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02-02-2025, 01:01 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-02-2025, 01:22 PM by Eleanor.)
(02-02-2025, 12:30 PM)Tomas Wrote: SMC is still accredited on Malta, but some of their degrees including this free MBA are not. Some European countries like Austria or Germany might have problems with accepting even those accredited degrees though, here is a link I got on Degreeinfo, that quite sheds light on that:
https://timesofmalta.com/article/maltese...ay.1096128
Claims in the said article are false. Signum Magnum College is listed with the AQ Austria:
https://www.aq.ac.at/en/notification-of-...edures.php
The AQA report clearly states that SMC is a recognized post-secondary higher education institution. Their PhD and DBA are legal and recognized in Austria. Consequently, they must be “properly” accredited in the eye of the authority.
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(02-02-2025, 01:54 AM)bjcheung77 Wrote: Basically, if you think UoP is a scam, SMC may be worse... UoP is NA DEAC and they're tuition free, but there are fees that they'll ding you with and it'll sting as some fees combined will be making it more expensive than a degree at say UMPI if you can complete it in one session of $2350, or $4700 if you need two sessions for the MAOL...
It really depends on what you need and want, ss20ts is correct, you're getting what you pay for if you go with Signum Magnum College, as they're not properly accredited. They're not on par with ENEB in utility for the price... You missed the sale by a day, there was a gifting option for an MBA at $180 USD for ENEB MBA or a different Masters.
I tried UoPeople. The reason why I think they are scam is because I signed up for their MBA program. I told the advisor I only wanted one class to start. He signed me up for two classes. When I would login to the portal it was always down and it would not allow me to drop. So I sent several emails to the advisor about how the portal was down and he said I could only drop during the first week of class. Now its the first week of class and the portal is still down. Everytime I email the advisor he sends me the same cut and paste email. He is ignoring my emails. They are trying to scam me into taking more classes than I want too. Plus, one of advisors I had wouldn't talk to me because I am a female.
I haven't been to EdX or Coursera in like 10 years but I will definitely check them oit.
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(02-02-2025, 01:01 PM)Eleanor Wrote: (02-02-2025, 12:30 PM)Tomas Wrote: SMC is still accredited on Malta, but some of their degrees including this free MBA are not. Some European countries like Austria or Germany might have problems with accepting even those accredited degrees though, here is a link I got on Degreeinfo, that quite sheds light on that:
https://timesofmalta.com/article/maltese...ay.1096128
Claims in this article are false. SMC is listed with the AQ Austria:
https://www.aq.ac.at/en/notification-of-...edures.php
The AQA report clearly states that SMC is a recognized post-secondary higher education institution. Their PhD and DBA are “legal” and recognized in Austria.
Great to hear. In fact in the end I got the feeling from the article that there was a slight nuance that I have misunderstood, perhaps it was only about the study program run by SMC in Austria. In our country it is similar - foreign uni has to notify about its local study center our ministry of education, even if it is accredited elsewhere already.
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(02-02-2025, 01:10 PM)Heartstrings Wrote: I tried UoPeople. The reason why I think they are scam is because I signed up for their MBA program. I told the advisor I only wanted one class to start. He signed me up for two classes. When I would login to the portal it was always down and it would not allow me to drop. So I sent several emails to the advisor about how the portal was down and he said I could only drop during the first week of class. Now its the first week of class and the portal is still down. Everytime I email the advisor he sends me the same cut and paste email. He is ignoring my emails. They are trying to scam me into taking more classes than I want too. Plus, one of advisors I had wouldn't talk to me because I am a female.
I haven't been to EdX or Coursera in like 10 years but I will definitely check them oit.
Yes, you can go for extra learning materials from Coursera, EdX, MOOC providers, etc. I highly recommend getting that balanced trifecta mix/match of certs, degree, experience. You don't really need an extra degree at the undergrad or graduate level if you can supplement that learning to fill gaps, update current knowledge, or break into a different field. Some of these are cheap, easy, fast and even provide college credits, see if Saylor.org, Sophia.org, Study.com, etc have upper level classes that interest you.
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(02-01-2025, 07:35 PM)Heartstrings Wrote: I am looking to complete an affordable MBA, not for financial gain or for employment. I came across this "free" MBA from Signum Magnum College. They offer a free MBA if you join their ambassador program and refer at least one person. I am from the US so I am unfamiliar about accreditation from European countries. Is this pyramid-schemy? Not sure. I went against my better judgement and applied with UoPeople and they tried to scam me. So they are a definitely a no go. Here is the link for the college Signum Magnum College
https://smceducation.com/free-online-mba/
SMC is not a scam by any means. Many of the posters on these forums are seeking ways to obtain credits they can transfer to other programs in the US or towards further study. That's why there is some scepticism towards these types of programs.
However if you are just looking for a structured program then its an ok choice.
I would suggest ENEB MBA + Master. You will get similar benefits to the SMC course, but it is somewhat recognised and will give you options for the future if you want to top it up or try for a doctorate.
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Basically, if you're getting this freebie, make sure you're also getting the Coursera cheapies or freebies (if any). I mentioned it in the sister forum, something along the lines of the ASU TESOL Professional Certificate is offered, as long as these are part of Coursera Plus, it should be possible to get these cheap or free. Work on similar platforms I mentioned in my previous post above, EdX is another example. SMC as a cert/degree for cheap/free may work for filling knowledge gaps, but the other certs are the icing on the cake...
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(02-03-2025, 01:59 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: Basically, if you're getting this freebie, make sure you're also getting the Coursera cheapies or freebies (if any). I mentioned it in the sister forum, something along the lines of the ASU TESOL Professional Certificate is offered, as long as these are part of Coursera Plus, it should be possible to get these cheap or free. Work on similar platforms I mentioned in my previous post above, EdX is another example. SMC as a cert/degree for cheap/free may work for filling knowledge gaps, but the other certs are the icing on the cake...
Signum Magnum College's free MBA is curated with for-credit courses, specializations and Professional Certificate's from Coursera for Campus. On request, SMC grants access to the entire Coursera for Campus catalog (Professional Certs like ASU TESOL included) at no extra charge to enrolled students. Given Coursera's price for a Professional Certificate or Specialization at around USD 300 each, one can do the math on value here.
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You say UoPeople "tried to scam" you.. in what sense? Its a legitimate school. I attend for my BSBA, and I have not been "scammed."
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(02-10-2025, 11:30 AM)TaraD2020 Wrote: You say UoPeople "tried to scam" you.. in what sense? Its a legitimate school. I attend for my BSBA, and I have not been "scammed."
I already explained up above. My experience says otherwise.
I actually found some certificates off of EdX that I am going to use. Although Coursera is a few hundred dollars its still cheaper than paying for another school and fits the bill.
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UoPeople isn't a scam, but you got a few bad program advisors and should have written to the admissions to give you a different one. You can take as many classes as you want or as few as you want, even go on a leave of absence. Some that work there can't talk to females for their religious affiliation, since it is a global campus with many different cultures and religious preferences. True if you're female you shouldn't be assigned someone that can't speak to females, but they may not have know this about that program advisor.
Just FYI.
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AAS Board of Governors -PC&TC 8/2021
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