List of Cheap Online MBA Programs That Can Be Completed in Under 1 Year

[Jonathan Whatley]

In July 2023 datby98 posted on the sister board that Columbia Southern University had "abandoned" its previous self-paced LifePace model in the MBA program in April, adopting a model it calls a new LifePace, but in datby98's view is "materially alike the traditional class under its veil, it is no longer a self-paced one."

Columbia Southern's page Online Learning Experience currently states:

• No Required Login Times
  
• Access Your Course 24/7
  
• Choose From 11 Start Dates Each Year
  
• Add Courses Anytime in Week 1
  
• Complete Your Course Early or Extend if Needed […]
  

Choose Your Course Load

• Associate and bachelor’s students may take 1-3 courses each term and up to 4 courses with advisor approval.
  
• Master’s students may take up to 1-2 courses each term and up to 3 courses with advisor approval.
  
• Doctoral students taking didactic courses may enroll in up to 2 courses or 3 courses with advisor approval each term.** ** Doctoral students who are within their research study/dissertation phase, may enroll in up to 2-3 courses depending upon how quickly they move through their milestones.

This has some more flexible and self-paced features than standard online course practices, but isn't in the tier of self-pacing of UMPI and WGU.

"Add Courses Anytime in Week 1" suggests that if you complete courses and want to add new courses in their place anytime after week 1, that may be difficult or impossible.

A maximum with advisor approval of 3 master's courses per term means their 12-course MBA will take a hard minimum 4 terms. From a quick look at their calendar, a term is 8 weeks with a 1-week break between each term. A four-term MBA would take about 36 weeks = 8.3 months. Completing 36 semester hours in 8.3 calendar months isn't very fast, comparatively.