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LSUS MBA Experience
#1
Hi all,

Today marks the start of my final week in the MBA program at LSUS.  I thought I'd start a thread here, as the program is mentioned on occasion.  If anyone has any questions on the program, I'll do my best to answer them.

Admissions
My undergrad is from Excelsior and I tested out of the degree 100%.  This threw them for a loop, even though I had an excellent GPA (degree is from back when they gave grades on CLEP tests).  My time with LSUS started with an appeal for admission, as I was a special case they hadn't run into before.  It sounds like anyone new isn't going to run into this issue.

No GRE required as my GPA was sufficient after working things out with admissions.

It took forever to go through the process because they wanted a transcript from every school I've ever taken a class from, even some personal enrichment stuff I took at a tech college.

Campus
I visited the campus while on vacation to meet some of the professors.  It's a small state school.  Very small.  The campus is quite pretty, but it helps to keep in mind that they aren't a very large department and they have undergraduate classes they teach also.  The MBA program is huge for them, but the business department is basically a small hallway of offices.

Class Format
The terms are 7 weeks long.

They use the Moodle platform.  Every week a new module opens up with the assignment.  There is very little video or lecture with the courses.  Probably half the teachers hold some sort of virtual office hours using the Zoom platform.
Many of the courses are along the lines of:
  • read 2 chapters per week
  • take a weekly proctored quiz
  • write a short (1000 words) paper weekly
  • work on a large project over multiple weeks
Two of the quantitative courses I took only cared about 3-4 tests for the entirety of your grade.

Only one teacher I had required group work and it was fairly minimal.  The Zoom platform was used to facilitate group assignments.

They hire adjuncts as well as use what I'll call graders to help with the courses.  Some of the courses the teachers are quite engaged, and others it feels like the course is on autopilot.  It's truly what you make of it, just like a normal on campus experience.

Content
I work with people that have MBAs from a variety of schools from the state school down the road to some of the top programs in the country.  The course material covered in the program is the same material covered in these other programs.  The program is not watered down by being a distance program, and while there is not much networking, it's consistent with any other AACSB MBA.

Costs
This is going to vary slightly.  They've made some changes to the program since I started.  I had to take an extra prerequisite class which is no longer a requirement.  They're also moving to a free book model.  There have been some growing pains with this, but they seem to be getting the kinks worked out, so future students will have a better experience.

I paid around $17,000 for everything.  Books, tuition, fees, etc.  This is for 11 courses rather than 10, and the book fees wouldn't apply, so call it around $15,000 if I were to start today.  A good deal on an AACSB MBA.

Downsides
While the program is aimed at working adults, that's not the reality of the situation with every teacher.  I think most schools have a bad teacher or two and LSUS is no different.
  • some pile on work and don't respect major family holidays
  • some have assignments due mid-week
  • some assign more work than someone that works full time and has other commitments can handle
 
My biggest disappointment is there is very little video content.  While some of the classes, especially strategy and entrepreneurship used a lot of excellent videos, most teachers are content to assign reading and that's it.  I feel like I missed out on getting the teacher's take on the material that I'd expect if I were sitting in a classroom.  

Some professors did post short clips about how to do various things, but it was the exception and not the rule. 

Summary
It was a fantastic career move that has already paid for itself.  I was able to change jobs and being in the MBA program is what sealed the deal.  I learned a lot in the program, and while there are things I'd love to see improve, it's a good solid option for someone looking for a MBA with AACSB accreditation.
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#2
Cory,

I am also a graduate of LSUS' MBA program and I found it to be very much like you described. The school is tiny too. There were some great professors there (namely Dr. Meeks), and some middle of the road professors (only had 1 that I would rate as poor). I also agree in some of the negatives that you posted in relation to piling on the work and not respecting holidays. I remember last year having to cut Thanksgiving dinner short to complete an assignment that was due THAT NIGHT (no exceptions per instructor). The workload seemed pretty reasonable to me, but I also had the advantage of telecommuting for work which allowed me the necessary time to complete busy work.
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  • Cory, GoodYellowDogs
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