General Musings on Future Plans

[cinderly]

So to sum up for the one or two folks that are still reading this (I'm guessing Cinderly is one of them; happily tearing apart my grammar - blasted editors!), I'm looking for suggestions.

:o I actually don't tear apart grammar on message boards unless it's really, really bad and I know the person typing is a native speaker (and so should theoretically know better.) Text-speak actually grates more than the occasional typo and I know my posts aren't perfect. I have an ugly habit of leaving out articles, for instance.

If you're not looking to return to the States post-MBA, I think Heriot is a great option. I've no idea what their reputation is, here (and we probably have a slightly lower bar in Alaska than exists in the financial district in NYC.)

I've also read that more CEOs have degrees from the University of Wisconsin than Harvard, so a state school may be a good value for you. (One with a football team has higher name recognition than one without.) Here are a few US programs I've found that might meet your requirements. All are recognized names, AACSB accredited, and 2 years start to finish.

Kennesaw State's program appears to require a 2-day orientation and then no further residency. It's an 18-month program. $16,380 in tuition & fees for the program ($575 due on acceptance.)

Mississippi State offers a 8 week modules and appears to have no residency residency requirement. Tuition looks to be around $14,000 for the program, but they appear to use streaming video.

Oklahoma State offers an online MBA with flexible course options - CD Rom is listed as one of them - and I can't find a residency requirement. Non-resident tuition is steep at $34,000 for the program. At 36 - 48 hours, it can be completed in 2 years, but it might be a challenge. The flexible course format makes it worth a look, though.

Texas A&M Commerce is not the Texas A&M, but it's part of the same system. The program allows transfer of up to 12 hours of program credit. I can't easily determine the total cost, but it looks like graduate tuition is $740/hr (with distance fee.)

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire has an all-online MBA program. 30 credits, designed to be completed in 2 years. Estimated tuition costs are $18,000.

If the five-day orientation doesn't crimp your other plans, the Arizona State University MBA is a two-year, all-online program. Also comes with a $39,000 price tag.

And, of course, talk to your target employers. HR folks are usually plenty happy to answer questions from potential employees.