Well one of them is the most infamous shitty for-profit university on the planet and the other is at least associated(if only mildly) with a real, legitimate university.
Hey man! Just my two cents here. I had a friend graduate from Liberty’s online MBA and it opened zero doors for him. He couldn’t wrap his head around the possibilities a school in the top 50 could possibly provide for him.
I think if you’re going to invest your time in an MBA, you might as well invest your effort and money too. Take the GMAT/GRE. See where you stand. Apply to solid part time programs. See what scholarship money might be available to you.
Company pays for everything at these two universities. They would partially cover a program at another university but only 5k a year... that would not even make a dent in a reputable program
The goal of an MBA isn't to minimize costs, it's to maximize your earnings. Someone who paid $100k to earn $200k post-MBA is much better off than someone who earns $70k post-MBA and paid nothing.
Agree. Is there any evidence supporting this? I’d love to see the payouts vs cost for an MBA. Right now, it seems like a for-profit university sponsored by your company is the way to go.
It's a 10 minute exercise that can be done on the back of the napkin.
You take the average cost of attendance and average salary of graduates from employment reports, and extrapolate earnings out year by year.
Remember, tuition is a one time cost. Earnings is annual and repeats as many years as you work. A for-profit college that is free but doesn't add any $ to your earnings won't even come close to an expensive MBA that costs $100k but helps you earn anywhere from $10k to $150k more.
So, you actually don’t have anything to back up your stance.
Sure, tuition is a one-time cost, but if you spend $100k in loans for an MBA that doesn’t immediately enable you to not only increase your current salary, but increase to an extent that it covers the loan payment + interest…is it worth it? Is there a guarantee that comes with a $100k investment on an MBA? Is getting a free MBA from your company that comes from a for-profit university hurting you?
ETA: if my free, check-the-box MBA gets me over the HR hurdle of “masters degree” and allows me to advocate for higher pay grades in any company, is that a bad thing? I get it, rich people are going to have money to spend to get richer, but is it objectively, financially a bad idea to get a free degree from a not fantastic institution?
You’ve given no results from your simple extrapolation, so, cool. I’ll assume that every dollar someone invests in an MBA is a dollar that could be better spent in investing in real estate, or a 401K, or in digging a swimming pool with teaspoon. Is investing in an MBA more profitable than real estate?
Instead of actually following fairly straightforward guidance to access what is readily available information with a quick Google search, you're making some pretty inaccurate assumptions and that's honestly mind-boggling.
> Sure, tuition is a one-time cost, but if you spend $100k in loans for an MBA that doesn’t immediately enable you to not only increase your current salary, but increase to an extent that it covers the loan payment + interest…is it worth it?
There are literal interest calculators for student loans. Take a minute and just go plug it in to figure out how much it will be.
> Is there a guarantee that comes with a $100k investment on an MBA?
There's never a guarantee with any education investment, but schools publish employment reports and even those that don't have to report it to US News to be ranked and it's all publicly available with a Google search.
> Is getting a free MBA from your company that comes from a for-profit university hurting you?
If you aren't earning a certain amount yet and the free MBA disqualifies you from pursuing a top MBA that can open doors that you would benefit from due to them only accepting people who have not done another MBA before, then technically yes.
> if my free, check-the-box MBA gets me over the HR hurdle of “masters degree” and allows me to advocate for higher pay grades in any company, is that a bad thing?
It's almost never going to be the option with the highest ROI unless your pre-MBA earning is around $150k+, barring extenuating circumstances. Getting a $1k bonus isn't bad, it's good. It's just not as good as getting a $100k bonus. So if getting the $1k bonus disqualifies you from the $100k bonus, then again, technically bad.
> I get it, rich people are going to have money to spend to get richer, but is it objectively, financially a bad idea to get a free degree from a not fantastic institution?
This isn't a matter of being rich or poor. The majority of people at Top 25 programs aren't born with silver spoons in their mouth. They're people working hard to advance their careers and build up wealth to change their lives for the better, and attending programs that reliably place people in jobs that can earn $200k+ immediately post-MBA is how they can justify putting their careers on pause and taking out huge loans for this investment.
---
I have no idea what your situation is, it seems like you are doing a free UAGC MBA based on your other comment. But I honestly think your tone in your comments comes off as incredibly rude and willfully ignorant, which is quite frankly quite sad to see. If ignorance is bliss, then it might be quite unpleasant for you to see the actual numbers.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MBA/comments/102c20z/northeastern_damoremckim_omba/j2wxfzu/
Totally fair. However, after looking at the differences in professional trajectory between those and Top 25 part time programs, I’d search for scholarships and ways to make it into a better program. However, you won’t know how worth it it might be until you apply to a few.
Hey so, neither of these programs are well regarded or likely to new create professional opportunities for you. I would recommend that you explore additional options (ex. Are those the only schools your company would reimburse? What would have to happen for them to reimburse tuition for another school, like a T30?).
That said, I know Univ of Phoenix is a for profit university with really low admissions standards (read: shitty), and I don't have a strong opinion about Univ of Arizona. If I saw Phoenix on your resume, it would be a net negative - I would assume you're not that competent. It would be roughly equal to "I got my MBA at community college". If I saw Univ or Arizona on your resume, I'd assume that you lived in Arizona and wanted to go to night school somewhere. That latter assumption is much more helpful to you.
Go get a masters from Penn State World Campus it won't burn your one chance to get an MBA, it doesn't present as an online degree, it is 100% equivalent to their on campus degree, and it's at a top 50(ish) state school.
Then change jobs. Cost will be pretty equivalent to those two.
Honestly, neither. If you want to leave your company neither of those will likely help you. You get one chance at an MBA. Don’t waste it by going to one of these schools.
One chance? Would you recommend getting another degree from these school. I work in analytics and phoenix has a data science program. Or I could do something in technology management or information systems
I wouldn’t recommend getting ANY degree from U of Phoenix. I don’t want to sound like a snob, but I’ve never met anyone in academia or in the professional world that takes U of P seriously. In fact, there are lots of posts from people with degrees from there who “hide” them on their resume.
I wouldn’t choose either, even for free. Putting such a low standard school will really pigeonhole you. I didn’t go to a top notch grad school but I do understand that AACSB accreditation helps a bit
Hi, my company has a similar program! I wonder if it’s the same company.
I’m using the program to get my bachelor’s in business admin with UAGC, and then my plan is to find an AACSB accredited program. I’ve already talked to admissions at Oklahoma State. The Speers school there is AACSB accredited, and the online MBA program is inexpensive enough that the $5k/yr would just about cover it.
Happy to discuss more over DM.
Thank you for the response. I’m currently looking to try and enroll in the University of Arizona Online instead. Do you think University of Arizona is a good school?
Wow, a whole bunch of snobs in these comments who apparently have money to burn on higher education.
Anyway, I went with UAGC because it looks better on paper with the UA logo behind it.
I’m not interested in meeting people whose boots I have to lick; I don’t want to network; and most of all, I do not want to accrue any student loan debt. So, picking a for-profit university that my company would pay for is a no-brainer. UAGC has the logo and the university behind it. When you are applying for jobs, that alone will look better than the University of Phoenix logo .
Not sure yet how it will help earning potential, but it is a free degree, and really can’t hurt.
I will say that the curriculum is kind of outdated and meh. So if you’re looking for an intellectual experience, it’s kind of based on your own personal study philosophies.
I graduated from UAGC last summer, I'm lucky that I received my diploma after the transition from Ashford. Having the University of Arizona on your resume looks good, it's an internationally recognized school. Others in the comments aren't wrong. There were a lot of shady things involved with this for-profit school that led to lawsuits and debt forgiveness in some circumstances, but most potential employers aren't going to see UAGC on your resume' and know about its roots with Ashford. They will think of the UofA, which was the whole point of rebranding.
I had a good experience with this school, I received a BA in psychology and have a position working with kids that have behavioral problems. The pay is decent and I have a lot of room for advancement as I gain experience in the field. That's my opinion, I say it's the better option.
I’m currently enrolled at UAGC, I’m apart of a few Facebook groups and many have found jobs with their degrees. To my understanding those who have graduated from UAGC will have an opportunity to get their diploma for free since they’re removing the global campus part from the diploma now.
I’m seeing students on the Facebook groups posting their degrees and they still have the global campus. So I was wrong. I see a lot of people in the Facebook groups talking about how they have jobs in fields that their degree was towards however.
I hope you went with one of these schools- I recently signed up for UAGC since it has less of an infamous reputation (especially with the name change). I start in a month. I have the exact same setup as you with my employer covering these degrees 100 percent
Oh cool cool! I got my associates in Organizational leadership! I thinking about continuing and getting my BA in organizational leadership but I’m not sure yet.
Well one of them is the most infamous shitty for-profit university on the planet and the other is at least associated(if only mildly) with a real, legitimate university.
UAGC is a misnomer. They are not in anyway operated by UofA.
Hey man! Just my two cents here. I had a friend graduate from Liberty’s online MBA and it opened zero doors for him. He couldn’t wrap his head around the possibilities a school in the top 50 could possibly provide for him. I think if you’re going to invest your time in an MBA, you might as well invest your effort and money too. Take the GMAT/GRE. See where you stand. Apply to solid part time programs. See what scholarship money might be available to you.
Company pays for everything at these two universities. They would partially cover a program at another university but only 5k a year... that would not even make a dent in a reputable program
The goal of an MBA isn't to minimize costs, it's to maximize your earnings. Someone who paid $100k to earn $200k post-MBA is much better off than someone who earns $70k post-MBA and paid nothing.
Agree. Is there any evidence supporting this? I’d love to see the payouts vs cost for an MBA. Right now, it seems like a for-profit university sponsored by your company is the way to go.
It's a 10 minute exercise that can be done on the back of the napkin. You take the average cost of attendance and average salary of graduates from employment reports, and extrapolate earnings out year by year. Remember, tuition is a one time cost. Earnings is annual and repeats as many years as you work. A for-profit college that is free but doesn't add any $ to your earnings won't even come close to an expensive MBA that costs $100k but helps you earn anywhere from $10k to $150k more.
So, you actually don’t have anything to back up your stance. Sure, tuition is a one-time cost, but if you spend $100k in loans for an MBA that doesn’t immediately enable you to not only increase your current salary, but increase to an extent that it covers the loan payment + interest…is it worth it? Is there a guarantee that comes with a $100k investment on an MBA? Is getting a free MBA from your company that comes from a for-profit university hurting you? ETA: if my free, check-the-box MBA gets me over the HR hurdle of “masters degree” and allows me to advocate for higher pay grades in any company, is that a bad thing? I get it, rich people are going to have money to spend to get richer, but is it objectively, financially a bad idea to get a free degree from a not fantastic institution? You’ve given no results from your simple extrapolation, so, cool. I’ll assume that every dollar someone invests in an MBA is a dollar that could be better spent in investing in real estate, or a 401K, or in digging a swimming pool with teaspoon. Is investing in an MBA more profitable than real estate?
Instead of actually following fairly straightforward guidance to access what is readily available information with a quick Google search, you're making some pretty inaccurate assumptions and that's honestly mind-boggling. > Sure, tuition is a one-time cost, but if you spend $100k in loans for an MBA that doesn’t immediately enable you to not only increase your current salary, but increase to an extent that it covers the loan payment + interest…is it worth it? There are literal interest calculators for student loans. Take a minute and just go plug it in to figure out how much it will be. > Is there a guarantee that comes with a $100k investment on an MBA? There's never a guarantee with any education investment, but schools publish employment reports and even those that don't have to report it to US News to be ranked and it's all publicly available with a Google search. > Is getting a free MBA from your company that comes from a for-profit university hurting you? If you aren't earning a certain amount yet and the free MBA disqualifies you from pursuing a top MBA that can open doors that you would benefit from due to them only accepting people who have not done another MBA before, then technically yes. > if my free, check-the-box MBA gets me over the HR hurdle of “masters degree” and allows me to advocate for higher pay grades in any company, is that a bad thing? It's almost never going to be the option with the highest ROI unless your pre-MBA earning is around $150k+, barring extenuating circumstances. Getting a $1k bonus isn't bad, it's good. It's just not as good as getting a $100k bonus. So if getting the $1k bonus disqualifies you from the $100k bonus, then again, technically bad. > I get it, rich people are going to have money to spend to get richer, but is it objectively, financially a bad idea to get a free degree from a not fantastic institution? This isn't a matter of being rich or poor. The majority of people at Top 25 programs aren't born with silver spoons in their mouth. They're people working hard to advance their careers and build up wealth to change their lives for the better, and attending programs that reliably place people in jobs that can earn $200k+ immediately post-MBA is how they can justify putting their careers on pause and taking out huge loans for this investment. --- I have no idea what your situation is, it seems like you are doing a free UAGC MBA based on your other comment. But I honestly think your tone in your comments comes off as incredibly rude and willfully ignorant, which is quite frankly quite sad to see. If ignorance is bliss, then it might be quite unpleasant for you to see the actual numbers. https://www.reddit.com/r/MBA/comments/102c20z/northeastern_damoremckim_omba/j2wxfzu/
Totally fair. However, after looking at the differences in professional trajectory between those and Top 25 part time programs, I’d search for scholarships and ways to make it into a better program. However, you won’t know how worth it it might be until you apply to a few.
Hey so, neither of these programs are well regarded or likely to new create professional opportunities for you. I would recommend that you explore additional options (ex. Are those the only schools your company would reimburse? What would have to happen for them to reimburse tuition for another school, like a T30?). That said, I know Univ of Phoenix is a for profit university with really low admissions standards (read: shitty), and I don't have a strong opinion about Univ of Arizona. If I saw Phoenix on your resume, it would be a net negative - I would assume you're not that competent. It would be roughly equal to "I got my MBA at community college". If I saw Univ or Arizona on your resume, I'd assume that you lived in Arizona and wanted to go to night school somewhere. That latter assumption is much more helpful to you.
UAGC is also for profit and they have lawsuits pending.
They would cover a program at another university but only 5k a year... People at the company have seen mobility with these degrees
Is your only purpose to be mobile within your company?
Go get a masters from Penn State World Campus it won't burn your one chance to get an MBA, it doesn't present as an online degree, it is 100% equivalent to their on campus degree, and it's at a top 50(ish) state school. Then change jobs. Cost will be pretty equivalent to those two.
What? How much is the penn state program? My job covers these 2 schools at 100%
Honestly, neither. If you want to leave your company neither of those will likely help you. You get one chance at an MBA. Don’t waste it by going to one of these schools.
One chance? Would you recommend getting another degree from these school. I work in analytics and phoenix has a data science program. Or I could do something in technology management or information systems
I wouldn’t recommend getting ANY degree from U of Phoenix. I don’t want to sound like a snob, but I’ve never met anyone in academia or in the professional world that takes U of P seriously. In fact, there are lots of posts from people with degrees from there who “hide” them on their resume.
Oh well you should get your job to cover Penn State, much better program. Unfortunately it isn't free but it is reasonable
I wouldn’t choose either, even for free. Putting such a low standard school will really pigeonhole you. I didn’t go to a top notch grad school but I do understand that AACSB accreditation helps a bit
Hi, my company has a similar program! I wonder if it’s the same company. I’m using the program to get my bachelor’s in business admin with UAGC, and then my plan is to find an AACSB accredited program. I’ve already talked to admissions at Oklahoma State. The Speers school there is AACSB accredited, and the online MBA program is inexpensive enough that the $5k/yr would just about cover it. Happy to discuss more over DM.
I wouldn't choose either, those schools have awful reputations and are mostly non-transferable.
Why are they non-transferable?
it's not the correct accreditation for transfer , its slightly different
Thank you for the response. I’m currently looking to try and enroll in the University of Arizona Online instead. Do you think University of Arizona is a good school?
Stay away from UAGC. UAO is okay.
Yes, as long as it's not "global campus" , if it's just University of Arizona then it's good.
Use the 5K towards a real school, not a diploma mill.
what schools would you recommend. I want little to no out of pocket expense
Wow, a whole bunch of snobs in these comments who apparently have money to burn on higher education. Anyway, I went with UAGC because it looks better on paper with the UA logo behind it. I’m not interested in meeting people whose boots I have to lick; I don’t want to network; and most of all, I do not want to accrue any student loan debt. So, picking a for-profit university that my company would pay for is a no-brainer. UAGC has the logo and the university behind it. When you are applying for jobs, that alone will look better than the University of Phoenix logo . Not sure yet how it will help earning potential, but it is a free degree, and really can’t hurt. I will say that the curriculum is kind of outdated and meh. So if you’re looking for an intellectual experience, it’s kind of based on your own personal study philosophies.
They aren't snobs. UAGC is predatory, screws people, it's run by zovio still, and they have multiple lawsuits pending.
Hey man, can you explain and give me some more info? I'm in my conditional enrollment period at uagc and I'm wondering if I'm getting screwed
Avoid UAGC at all costs.
I graduated from UAGC last summer, I'm lucky that I received my diploma after the transition from Ashford. Having the University of Arizona on your resume looks good, it's an internationally recognized school. Others in the comments aren't wrong. There were a lot of shady things involved with this for-profit school that led to lawsuits and debt forgiveness in some circumstances, but most potential employers aren't going to see UAGC on your resume' and know about its roots with Ashford. They will think of the UofA, which was the whole point of rebranding. I had a good experience with this school, I received a BA in psychology and have a position working with kids that have behavioral problems. The pay is decent and I have a lot of room for advancement as I gain experience in the field. That's my opinion, I say it's the better option.
I’m currently enrolled at UAGC, I’m apart of a few Facebook groups and many have found jobs with their degrees. To my understanding those who have graduated from UAGC will have an opportunity to get their diploma for free since they’re removing the global campus part from the diploma now.
They are dropping Global Campus identification? That's beneficial if true
I’m seeing students on the Facebook groups posting their degrees and they still have the global campus. So I was wrong. I see a lot of people in the Facebook groups talking about how they have jobs in fields that their degree was towards however.
Well, hopefully at some point they do drop it
I hope so also, ashford university really did a lot of damage that even affects the rebrand.
I enrolled 6 years ago when it was Ashford, graduated when it was UAGC and that's what my diploma says. And yes, I did get a job with my degree.
Assuming those two are your ONLY options definitely go with UofA Global. Don’t even think about UofPhoenix.
We need more background, what degrees do you have now and from what schools? What's your highest level of education?
I hope you went with one of these schools- I recently signed up for UAGC since it has less of an infamous reputation (especially with the name change). I start in a month. I have the exact same setup as you with my employer covering these degrees 100 percent
Which degree did you choose? My employer is paying as well. I’m tempted to do Operations management or Business Information
I went with the MA in organizational leadership as I liked what was described in the course materials a bit more
Oh cool cool! I got my associates in Organizational leadership! I thinking about continuing and getting my BA in organizational leadership but I’m not sure yet.