out Athabasca University www.athabascau.ca Their MBA with an Info Tech specialty has had me thinking since they started offering the degree.
Mike

 

[Kirk Gunn]

How is Univ of Phoenix' reputation ? I searched google, but not much came up except links directly to UoPh. Got to be some dirt out there somewhere....

I had some folks attend Strayer college online for an undergraduate degree, and they were shocked to find that some employers don't see this as an actual degree (although I believe they are accredited). Caveat Emptor - just a degree isn't enough, gotta consider the source.

Thanks

 

[Karl_O]

In speaking of degrees, I could not imagine the number of spam I received in the last several months on obtaining them from unaccredited schools. I also could not believe that these schools will provide Masters' and Doctors' degrees, including MBAs! I can see why they are called "diploma mills."

 

[Ryan Wright]

How is Univ of Phoenix' reputation ? I searched google, but not much came up except links directly to UoPh. Got to be some dirt out there somewhere....

Well, they're an actual school with an actual campus. So they're not going to be any worse than any other real university. No, it's not Harvard, but if I wanted a Harvard degree I'd sell my soul to the devil and go get one.

As I said, I'm quite happy with their online program. It's a real degree, and quite easy to get - especially for those of us used to participating in forums. All classwork is done in online forums such as this. So it's a bit like surfing the HTF all day.