National Accreditation vs Regional Accreditation

[alli]

I just started a Master's program to earn an MBA. I'm doing it all online so I that by the time I get home I will already have a good portion of it finished. Now, there are two different types of accreditation in schools: national accreditation & regional accreditation. Regional is better. The credits earned with a regional school are transferrable to any other regionally or nationally accredited school. But at a nationally accredited school, the credits will probably not transfer to any regionally accredited school.

 

The school I am enrolled in is nationally accredited. If I decided to transfer to say the regionally accredited school where I earned my Bachelor's degree, they probably wouldn't accept my credits. I'm not too worried about that because I don't anticipate needing to transfer to a different online program. But when I finish & earn my MBA, do you think employers won't see it as good as if it came from a regionally accredited school? I'm afraid it won't be seen as a "real" MBA. Or do most people not know the difference anyway & it won't really matter?

[lostnscared]

This is just my personal opinion, BUT if you aren't going to a top recognized and reputable university for your MBA I wouldn't even bother. Several studies have confirmed that having an MBA doesn't matter or play a role in getting a more lucrative position at company unless you go to a top university or one that has a ton of connections. But really that goes for a lot of majors, but especially with business and law. Online programs are sketchy to me, especially for an MBA. I know people who've done it, and I'm not sure how it worked for them, but I know that when I was still in undergrad and meeting with business professionals who were giving me advice I was told to go to the best business school I can go to and that is one of the biggest ways I'll see a difference between the jobs I get as an entry-mid level marketing professional and an "executive". I was told not to get an MBA just for the sake of it and without considering the school.

I know my advice isn't helpful but honestly if I were you I would invest in going to best business school you can go to(online or not).

[alli]

Well I appreciate the advice. Honestly, an online program is the only way I'm going to do it. At this point I'm never going to stop working & earning a paycheck to get back to school. The online portion I wasn't so worried about because you can go to regionally accredited online schools as well. At the time I applied at this school, I only saw "accredited" and didn't know the difference between national & regional accreditation at the time, otherwise I would have just chosen a different school that is regionally accredited. I just barely started, but I really don't want to go through the hassle of resigning from this program, finding & applying for a new one, going to the Army education office to change the school...

[Anonymous122]

Nationally accredited schools aren't taken seriously by any employer. You should have done your homework beforehand rather than investing money in a degree thats not really going to take you anywhere. Plenty of real, regionally accredited business schools have online MBAs. There's no need to waste your money on a nationally accredited one.

[Anonymous122]

Furthermore, AACSB accreditation is desirable on top of regional accreditation, when it comes to business schools. That narrows down the choices of MBAs that are worth paying for considerably. Without AACSB accreditation, the most you can really expect to do with the MBA is manage a retail store or something of that caliber. You might also consider using the skills that you learn to start a small business of your own. That MBA won't be taken seriously in the 'big business' world.

[lostnscared]

Agreed with Anonymous. And I have to emphasize that AGAIN if your going to get your MBA please don't waste your money going to a rinky-dink college(whether it's online or not). It just isn't a smart investment. There are many lawyers and professionals unemployed, underpaid, or unsatisfied with their careers because they went "anywhere" to get a top masters degree and found out the hard way that going "anywhere" means getting "anything". Employers DO pay attention to where you went to get "trained". And certain schools do offer more connections. There are school programs that offer online masters. University of Indiana (in bloomington) is a great school--Kelley is a top MBA program--they offer an online MBA.

 

Unless you are planning to start your own business or just to "learn" then I would ask you to rethink this route. Even going to a fourth tier university for your MBA is better than a nationally accreditated university. When I had planned on getting my MBA I knew that if I'm going to invest and expect a good ROI I need to get a top MBA. Not everyone has that same goal, but in this economy, and with the number of graduates getting masters and MBAS, the best way to distinguish yourself is to go to a good school. Why get an MBA to get the same level of pay as an mid entry level undergrad student? Because that is exactly what is happening. You should research this--you'll be surprised how ineffective an MBA is unless it's from a top school or linked with years of great skills and work experience.

Also you CAN work and go to school still. When I was planning to get my MBA I was looking at part time MBA programs--and many of the top universities have them, and they are actually easier to get in than the full time programs.

[alli]

Well, I'm glad I asked I guess! I didn't think you all would so strongly recommend against a nationally accreditted school. You know, all I really completed so far was the orientation course. Maybe I'll just wait to go to a "real" school part-time once I get home. Thank you all for the advice. Definitely not what I wanted to hear but I'm glad I know now.

[alli]

There is a private school close to where I live that is accredited with AACSB. It costs more than the online school I'm at, but with the Army paying for part of it I don't think I'd have to pay more than 10k out of pocket, hopefully less. I'll have to take the GMAT, but I think if I take the time I'm here to study for it & get my application together, I will be able to start the next fall semester when I'm home. Honestly, I feel way better about this. I feel like a weight is lifted off my shoulders that I didn't even know was there. I kept trying to think to myself "a Master's is a Master's" when I think I knew in the back of my head this wasn't the right thing. I think I'm going to go disenroll tomorrow. Thank you all very much for the advice again.

[Anonymous122]

I think you'll be much happier if you wait. You're only 26, so there is no serious rush. On top of getting the MBA from a good school, an MBA isn't particularly helpful unless you have experience in the field that you want to use it in. An example is one of my best friends from college. He is graduating with a B.S in Business Administration and Economics. He did an investment banking internship last summer in NYC. Internship aside, he is going to wait until his late 20s-early 30s before going after an MBA, because an MBA is supposed to accent your experience. If he were to go straight into an MBA and apply for an MBA-level job in investment banking, he'd get laughed at. They're going to want more like 5-10 years of experience in investment banking, plus an MBA. With that in mind, I highly suggest that you consider what sort of experience you have. An MBA is really only going to be helpful if there are advancement opportunities in the field that you're already in. Would it be possible to move up to middle management in the field you're in? If not, and you have to change fields, you're going to end up becoming an MBA student with no experience. You'll be underqualified for MBA-level jobs, and overqualified for entry level jobs.

[Anonymous122]

Good call

[alli]

Well, my undergrad degree is in psychology and that was not particularly useful. Basically I want to get a Master's so I can get a better-paying job, bottom line. The majority of my experience is logistics in the military, so no, an MBA wouldn't really get me ahead in the field I'm in right now. When I'm not full time with the military, I'm a phlebotomist as a blood bank. It's retarded- I just want to break this cycle and get a "real" job. Maybe I could get an entry-level job while starting beginning my Master's so that by the time I finish the degree I'll be closer to the track I want to be on.

[Anonymous122]

I think thats a good plan. Find an entry-level job in some kind of business environment that has room for advancement. Psychology is definitely a tough degree to market, for sure. I dated a woman with an undergrad degree in psychology. She was working as a special education aide at a school for $12.00/hr, while taking classes in the evening to get a masters degree in special education.

[IsThisIt]

What are you planning to accomplish with your MBA? My understanding was that if you already have a business background, the only benefit to an MBA is if you want to get a job at an investment bank, hedge fund, or consulting firm --- and the big ibanks and consulting firms basically look at mbas from harvard, stanford, and wharton. How much are you paying for this MBA?

 

 

EDIT: I should have read all the posts. With a degree in psychology this makes sense. But what kind of job in particular do you hope to achieve?

[thejigsup]

In today's job market, not only is a Master's desirable, it's required for any good paying career! AND, it helps tremendously if it is from a major school or university. I have a B.A. in history from a private college ranked in the top ten in the country. It is nothing without a Master's from a like school. I am now getting my Master's in Human Development from a school that is the western arm of the Chicago School of Psychiatry. Expensive, but well worth it.

[lostnscared]

What are you planning to accomplish with your MBA? My understanding was that if you already have a business background, the only benefit to an MBA is if you want to get a job at an investment bank, hedge fund, or consulting firm --- and the big ibanks and consulting firms basically look at mbas from harvard, stanford, and wharton. How much are you paying for this MBA?

 

 

EDIT: I should have read all the posts. With a degree in psychology this makes sense. But what kind of job in particular do you hope to achieve?

 

You and Anonymous have really hit the rear on the head. An MBA does not give you some sort of "clearency" to just get out there and obtain a mid-seasoned executive position unless you already have that background and have years of working in that field. Most people who get their MBA already have years of work experience in a particular field and are going to school to develop more skills and get trained to move up within that field. Otaining an MBA will not really work out in your favor if you have no business experience or if you aren't in any particular field that has the opportunity for "growth". There's also little advantage in getting an MBA unless you go to a top B-school or at least a good state B-School that has connections with good companies within your state. After seeing the rest of the information you've provided, I'd say that getting an MBA at this point in time isn't a good idea. It isn't a good idea until you've worked in a particular business field/sector for at least two years. If you get your MBA now without any professional business experience at all(in a field that you can grow into) then you'll waste money, and won't get an ROI.

 

Rather than focusing on getting an MBA, you need to get an entry level job in a business field (since you lack that background), work there for a year or two, and make sure it has options within the field where you can move up. Try to find a company to work for that will give you a shot even though you lacked the undergrad in business. Once you get your foot in the door, work hard, learn, and make a name for yourself at your company. That will help you with getting letters of rec. from professionals in your field. Then take the GMAT, do well, and go to a good B-School.

 

A lot of people will go for an MBA thinking they'll automatically get a high paying job, and that isn't the case at all UNLESS they already have a business background and have went to a good B-school or one with great connections. Professionals that have lucrative careers, are those that had years of experience within a field, AND then went back got their MBA's and honed their skills more which THEN made them an asset within their field. That is what leads to the "money". It's not the MBA itself. And I think you should research the coursework that an MBA entails. It truly is ONLY catered to those individuals who have already had backgrounds in the business world and within business fields. It essentially "trains" you. It isn't like undergrad--it is specialized and is made for executives or those with an aim to be an executive at the company they are already at. In other words it's important that you work first to make sure this is the route you want to take, because the MBA is "training" and it means that you must have the passion for the field your in and must have the skills.

 

I'm telling you this because I received my undergrad in business and have since been in the field for two years. I know several professionals working at great companies(Kellog, P&G, Kraft, my dad worked at Sara Lee, Bain & Company, Goldman Sachs, etc) My dad has an MBA, my sister went to Harvard and knows a lot of business professionals making top dollars. Most of them have stated that it was already having good work experience in their field, going to a top b school, and going into a field with room for growth that led to lucrative careers. It wasn't the MBA. It was everything. The entire package.

 

In short, getting an MBA is not the quick route to making money unless you do those things^. If your looking for the fast route to money you might as well get a trade or go to a top university for engineering. Engineering is one of the only fields I know of where you can get a 60k paying job right out of undergrad without much experience. Most fields(medicine, business law) that pay a lot, require years of school AND work. Top attorneys don't make very much until they've went to good law schools, and had experience at law firms. Top doctors don't make very much until they've went to school and learned all types of skills and information pertinent to their field and had ONSITE work experience(clinicals, etc). The same goes for business. You don't come out making significantly more than an entry level worker unless you have a lot of experience, and went to school in conjunction with that experience.

[lostnscared]

Go to businessweek and forbes and start reading about business programs and the MBA. And if I were you I would do an informational interview with someone within the field your wanting to get into(that pays a lot) to see what he/she did to get there. Those are all the things I've done--beyond having the bachelors in business and working in the field.

 

For the record after working in the field for the last two years, I realized that I'm GLAD I did not rush to get my MBA. I dislike the corporate world and am now transitioning to a different field using the skills I have already developed.

 

Good luck. And I'm glad we all have helped you. You'd be amazed at how many people are misinformed about MBA, grad school, etc. I was, LOL. It took my dad, my sister, and several other people, and resources that helped me learn what me and others on here have just told you.

[alli]

Yeah, I think I would like to not wait a few more years before starting on a Master's. It's hard to get into the business world. I have a bachelor's in psychology, I could barely get into it in the first place because a lot of the "just out of college" positions require a bachelor's in business, and I'm certainly NOT going back to school to earn an equivalent degree, then working a couple years, then starting a Master's.

 

I'm still thinking of what I want to do. I am in the Guard and I wouldn't mind a tech job, but I'm not sure if an MBA would be conducive there. I'll probably stay in the military quite a bit longer. Around the time I get home I'll be eligible to make Captain & I already know where the next deployment will be, and I'm not even midway through this one yet. I just feel like I made the wrong choice with my bachelor's & now I'm stuck. Too early to go back to school, but I've been out 3 years already & would have a hard time even getting an entry-level job in business. GRRRRR!!!

[lostnscared]

Well then not to be rude(I hope I'm not) if you don't even have a business background and you are having trouble getting your foot in the door already, then an MBA would be a HUGE waste of time, money, and effort. It wouldn't amount to anything, since you have no business experience, references, or skills within a particular business field(marketing,management, consulting, analytics, healthcare, administration, etc)--it would be essentially like getting your psych degree again(coming out of school with no real job prospects). An MBA is essentially "training executives" that are ALREADY in the workforce, with backgrounds, skills, and so on that will be supported and enhanced by the degree.

 

As I said if you spend some time researching "what is an MBA" you'll see that it isn't a degree that you just go and get with hopes of getting a job unless you have skills and qualifications already for the job. I have two years of working experience in my business field (marketing), and most professionals recommend that I don't go back to school until at least 3-5 years of working in the field. I just think an MBA is going to be a bad move for you based on the reasons your going for it, and your lack of business experience. Upon getting the degree you'd be immensely disappointed with it.

I suggest you look into trades, or even becoming an RN(which takes the same length of time it would take to get your MBA since you already have a bachelors).

I understand your frustration. Unfortunately psych, and sociology are those "majors" where you need a masters to get even a decent paying position. But you don't have to be stuck at where your at--there are several masters and certificates that you can get in the same time you would have gotten that MBA that will pay you well and that don't hinge on you having work experience or going to a top b-school.

You could even go to a CC school(when you get back) and get into a trade that will essentially pay you much more then what you are making. There are some two year degrees that can result in 50k-100k a year upon graduating. I would look into those--they are quick, pay well, don't cost as much, and will give you a good ROI.

[lostnscared]

I think you just need to research your options. An MBA typically takes 12-36 months to complete(depending on the school, and whether you or full time or part time) there are plenty of other programs that will actually give you a good ROI that are of a similar time length and that don't require a background already in that particular field. If I may ask why haven't you considered going to get your MA in psychology?

[alli]

I have considered it; I'm not really interested in counseling. Ugh, this is a frustrating topic for me.

[alli]

Is it really that crazy to want to do something different from my undergrad? But they all require a business degree just to get in the door. How do people change career fields without going back to school & earning an equivalent degree all over again?

[lostnscared]

Is it really that crazy to want to do something different from my undergrad? But they all require a business degree just to get in the door. How do people change career fields without going back to school & earning an equivalent degree all over again?

 

Most people that are able to change fields, either have connections or are able to get their foot in the door at companies that wouldn't have otherwised hired them based on the wy they sold themselves. And that is really what business is about: "selling yourself" and proving your value and worth to the company. You have to prove that although you have a degree in a different field, that you have "skills" that are an asset for the company and that fit that particular job description. But I'd say on average, for a lot of people, changing fields DOES usually mean going back to school to get the necessary skills to transition to a field.

 

And no, it isn't crazy to want to change fields--I'm in the process of doing so right now(but I am going to school). But I do think that maybe you should really research your options--because an MBA(especially an online one) would have been a horribly disappointing move.

 

If you don't want to pursue counseling--then I wouldn't. No point in going to school just to stick with your major, if it's not what you want to do. But if you want to get in the business field without a degree, then you need to sell yourself, and recreate your resume to mimic that of a business professional. And if you don't want to go back to school, and are having a difficult time getting into the field, then most likely you also have to be willing to take any "pay" and do the dirty work to prove your worth it. This is what I was told for the field I wanted to transition to--if I didn't want to go back to school. Unfortunately because I had bills, rent, and etc to pay, taking a job at any pay, and doing dirty work wasn't appealing--so I'll be going back to school. But the field I'm going into doesn't hinge on already having solid experience and/or a bachelors in that particular field.

 

So I guess the advice I'd give to you, is above--be willing to take any job, do the dirty work, and take a low pay, sell yourself and you'll get an entry level business job with no issue. But if money is your goal(which you've said it is) then your best bet would be either getting a post-bachelors in business(which is essentially a 12-18 month certificate) THEN working for 2-3 years, THEN going to get your MBA. But I suspect your goal really is to make money, and make it relatively fast--so if I were you I'd look into trades that you could see yourself doing.

[lostnscared]

Another thing that you should consider--is that if you've never worked in the business field before, then how do you know if you would like it? Not only is working a couple of years beneficial in having a good ROI once you go to school to obtain your MBA, but working a couple of years in the field can give you a good idea about the corporate world, and if you can see yourself working in that world for 10-15 years. For me, I went to school got a business degree, did internships in college, and thought I would love it. But after a couple of years of working in different sectors of my field, I've realized I could NOT see myself doing it for 10-15 years, let alone another 2 years.