Full Sail University

[ss20ts]

East Tennessee State has one and is RA and AACSB: https://www.etsu.edu/online/graduate-deg...keting.php  27k.

Illinois U-C (RA, whether this program is covered by the AACSB is not clear) has an MS in Strategic Brand Communication for 28k. https://sbc.illinois.edu/?utm_source=Ill...ing%20Page

Neither of these requires the GMAT or GRE, though both will consider scores.

I can't seem to get Full Sail's website to actually spit out a price.  But if you want to adjunct at an RA community college, an NA masters could be a hard, insurmountable wall.

Both of those schools are more than $22,000 which is what the tuition is at FSU which also is the MS in Digital Marketing that I am looking for.

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Thoughts on Full Sail University as far as grad programs? I'll have earned my BS in Organizational Leadership from CSU Global and a Marketing Certificate from FHSU by the time I enroll in grad school. I'm looking for an online digital marketing master's. I'd love to be done in a year and that is possible at FSU. The tuition isn't ridiculous. The two potential drawbacks I'm seeing are that it's for-profit which some people snark at, but ALL universities and colleges are allowed to make a profit whether or not they have a tax exemption. Even non-profit universities and colleges are allowed to make a profit so that's not a huge deal to me. The issue I've come across is that they are only nationally accredited. They are licensed by the state of Florida, but they don't have a regional accreditation. Will this be an issue in work life? I am also toying with the idea of adjuncting at a local community college teaching marketing. I'm not 100% committed to it though. I mean I'd love to do it if I have the time once I have a job in marketing. I'm far more concerned about the challenges finding a job with a degree from a nationally accredited university.

Full Sail is kind of a niche art school that is more occupational focused. If you are looking for a degree to teach (as an adjunct) then an NA master's degree probably will not qualify as a suitable teaching credential at most RA colleges, though that depends on the school since they may only require an RA bachelor's to teach. This appears to be the minimum requirement for some smaller private for-profit schools. However, if you're interested in attending Full Sail to gain knowledge that can be used on the job, and your employer doesn't care what kind of degree you have, then this is a fine option.

As was mentioned above, Full Sail is well-known in certain communities, particularly the art/design community and the computer games community. Most of their teaching staff (at least in the game dev programs) are well-known experts in their industry and they teach real-world skills. So if you want to learn, it isn't a bad place. That said, I don't think I'd consider them for digital marketing, but it would depend on the curriculum, the teachers, and whether you want the degree for skill advancement or for the credential. In the latter case, I'd try to find an RA school.

I personally feel that they are overpriced for a technical school without RA accreditation, even if their programs are good.

It's funny how everyone says they're expensive, but every other college/university mentioned on this thread costs more. Is the price difference because those are RA? I'm not dead set on adjuncting. I always just thought it would be nice to give back to a community college since that was where I got my start in the land of academia. The struggles colleges are facing now because of COVID, it's looking less and less like I'd have the opportunity anyway. A good number of colleges are folding so there will be a ton of out of work profs. And everyone and their grandmother has a MBA these days. My undergrad is a business degree as is one of my associates so I'm looking specifically for a MS in Digital Marketing. I have ZERO desire to repeat 2 years worth of accounting, several management courses, and more organizational leadership courses. After completely my BS in Organizational Leadership, I'm tapped out on these theories!

[Sparklette]

You don't need anyone's blessing to choose whatever program you want, but folk are just trying to be helpful. It seems silly to opt for a degree that would likely eliminate or severely limit your ability to pursue a possible goal you stated. There are programs available in the same general price range at RA schools that aren't MBAs that would let you keep that option open. Southern New Hampshire has a non MBA masters in digital marketing that is slightly less expensive, but might require more time to complete. There are others as well, but not sure what your exact criteria are.
I'm sure the program at Full Sail is fine and will lead to some career opportunities if completed, just not sure those career opportunities are the ones you are looking for, as you only stated the CC teaching role, which is an unlikely opportunity with that particular program. If you are going to be happy with the options the Full Sail degree provides, then go for it. If there's even a slight possibility that you will regret closing off other opportunities, then consider something possibly slightly more expensive or longer that won't.
I don't have any issues with perusing a degree at a for profit school (I currently am). Nor any with NA schools. Although, my general advice with NA degrees is to be sure it will be accepted to fulfill whatever degree requirement you are hoping to fulfill. This will vary by industry and employer. One of my friends got her BA in paralegal studies from an online NA school because it was a program certified or accredited (not sure the terminology) by the bar association, which made it a better choice than the local RA school's program that did not hold that distinction. That was a requirement for the promotion she wanted, while the RA/NA factor was not.
If you know what kinds of jobs you want to pursue after you get the degree, try looking for posts from potential employers to see if they have any specific requirements for regional accreditation or possibly professional association designations. It would just really suck to spend the time and money on the degree thinking you can work in digital marketing for say, airlines, and find out that no airlines will accept the degree and you get stuck working in digital marketing for the inflatable garage company, because it was the one place you found that accepted your degree as fulfilling their requirements.

[ss20ts]

You don't need anyone's blessing to choose whatever program you want, but folk are just trying to be helpful. It seems silly to opt for a degree that would likely eliminate or severely limit your ability to pursue a possible goal you stated. There are programs available in the same general price range at RA schools that aren't MBAs that would let you keep that option open. Southern New Hampshire has a non MBA masters in digital marketing that is slightly less expensive, but might require more time to complete. There are others as well, but not sure what your exact criteria are.
I'm sure the program at Full Sail is fine and will lead to some career opportunities if completed, just not sure those career opportunities are the ones you are looking for, as you only stated the CC teaching role, which is an unlikely opportunity with that particular program. If you are going to be happy with the options the Full Sail degree provides, then go for it. If there's even a slight possibility that you will regret closing off other opportunities,  then consider something possibly slightly more expensive or longer that won't.
I don't have any issues with perusing a degree at a for profit school (I currently am). Nor any with NA schools. Although, my general advice with NA degrees is to be sure it will be accepted to fulfill whatever degree requirement you are hoping to fulfill. This will vary by industry and employer. One of my friends got her BA in paralegal studies from an online NA school because it was a program certified or accredited (not sure the terminology) by the bar association,  which made it a better choice than the local RA school's program that did not hold that distinction. That was a requirement for the promotion she wanted, while the RA/NA factor was not.
If you know what kinds of jobs you want to pursue after you get the degree, try looking for posts from potential employers to see if they have any specific requirements for regional accreditation or possibly professional association designations. It would just really suck to spend the time and money on the degree thinking you can work in digital marketing for say, airlines, and find out that no airlines will accept the degree and you get stuck working in digital marketing for the inflatable garage company, because it was the one place you found that accepted your degree as fulfilling their requirements.

Thank you for your reply! I just don't understand why people are so against for profit schools and NA schools. I did do some reading this morning on The Art Institutes and how they went under. All of the students were screwed basically. They had limited transfer options and still had a mountain of debt. I have started looking some more after reading all of that ugliness. I found some interesting options. They do cost more, but the programs cover more. Emerson College looks pretty great, but oooh that price tag. Yikes!

[freeloader]

OP, have you looked at Univ of Alabama? They have an MS in Marketing, MS in Marketing with Concentration in Digital and Social Media, and an MA in Advertising and Public Relations with concentration in Marketing. $15-$17K total cost, depending on program. They have a GMAT/GRE requirement, but it is waved for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 starts.

[ss20ts]

OP, have you looked at Univ of Alabama?  They have an MS in Marketing, MS in Marketing with Concentration in Digital and Social Media, and an MA in Advertising and Public Relations with  concentration in Marketing. $15-$17K total cost, depending on program. They have a GMAT/GRE requirement, but it is waved for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 starts.

I have not looked here. Thank you! I will check this out.

[Merlin]

Thank you for your reply! I just don't understand why people are so against for profit schools and NA schools. I did do some reading this morning on The Art Institutes and how they went under. All of the students were screwed basically. They had limited transfer options and still had a mountain of debt. I have started looking some more after reading all of that ugliness. I found some interesting options. They do cost more, but the programs cover more. Emerson College looks pretty great, but oooh that price tag. Yikes!

Personally, I am fine with for-profit schools and NA schools, as long as they have a positive reputation, a strong graduation rate, and offer rigorous academic programs. However, I do have a problem with NA schools charging as much or more as an RA school since NA degrees are sub-par in the transferability of their degrees.

As long as you're interested in a degree for the purpose of learning, the degree meets your career (and/or employer) requirements, and you don't have any future plans to teach or pursue a higher academic degree in the future, then an NA degree is perfectly acceptable. As I mentioned above, Full Sail is a great option to learn real-world skills that will make you more valuable in the workplace. I have several colleagues with Full Sail degrees and I have recommended them to others.

On the other hand, I am opposed to any school that appears to be out there to scam students, drive up financial aid bills, and give them the runaround. These exist in both the NA and RA world but are universally for-profit schools. So I tend to scrutinize for-profit schools more closely than non-profits.

[ss20ts]

Thank you for your reply! I just don't understand why people are so against for profit schools and NA schools. I did do some reading this morning on The Art Institutes and how they went under. All of the students were screwed basically. They had limited transfer options and still had a mountain of debt. I have started looking some more after reading all of that ugliness. I found some interesting options. They do cost more, but the programs cover more. Emerson College looks pretty great, but oooh that price tag. Yikes!

Personally, I am fine with for-profit schools and NA schools, as long as they have a positive reputation, a strong graduation rate, and offer rigorous academic programs. However, I do have a problem with NA schools charging as much or more as an RA school since NA degrees are sub-par in the transferability of their degrees.

As long as you're interested in a degree for the purpose of learning, the degree meets your career (and/or employer) requirements, and you don't have any future plans to teach or pursue a higher academic degree in the future, then an NA degree is perfectly acceptable. As I mentioned above, Full Sail is a great option to learn real-world skills that will make you more valuable in the workplace. I have several colleagues with Full Sail degrees and I have recommended them to others.

On the other hand, I am opposed to any school that appears to be out there to scam students, drive up financial aid bills, and give them the runaround. These exist in both the NA and RA world but are universally for-profit schools. So I tend to scrutinize for-profit schools more closely than non-profits.

For kicks this morning I looked up The Art Institutes. I wanted to attend there fresh out of high school decades ago. Never went because I didn't want to move to NYC. I'm a country girl. Still am. Anyway I say that they were a for profit NA school and when they went bankrupt, the students were screwed. Very limited transfer options  (Basically a handful of other for profit NA schools) and they still were stuck with student loans. FSU seems like it's in good shape, but I've started looking around some more. I need to see what employers in this part of the country want as a degree and from where. I live in the Northeast so a degree from a school in Florida may not go over as well as a school from Boston. And if I ever wanted another master's or doctorate, then I would have a problem with a NA degree.

[eLearner]

...since NA degrees are sub-par in the transferability of their degrees.

But the real problem there is that many RA schools just make it that way without rhyme or reason. It says nothing about the quality of the education received at an NA school and this is why more people need to question that situation because of the fact that it's being done, and because the quality of the education received should be at the forefront of everything.

On the other hand, I am opposed to any school that appears to be out there to scam students, drive up financial aid bills, and give them the runaround. These exist in both the NA and RA world but are universally for-profit schools. So I tend to scrutinize for-profit schools more closely than non-profits.

The reality is that the price tag of non-profit schools is extremely high when you remove the price effects of community colleges. The price disparity that people claim is misunderstood: Statistically speaking, yes for-profits take in more financial aid money and have more student loan default, but that is also is a product of taking in more students so the aggregate total is always used without that consideration. Non-profits are taking in plenty of financial aid money and leaving people with enormous student loan debt, too. I bet if the numbers were adjusted to enrollment equivalence we'd quickly find out that there is either a minimal or non-existent difference.

[Merlin]

On the other hand, I am opposed to any school that appears to be out there to scam students, drive up financial aid bills, and give them the runaround. These exist in both the NA and RA world but are universally for-profit schools. So I tend to scrutinize for-profit schools more closely than non-profits.

The reality is that the price tag of non-profit schools is extremely high when you remove the price effects of community colleges. The price disparity that people claim is misunderstood: Statistically speaking, yes for-profits take in more financial aid money and have more student loan default, but that is also is a product of taking in more students so the aggregate total is always used without that consideration. Non-profits are taking in plenty of financial aid money and leaving people with enormous student loan debt, too. I bet if the numbers were adjusted to enrollment equivalence we'd quickly find out that there is either a minimal or non-existent difference.

There are some well-priced for-profit schools and some terribly-priced non-profit schools. In my comment above I am not really referring to the cost of the school itself, I am specifically addressing predatory schools that are mainly out there to leech money out of students via financial aid while keeping them in school as long as they can (with many students not graduating at all or taking 6+ years to do so). It is harder to get away with fleecing students these days due to regulatory accountability and disclosure changes, but predatory practices like this are what gave for-profit schools like the University of Phoenix a bad name a decade or two back.

If a for-profit school charges a high price tag and offers degree programs that deliver quality education, high graduation rates, and positive outcomes from their gainful employment programs then I am fine with it since you are getting what you paid for.

[Maniac Craniac]

I didn't even realize that Full Sail was 'only' NA. I think this is one of those situations where the NA vs RA debate is nowhere near as relevant as it is often made out to be. The same caveats may apply regarding transfer credits and teaching positions, but Full Sail has a good reputation, decades of history of successful graduates and, for what it's worth, a physical campus with thousands of in-person students.

Of course, your mileage may vary