Goblue34 Wrote:I am finishing up my BS from COSC in the fall and I am looking to go on to grad school to get me MBA

I am looking at the WGU MBA program and LSUS MBA program.

Here is what I have gathered so far.

LSUS - AACSB accredited and would take two years and about 13k to complete

WGU - is Regional accredited and If I work my butt off I could get it done in a year for 7k

I was heavily leaning towards LSUS because of the AACSB, but the more I look into the more WGU has going for it. IT would only take a year, a lot cheaper and getting all kinds of good press lately. Do you guys think that being regional Accredited is a big draw back ? any word from current WGU MBA grads on trouble landing the jobs that typically come with an MBA ? Thoughts on how the WGU MBA with be viewed 10 years down the line as they expand ?

rebel100 Wrote:As already eluded to, I think RA is the base minimum, both of the programs your talking about have that, there are a bunch more out there. I think WGU is solid, and will be even better received in the future. I just responded to a similiar query in another thread....here is what I think of my WGU MBA today:

On WGU:

Pro's:
Cheap, which was important as my employer only offered $3000/year the rest came from my pocket....they did let me time it so that I accessed the funds over about 18 months, So my MBA "cost me" about $750.00 total.

Regionally Accredited....I work in healthcare and UofP seems to be growing by leaps and bounds...in short if that works then WGU should be (and is) fine. I often hear "you're masters prepared" that's all I needed and it's what I have. I also considered other masters like the MAIS from WNMU and both the MBA and an MS from AMU/APU.

Cons:
There is no support worth having from WGU post graduation. Their career center will direct you to take meaningless "tests" so you can learn where your interest lies then tell you to network...completely useless! It really gets me going that they push all these specific employers on the front end then there is no mention of them or direct line of contact once your done. It disgusts me.

If you aren't self motivated you may not do well with the format. If you fail to see things through the cost just continues to grow, I'm sure there are a good number of folks paying a lot more for their WGU degree than we talk about here...the cost/time savings only applies if you work to exploit it.

There really is no established alumni base worth talking about. Sure there are some folks that have great jobs with a WGU MBA...but I haven't met any with the pull to bring up other WGU graduates in a meaningful way. WGU checks the box and nothing more. No Football/Baseball/Soccer team...this doesn't matter, yet it does. I was in an interview Friday when a member of the panel brought up her Alma-mater...the University of Florida. I live in Florida, so UF means something to folks down here as do the other larger state schools. I don't think I will lose this job based on not going to UF, but the possibility exists that I could have cinched it with the right pedigree. Of course, you can game this in many directions and it's only anecdotal, but school name recognition is important in some circles. My daughter who is finishing her undergrad from Harvard Extension gets interviews and job offers. The brand sells, they want to meet her, if nothing else, so they can say they interviewed a kid from Harvard...open doors are good.



In the end I'm happy with the utility of my cheap quickly earned degree. Given my age (mid 40's) and background (lots of experience) it was the perfect blend for me. If i were younger, maybe there was a better choice. If I were happy with my then current kob and the employer offered more funding...then maybe another choice. If my plans included teaching or banking, or some work that required a "brand" degree...then I would have made another choice. But those weren't my realities at the time.

You might also look at Chadron and ENMU, they both had interesting cost effective choices.

Bibby Wrote:Rebel100, thanks for the detailed summary of WGU's MBA program. I appreciate that you took the time to explain both the pros and cons of the program. It sounds like WGU is better suited to people with more experience than me, but I'll still look into WGU for my master's degree.

rebel100 Wrote:I expect most people would be fine with the workload, it isn't a particularly demanding program academically...but its very much geared towards working professionals.

rebel100 Wrote:I expect most people would be fine with the workload, it isn't a particularly demanding program academically...but its very much geared towards working professionals.

WGA Wrote:Applicants must also submit a resume showing at least three years of significant professional experience.