The University of Maryland University College offers an online Master of Business Administration degree. Named one of the “Top 20 Cyber Universities” worldwide by Forbes magazine, the MBA program is fully accredited by the Commission of Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The program is designed to integrate into students’ lives and to be applicable to their current job situations right from the start. Its accelerated pace is helpful in allowing students to utilize what they have learned in the program as quickly as possible in their work environment. The courses are designed to explore management and organization processes and apply them to a global business environment.

The MBA program is 43 credits and consists of a 1-credit foundation course and seven 6-credit seminars. Each seminar is 14 weeks long. Students have 3 weeks off between each seminar. Students are grouped into a cohort of about 30 students who stay together during the duration of the MBA program. A facilitator is assigned to each cohort.

The seminars required to complete the online MBA program are: MBA Fundamentals (1 credit); The Role of Managers and Organizations in Society (6 credits); The Dynamics of Individuals and Groups in Work Organizations (6 credits); The Marketing of New Ideas (6 credits); Technology and Operations Management (6 credits); Economics of Management Decisions (6 credits); Organizations and the External Environment (6 credits); and Strategic Action Planning/Elective Component (6 credits). In addition all students are required to complete a noncredit course, Introduction to Graduate Library Research Skills, within their first 6 credits of study.

The seminars are taught by experts in the field. The faculty members all have extensive professional and management experience. In addition, more than 89 percent of them hold a doctorate degree. Students also have a facilitator assigned to them who will stay with them throughout the entire program.

U of MD University College MBA program has a streamlined general admissions process that can be completed online. Admission into their online MBA program does not require the completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). There are also no residency requirements.

To apply, prospective students need to complete the online application for admission, send in the application fee, and write a personal statement. Once the application is received, applicants will receive further instructions on submitting their transcripts and other pertinent information. The status of an application can be tracked online.

Upon completion of U of MD University College MBA program students have the option of continuing on to earn a dual degree. During any point of the MBA program students may inform the college that they are interested in pursuing a second degree in the following areas: Master of International Management; Master of Science in E-Commerce; Master of Science in Health Care Administration; or Master of Science in Management. Students have a full seven years from the date of completion of the first graduate course to complete their dual degree.

There has always been a lot of debate as to whether an online college education is as good as a traditional college education. The answer to this is quite simple; there are good institutions that offer an online college education and there are bad establishments that offer an online college education. So, you need to do your research in the same way when you are looking for the best place to pursue your online college education with as you would an offline course.

Of course you are not going to particularly bother finding out about the location of the colleges that offer an online college education because it really doesn’t matter. However, a lot of the other points that you would consider before attending a college should also be taken into consideration before you enrol with an organisation offering an online college education.

The growth in the numbers of people pursuing an online college education has led to increased competition amongst institutions to attract students. The best way to assess the credibility of a site advertising the best online college education is to ask about the accreditation of its courses. Accreditation means that a governing body for a particular field has endorsed the course and this is extremely important in helping you to decide who to trust with your online college education. If a course is not accredited then you need to find out why.

There may be a number of courses that have not yet received accreditation from an appropriate association or governing body but still offer a good online college education. For example, the establishment may have applied for accreditation but not yet been assessed, in which case you can actually check with the particular body that they are in the process of assessing the application for accreditation. Another reason may be that there is no appropriate body that the course can be accredited to. This is less likely but is, nevertheless, a valid reason and does not indicate that the course offered is not going to be worth taking to advance your online college education.

If, however, you find that the online college education institution has been refused accreditation they are likely to try to tell you that accreditation is not important. This is quite simply untrue. An online college education from a non-accredited institution is not going to be viewed as highly as one from an establishment that is accredited. Choose where you gain your online college education from with care to ensure that you are not wasting your time and money by having an almost worthless qualification.

The University of Phoenix Online has been in existence for over a decade and a half. Established in 1989, it was the first accredited online university and today with over 57,000 enrolments to its credit, it has become the largest private, accredited, ‘for-profit’, online university in the United States. Because of its tenure and name recognition, the University of Phoenix is often the first name that comes to peoples mind when they consider an online University. This reputation is not without merit, as the University offers students a great deal that the other online universities simply cannot compete with. That said, not everything about this school is ideal.

Because of the length of time the University has been in operation, it has perfected the art of serious online teaching. The curriculum has been tailored to meet the requirement of working adults who seek to supplement their working knowledge with theory and practical skills while earning a degree for themselves to a degree that other online schools do not.

Virtual classrooms with trained online instructors and flexible but strict classroom participation and assignment submissions make learning comfortable. So much so, that the students are able to complete almost 27 credits in a year as against 15 credits completed by regular on site campus learning students. With only 11 students in a class, the student to instructor ratio is low, facilitating greater one on one interaction. The instructors themselves are CIOs, CEOs and CFOs of reputed companies when they are not mentoring students in the classrooms.

But then like every thing in this universe, negatives do exist and this University is no exception. Sometimes students complain about below average quality of instructors who do not participate in the discussion or evaluation to the extent that has been promised. Lack of communication skills in some cases and at others complete or partial silence towards questions posted has been observed. This is a serious allegation considering that the good communication and prompt interactions with the students of the class are very vital for any online course. Add to this, students often complain that when a grievance or concern is addressed to the deputed ‘advisor’ an endless string of communication follows with little or no action actually taken.

There are some ex-instructors who have come up and indicated that their pay is quite pitiful relative to other universities and as a consequence the motivation levels and drive to excel is low. This often results in a high turnover of instructors. It seems that the primary complaint, substandard teaching quality is directly tied to the level of pay provided these professors.

Another negative pertains to the technology itself. The university boasts that the online software platform has been developed in collaboration with Microsoft. One would expect that the mail receiving and disseminating platform also be much evolved and sophisticated. Instead there is confirmed evidence that they actually use the notoriously lacking Outlook Express for the purpose. Another problem is that the servers are quite slow sometimes. These two problems are worth a mention since online teaching requires quick and reliable interface with minimum downtime. Therefore a slack in this area can have serious implications for the university as a whole.

A final concern pertains to ‘high’ fees being charged. It might be comparable with the several outer online universities of its genre. But when viewed in the light of students who are already disgruntled with the quality of education being imparted, can snowball into bigger packets of unhappiness.

All this might sound as the doomsday for online education and especially for the University of Phoenix. But remember when you handle thousands of students, there are bound to be a handful that are going to be dissatisfied. And life depends on changes and improvements. That said, by and large the students of the University of Phoenix have and continue to express satisfaction with the school. While it is certainly clear that it has some limitations, the opportunity to attain a degree swiftly and cheaply from a well known and accredited University makes the offer very attractive for a great many.

Attending classes online is the smart way for busy people to earn degrees to advance in their present career or furthering their education. The University of Phoenix Online has earned its reputation as the premier provider of E-distant learning degree programs and courses, and is the nation’s largest accredited private university.

The University of Phoenix online program offers students the opportunity to achieve: Bachelors, Master’s and Doctorate level degrees in the areas of: Business, Information Systems, Education, Nursing, and Technology at their own pace and from the comfort of home.

The Master of Business Administration program or MBA Online Degree Program offered by the University of Phoenix is designed to enable a student taking management courses, to gain or advance the skills needed to function effectively within an organization. Through specialized coursework developed to build and enhance these skills, students will create and defend solutions for problems in crisis management, profitable growth opportunities, and changes in leadership. Throughout the course of this program students will gain the knowledge and experience to turn volatile -situations into well-managed problems. Students will have the chance to apply different tools and concepts towards achieving this, as well as analyzing a variety of alternate solutions to common problems in management. Students will select a course of action for solving situations, and then defend their choice.

The Master of Business Program at the University of Phoenix employs the use of problem-based learning, where students can polish their problem-solving skills, as well as improve their communication, creativity, information processing, and critical thinking skills. Student progress is assessed by the student’s ability to demonstrate effectively through classroom presentations: their skills in problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking.

Students are grouped together in ‘learning teams’. These learning teams will apply the principles of ‘benchmarking’ throughout the course to research the most creative solutions to any given problem. This gives a learner a broader selection of alternatives for solving problems.

The MBA Degree Program offered by the University of Phoenix consists of 39 credit hours and includes 3 proficiency courses. These are (MBA501, MBA502, MBA503) which may be satisfied through an undergraduate business degree, undergraduate coursework, or graduate coursework. Students may also waive 9 additional credits through graduate courses and may even qualify for a 21-hour residency. Ask your UOP Online Education Counselor, for more details about this waiver and residency, if you think you may qualify.

Benedictine University has a long standing history of quality education. Originally founded in 1887 by Benedictine monks, the school has undergone several name changes and grown to what it is today. Initially a school to teach Czech and Slovak men, it grew to become coeducation and finally it included a complete curriculum of course work and advanced study. Because of the demand for more flexible education options to accommodate the needs of stay at home parents and working adults, Benedictine University adopted an adult learning program.

An adult learning program is ideal for any adult with restrictions on their time due to professional or family obligations. It enables the student to continue their education in a formal atmosphere, getting all the advantages of traditional college courses. However, learning at Benedictine University is done at an accelerated pace and at more convenient times. This will allow the working adult to fit in classes after work and on the weekends and allow the stay at home parent to study during times the children do not need to be taken back and forth to school.

The classes at Benedictine University for adult learning are designed for adults who have not yet completed their bachelor’s degree. Therefore, the class sizes are smaller and comprised of peers with similar situations. To enroll in the program, each student must be at least twenty four years old and have at least two years work experience. This can be a much more comfortable environment for adults who have life and work experience already. Often sitting in class with students much younger than you are can be uncomfortable. Also, because of life experience, many of the topics covered you may already be knowledgeable on. Sitting through tedious work you are already familiar with can be frustrating and lead to a lack of drive. However, learning among your peers will be motivational.

The flexibility of adult learning at Benedictine University allows the student to plan their course schedule according to their existing time commitments. Because the reality is that sometimes these commitments change, you can design the courses each time to coincide with your personal and professional life. You may also take stop outs if your schedule becomes especially hectic. The modules, or classes, have a staggered year round schedule to accommodate all needs. You may start a module at the time that is convenient for you. You may also design your work load for as many or as few classes as you can handle at one time.

Benedictine University has decreased fees for adult learning to make obtaining a degree more affordable. There is also tuition assistance available from the financial aid center. Benedictine University has a proven record of academic excellence and continues this by developing programs for the needs of all their students. By designing an adult learning curriculum they are able to accommodate the unique scheduling requirements of adults with time restrictions due to personal or professional obligations. No longer does completing a bachelor’s degree have to be a daunting task. Using the flexibility the adult learning program affords, you can get a solid education without sacrificing existing responsibilities.

Online universities are a boon for adults who wish to continue their education despite working. Capella is amongst those names that come to mind foremost when one is considering earning a degree online. Formed in 1993, Capella University became fully accredited in 1997. With accreditation came a name change and formation of five different schools namely: Education, Business, Technology, Human Sciences and Psychology. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the university offers 650 courses in 70 specialization areas of studies. With statistics such as 650 faculty members and over 550 administrative and personnel staff, the university is inarguably one of the better places to earn an online degree and currently has over 13,000 learners enrolled with it.

There are several upsides and some down sides of studying at Capella. Consider these points for instance:

Capella has a personalized portal for e-learning called iGuide. After enrolling students are given secure access to courses and transcripts which will enable you to join the interactive learning community. On joining the online classroom, which they refer to as ‘Courseroom’ the student has access to online assignments and discussion forums. Most students find this alternative far superior to the cumbersome online chats and perpetually non-functioning webcams of their competitors. Similarly, the assignment submission protocol through Capella is quite convenient. Under the system, students have to submit their assignments in zip files or Microsoft Word documents.

The University also offers a number of opportunities that extend beyond graduation. One, for example is the alumni center located on the online portal. This service offers recent graduates and students access to networking opportunities, professional employment information, and developmental grants. Students are generally pleased with this feature although some have criticized the alumni center as being much more fluff than actual job offers.

While on the subject of employment, it is important to consider that many students in online universities choose that option for the chance to work at the same time. Unfortunately, however, students are frequently finding that the University does not do much by way of providing employment for students. Students find the opportunity for work-study rather dismal. The University does not offer much assistance for this except for students who live in the vicinity of the headquarters.

While this type of limitation might be expected from an online university, the school does offer some rather extensive assistance when it comes to special needs for learning. Capella University provides disability services to physically challenged students in the form of additional learning time, residential colloquia support, including sign language interpreters and mobility assistance.

Regarding other services, however, Capella comes up short. Capella does have a bookstore, which offers a wide variety of books and software. But it is generally felt that the books can definitely be bought a lot cheaper from other places instead of the university bookstore. While some students claim that the use of a University book store is merely a means for Capella to generate revenue at the expense of the school, it is rather simple to opt out of this trap by purchasing books online. And in other respects, the school, regarding cost, is quite competitive with other online universities, and a real bargain compared to its brick and mortar counterparts.

While many of the individual schools within Capella carry quite a strong reputation, the psychology school is regarded as quite unsatisfactory. The Psychology School has been plagued with some problems concerning its top management. The school has been beset with repeat changes of deans resulting in total lack of coordination. Add to this, the program is till now, not approved by the apex American Psychological Association (APA) despite being in existence for so many years.

But as stated previously, the condition of this particular school should not be taken as an indication of the collective university. With a faculty numbering 650, many students find the quality and variety of professors a major asset to the university. Some students have argued, however, that contrary to this, existing students often complain of these very instructors as being part time contractors and as such not dedicated enough to adequately serve their students as teachers and mentors. In fact professors at Capella are often labeled as ‘incapable of online teaching’, a criticism pointing to many professors non-familiarity with the online environment. An argument in favor of this thought comes from the experience of some students who loved the experience of pursuing an online masters degree with Capella and after coming back for more by enrolling for their doctoral program, were disappointed. They claim an obvious degradation of quality of mentoring at the higher levels. This may be because the vast majority of students enrolled at Capella do not seek to extend their education that far.

Overall Capella provides students with a bit of a mixed bag. The format of class teaching and the ease of assignment submissions is a very tangible benefit of this school over its competitors. In addition, the University faculty has some very able-minded and talented teachers. But with these positives, come some very serious drawbacks. The teaching quality at Capella is inconsistent at times, leaving some students with the impression that the qualifications required for teaching are too low. Additionally, the failure of the school to attain accreditation in some areas, despite its age, can only leave the impression that the quality of the administration has some serious flaws.

DeVry University has its roots from way back in 1931 as a film and radio repair teaching establishment. Today it is amongst the largest schools run for profit in the United States. The University as a company also finds mention in the ‘100 best Corporate Citizen’ list ranked at number 11. Through the years, over a quarter of a million students have graduated from the University. Its total number of enrolments according some estimates is around 50,000, which is a tad lower than that of Phoenix University.

DeVry University boasts of 70 odd locations from where students can take classes. Students can also take online classes. The most important attribute of the University is the range of programs offered. There is something for every body - full time, part time, night study or weekend classes or pure online classes. By offering both online and brick and mortar classes at a variety of locations, students find they are able to find the combination that best suits their needs.

The university is fully accredited and offers various courses in areas of Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications and Business Administration at both undergraduate as well as graduate levels. This differentiates the school from some of the other online universities, like Capella, that have repeatedly failed to receive accreditation for its programs. Of particular note, is the business school, which has a strong focus on business management. Management education is imparted via, the Keller Graduate School of Management and as such is quite focused and current in its curriculum.

Another good thing about the university is the ‘part-time job services’, which offers to find part time jobs for students wanting to earn while they learn. Students can earn from $6.5 to $10 per hour at entry level. But students have often been seen to be complaining about the frequency with which the job postings are updated. Even the limitations of the job board, however, are a stark improvement over some of its online competitors which do not even offer the service at all.

Online education is imparted in collaboration with CertifyOnline, which provides DeVry with the reference materials, tests and online labs. This enables availability of courses and reference materials in synchronous format with live instructions as well as in archived video media. The class sizes are small and offer personalized attention. That said, many students find that the formulated testing and teaching limits not only the creativity of their professors, but also the ability for them, as students, to learn at a higher level.

The overall quality of education is considered to be quite good by both current students and federal regulators. However, unlike less rigorous competitors, the quality of the education comes at a price. The school is quick to place students on probation, should the student’s grades fall even a little. Such a strict discipline is perhaps good when you look at the future employability of the student. Tie this with the figure of 90 % of the university graduates (who actively pursued employment or were already employed when they graduated) finding jobs in their referred field within 6 months. While certainly there is some room for the University to have fiddled with the figures, this number is nonetheless quite impressive. It is important to note, however, that in light of this statistic the University qualifies their 90% claim by omitting some students who were never employed before or during their education at the university, and are finding it a difficult job to get employed. Some students argue that this is because, despite the quality of education, the reputation of the school remains sub-par amongst employers.

The universities price tag and associated fees are on par with its other online competitors, but it is important to note that this does not always mean a bargain compared to other public brick-and-mortar universities.

One of the major deficiencies of DeVry University appears to be its administrative department. Students frequently claim to have difficulty in dealing with the financial aid department as well as with the other student services departments.

Many students express some serious displeasure with the marketability of their Devry degree. They are finding that despite the quality of education and rigor of the university, that some employers do not yet regard the school as equivalent to a more traditional four year brick-and-mortar school. Another cadre of students report, however, that they have found the benefits of having the degree a very tangible benefit. Other than this deficiency, however, it appears that in the actual business of teaching and learning, DeVry surpasses its online competitors. The question facing incoming students, is however, what is the ultimate purpose of that college degree.