My Norwich University Experience : Online Degrees

Narrowed Down to Two

WheelCipher — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:47:00 GMT

It has only been a week since I walked across the stage and received my diploma from Norwich University. In that short time, I am itching to get back in the game. I said in my last post that I would have a decision about the next step in my journey soon. But it will not be in this post, unfortunately.

I spent the better part of the day looking at my options. After weeding out a lot of those, I have narrowed them down to the D.B.A. (Doctor of Business Administration) from Walden University and the M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

I spent a lot of time on the phone today with the nice folks at Capella University and Walden. I got a lot of information about the programs. I really think that I have completely abandoned the PhD idea. The cost (no matter where you go) is huge. On top of that, I am looking at another four years to complete it. While I do want to go back to school, I do not want to do four more years. Three is my maximum at this point.

Both the D.B.A. from Walden and the M.A. from Gonzaga both have objectives that really appeal to me in a big way. Moreover, the Walden option has textbooks built into the cost. I know that seems somewhat trivial to some, but knowing that I do not have to go purchase books on my own is a big plus. That is the way it was at Kaplan and Norwich. It is what I am used to.

I will be making a decision by Monday. I believe both programs have start dates that grow closer by the day. I do not recall the research and decisions about my MBA being this difficult. But maybe I have a short memory.

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Something About Gonzaga

WheelCipher — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:01:00 GMT

I have been thinking a lot about what to do next (if anything) in regards to education now that I am just about done with the MBA program at Norwich. The obvious choices are to go get another Master’s degree or a PhD.

There are two drawbacks to the PhD. One deterrent is obviously the cost of the program. An online PhD will run me about the same as my undergrad and my MBA combined. A lot of that will be handled with student aid, but this would also require me to chip in a lot. I do not mind doing that, but in an uncertain economy, it is a gamble.

The other concern is the time it would take. It will probably take me about four years. That is a huge addition to the six years I have already invested. I need to ask myself if I really want to invest that much time.

One thing that attracts me to a second Master’s degree is the “servant leadership” focus with the Master's in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. Gonzaga's liberal arts tradition lies in its core curriculum, which integrates philosophy, religious studies, mathematics, literature, natural and social sciences, and extensive writing in each major discipline.

Servant-leadership emphasizes the leader's role as steward of the resources (human, financial and otherwise) provided by the organization. It encourages leaders to serve others while staying focused on achieving results in line with the organization's values and integrity.

I have spoken to one of the program coordinators at Gonzaga and this program runs about $27,000 and lasts two years. Furthermore, the topic of leadership is something I am very interested in from a management perspective. In my many years of being a manager, there is a lot of stuff I know. But I suspect that this program will enlighten me to more than I ever suspected (much like the MBA program at Norwich).

I am in “personal development” mode right now and this looks interesting to say the least.

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Is It Real?

WheelCipher — Sat, 16 May 2009 11:30:00 GMT

I received an e-mail the other day from a fan who evidently reads my blog. The email was short and to the point. It simply asked if my degree from Kaplan University was real, or were they a diploma mill.

I was not sure what to think. In one of those rare moments where I was not sure what to say to such as question, I just replied, “It’s real. It got me into a very good graduate school.” What this tells me is that (1) people are not doing their homework and (2) there is some stigma out there regarding online degrees. I think that if someone had any questions about a certain school being a diploma mill, there would be enough information out there that would confirm or deny any suspicions that might exist. This is especially true here at e-Learners.

Second, I have personally witnessed what has been a tremendous (and legitimate) fear of online education subside to almost nothing over the past six years. The proliferation of diploma mills “back in the day” was a real fear and to some extent, is still a fear for some people.

What has transitioned over the past six years or so since I started my college career at Kaplan is a flood of credible accounts of people like myself taking the leap into online education. Sites like e-Learners, the media, and traditional brick-and-mortar schools adopting distance learning has done so much toward reducing the fear of diploma mills.

Furthermore, many people have been “outed” for listing diploma mills in their credentials. Every once in a while we see the article that talks about people in government and other high-ranking positions who took the easy way out. Awareness of the impact of diploma mills has caused the truth to float to the top. This is good for us.

The bottom line is that people need to do their homework. Do not be afraid to ask others who have been there. People need to understand accreditation. Define your dreams and go for it.

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More Fan Mail From Viking

WheelCipher — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

It is I again. Since you are in Texas, I was wondering which graduate business school is generally viewed as more favorable by the people down there. University of Houston or the University of Texas? In addition, when I refer to UT, I do not mean the McCombs School Business at UT Austin, but rather the MBA programs at the other UT campuses, such as Arlington. I like both online programs, although I am leaning toward UT because one of the required courses at UH is Calculus and I really want to avoid taking Calculus if I can. In addition, do you think going to a Texas school makes sense if I plan to work in NYC or DC?

These are good questions. First, in Texas, if you go to an accredited school, you should not have any problems. Obviously, UT Austin is the big fish in this pond, but it is not the only good school in the state. I looked at the business programs at many Texas schools at some point and was not turned off by any of them.

If you are looking for an on-campus experience, I would be fine attending any school in Texas myself. If you are looking for an online experience, I know that the University of Houston at Victoria, University of Dallas and others offer that. I also know that UT Dallas offers the MBA program. It is not a cheap program, either. It was about $50k last time I checked. Moreover, that was for in-state residents. Things may have changed since the last time I checked. Do some homework and find out which one works for you.

Overall, I cannot tell you NOT to go to any of the Texas schools. Working in NYC or DC should not matter at all. It should have no bearing on the situation. People all over the country and world get their degrees from one geographical location and move to another for the purpose of work. You just need to see which one works for you and meets your needs.

I hope this helps.

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At a Crossroads

WheelCipher — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:22:00 GMT

Wow! It just hit me. Last night, my group (myself and three other students) turned in our final “group project”. What this means is that I have one more assignment to complete for my MBA program. The pedagogical approach that we have been exposed to now shifts from a focus on an understanding of the individual concepts and models of Strategic Management contained in our curriculum to the development of an integrated strategic framework. Through the analysis of a full, self-contained case study, aimed at integrating the various functional strategies covered in previous classes, this last assignment will have us evaluating the cohesiveness of a business strategy for an existing firm.

It looks like somewhat of a “comprehensive” assignment. We have two weeks to complete it. That is what some people might call “a hint”. We began the study of Strategic Management with a review of Missions and Goals. Then we touched on the principles used to identify a firm’s internal capabilities and their societal and industry environments. This understanding carried through to the study of how these factors are used to formulate sustainable competitive advantages for the firm. As you can tell, the work in the course was very detailed.

Now that I am without a job, I should be able to put some significant time into this final project. I also have a comprehensive exam that needs to be completed this week. Everything is coming to a head for me in terms of this MBA program.

Even though the program is ending, I will still be posting here at E-Learners. My next education-related task is to find my next degree program.

When the MBA is over, I am mulling over several options.

M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University

Doctor of Management from University of Maryland

DBA from Baker College

Ph.D. from Walden University

I will be documenting this journey as well.

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