I started my research into the Kelley Direct program last fall. At the time I initially started the research into the program, the big complaint about the KD program seemed to be the degree and transcript showing up as "Bloomington - Indianapolis". This seemed to be a subject that most alumni and current students had an opinion on, most of it being the degree and transcript being worded this way differentiated them from the Full-time Bloomington program. I completely agree with this, and thought it a huge negative for the program.
However, I soon realized that it was announced last Fall that beginning this Fall, 2009, students can register through either Indianapolis or Bloomington. Therefore, those of us who choose Bloomington as our registration campus will have degrees and transcripts that reflect this choice, and no mention of Indianapolis.
While this is very common knowledge by now amongst the current students, and most alumni, I wanted to mention it here for the benefit of prospective students. As with me, a prospective student conducting research on the KD program will run across older discussion board posts referring to this situation. However, rest assured that the issue has been resolved, at least for us who have yet to start. This is a huge positive step for the KD program, as they will now be able to grant degrees and transcripts that are identical to the FT Bloomington program.
The alumni of the program however still are left with degrees and transcripts reflecting this difference. Hopefully the administration will look after these alumni and make sure they have all the confidence in their degree that us hopefuls will have upon completion.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Washington State Online MBA
Washington State is the latest AACSB accredited school to begin offering an online MBA.
Fall 2009 In-residence
Date for this years fall in-residence are August 8th - 14th, a full 7 days.
It looks like the week has 3 objectives. One is a 1.5 credit hour course, C511 - Organizational Development & Change which takes place throughout the week. Two is an orientation to IU, Kelley, and the program. Third is networking, as there is a Group dinner on arrival night with Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business, and Sheri Brown, a professor at Kelley. Also during the week, there are some socials and dinner nights.
We will be staying at the Indiana Memorial Union, which is located on campus and will be walking over to the Kelley school each morning.
There are a few open dinner nights during the week, so I have begun researching what the must eat restaurants are in Bloomington. According to Bloomingpedia, Nick's English Hut is a must eat, as well as the Irish Lion seems very appealing.
I've been monitoring flights to Indianapolis from Richmond, and just today the price on all flights seemed to jump $20.
US News and World Report - Business School Rankings
Recently published US News and World Report ranking of the best graduate business schools has IU-Bloomington as #22
See the rankings here: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/items/01080
Choosing a Program
A common question that I get when I tell people that I am starting the Kelley Direct MBA program in the Fall is, "Why Indiana?".
Well, prior to choosing Indiana, I first had to choose to pursue an MBA. I have known for the past 5 or so years that I wanted to eventually get an MBA. However, I had envisioned myself getting the MBA in my early thirties. Just this past semester, I finished my MS in Accounting, and while there are numerous personal reasons I feel now is a good time to get my MBA, I also did not know how I would do with a break from school, ie. taking a few years off before the MBA program.
One thing however that made me nervous, is that the last time I looked (4 or 5 years ago), there were not a lot of well recognized MBA programs online, so I thought I would have to earn it through a lesser known school.
I started my research, that is to determine what possibilities were out there if I wanted to start now on my MBA, and initially came across sites listing those schools that are of course viewed as "online schools", and a handful of regionally accredited schools that had a good name, just maybe not for business. Needless to say, I was not "excited" about any of these schools. Yeah, it would be an MBA, but what sort of real value would it hold? Would I regret the decision years down the road by going with a lesser known school. That is when I happened upon the few great business schools that currently offer an MBA online. It was then time to determine which ones interested me, along with the few schools in town that offer part-time MBA programs.
My list ultimately came up like this:
1. Indiana University (Online)
2. Virginia Tech (In town, professional program)
3. Arizona State (Online)
4. Penn State (Online)
5. VCU (In town, executive program)
6. Florida (Online)
There were a few reasons for my list being ranked as this. First, the two in-town part time MBA programs, VT and VCU, I believe to be great programs and I have known people who had done these with raving reviews. The VCU program only ranked lower on my list due to the time and frequency of the class meetings, and the price. From the online programs, Indiana became my clear favorite, not only because the full-time MBA program is the highest ranked of those listed, it also allowed more flexibility in the timing (the others were lock-step programs), and IU also offered the option of building in a second degree towards the end of the program (I am thinking MS in Finance).
I applied, was accepted, and never even got around to applying at the other programs. However, I believe those online programs mentioned all seem to be great programs, and for different people, they may work out better than the IU program.
So ultimately, to the question, "Why Indiana?", I have to say that I have the option to earn an MBA and MS in Finance, I have flexibility in how quickly I progress through the program, and I am getting the MBA from the #15 ranked MBA program.
I feel content with my selection, and I look forward to beginning the program in the Fall.
Well, prior to choosing Indiana, I first had to choose to pursue an MBA. I have known for the past 5 or so years that I wanted to eventually get an MBA. However, I had envisioned myself getting the MBA in my early thirties. Just this past semester, I finished my MS in Accounting, and while there are numerous personal reasons I feel now is a good time to get my MBA, I also did not know how I would do with a break from school, ie. taking a few years off before the MBA program.
One thing however that made me nervous, is that the last time I looked (4 or 5 years ago), there were not a lot of well recognized MBA programs online, so I thought I would have to earn it through a lesser known school.
I started my research, that is to determine what possibilities were out there if I wanted to start now on my MBA, and initially came across sites listing those schools that are of course viewed as "online schools", and a handful of regionally accredited schools that had a good name, just maybe not for business. Needless to say, I was not "excited" about any of these schools. Yeah, it would be an MBA, but what sort of real value would it hold? Would I regret the decision years down the road by going with a lesser known school. That is when I happened upon the few great business schools that currently offer an MBA online. It was then time to determine which ones interested me, along with the few schools in town that offer part-time MBA programs.
My list ultimately came up like this:
1. Indiana University (Online)
2. Virginia Tech (In town, professional program)
3. Arizona State (Online)
4. Penn State (Online)
5. VCU (In town, executive program)
6. Florida (Online)
There were a few reasons for my list being ranked as this. First, the two in-town part time MBA programs, VT and VCU, I believe to be great programs and I have known people who had done these with raving reviews. The VCU program only ranked lower on my list due to the time and frequency of the class meetings, and the price. From the online programs, Indiana became my clear favorite, not only because the full-time MBA program is the highest ranked of those listed, it also allowed more flexibility in the timing (the others were lock-step programs), and IU also offered the option of building in a second degree towards the end of the program (I am thinking MS in Finance).
I applied, was accepted, and never even got around to applying at the other programs. However, I believe those online programs mentioned all seem to be great programs, and for different people, they may work out better than the IU program.
So ultimately, to the question, "Why Indiana?", I have to say that I have the option to earn an MBA and MS in Finance, I have flexibility in how quickly I progress through the program, and I am getting the MBA from the #15 ranked MBA program.
I feel content with my selection, and I look forward to beginning the program in the Fall.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Kelley Direct - Open House Dinners
I saw this on the Kelley Direct website, looks like they will be having a open house "tour" this spring for prospective students to meet with the staff.
If interested, see if they are coming to your area:
http://kd.iu.edu/openhouse/dinner.html
If interested, see if they are coming to your area:
http://kd.iu.edu/openhouse/dinner.html
Welcome and Introduction
As the first post to this blog, I would like to briefly introduce myself, describe the Kelley Direct program, and state what I hope this blog will accomplish.
About Me
I am from Virginia, and I work as an accountant in the government sector. I also own a small accounting firm working with small business and political campaigns. I am working on obtaining a CPA and CMA license. I have a Masters of Science in Accounting and a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.
Kelley Direct
The Kelley Direct program offers an MBA (as well as MS in Finance, Global Supply Chain Management, and Strategic Management) through Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. The program is offered almost entirely online, with a 1 week in-residence in Bloomington, IN at the beginning of each Fall semester.
What I Hope to Accomplish
I have started this blog in an attempt to chronicle my time in the Kelley Direct program. There are many MBA blogs started each year from those attending top-ranked business schools, however I feel this blog is unique as it chronicles a top-ranked MBA program that is offered online. There are currently only a handful of what I would consider top-ranked business schools that offer such a degree online.
There seems to be a lot of confusion among students, companies, and recruiters on exactly how to treat a degree earned online. The normal thought is of those for-profit schools that advertise relentlessly on TV, radio, print, etc offering people "degrees you can earn in your pajamas". These degrees, because of the prevelance of their advertising and stereotype of the degrees themselves, get lumped into other online degrees. However, as more great schools, such as Indiana, Penn State, & Arizona State begin to offer MBA degrees online, how will companies view these? What troubles will students have explaining to recruiters why their MBA should be equivalent to others earned at the institution?
As I am just beginning on this road, I do not know the answers. I expect I will encounter many who will lump this degree with those aforementioned cracker-jack degrees. However, I also hope to encounter those who see the possibilities of having schools with great reputations offer MBAs online, and having those degrees carry the same weight as those earned in-residence. It is my hope that through this blog, and the abilities of those who earn this degree, that we are able to break down any of these preconceived perceptions.
There is significantly more to say on this issue, however, as this is only an introduction, hopefully it has provided you an overview on what to expect going forward.
-b
About Me
I am from Virginia, and I work as an accountant in the government sector. I also own a small accounting firm working with small business and political campaigns. I am working on obtaining a CPA and CMA license. I have a Masters of Science in Accounting and a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.
Kelley Direct
The Kelley Direct program offers an MBA (as well as MS in Finance, Global Supply Chain Management, and Strategic Management) through Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. The program is offered almost entirely online, with a 1 week in-residence in Bloomington, IN at the beginning of each Fall semester.
What I Hope to Accomplish
I have started this blog in an attempt to chronicle my time in the Kelley Direct program. There are many MBA blogs started each year from those attending top-ranked business schools, however I feel this blog is unique as it chronicles a top-ranked MBA program that is offered online. There are currently only a handful of what I would consider top-ranked business schools that offer such a degree online.
There seems to be a lot of confusion among students, companies, and recruiters on exactly how to treat a degree earned online. The normal thought is of those for-profit schools that advertise relentlessly on TV, radio, print, etc offering people "degrees you can earn in your pajamas". These degrees, because of the prevelance of their advertising and stereotype of the degrees themselves, get lumped into other online degrees. However, as more great schools, such as Indiana, Penn State, & Arizona State begin to offer MBA degrees online, how will companies view these? What troubles will students have explaining to recruiters why their MBA should be equivalent to others earned at the institution?
As I am just beginning on this road, I do not know the answers. I expect I will encounter many who will lump this degree with those aforementioned cracker-jack degrees. However, I also hope to encounter those who see the possibilities of having schools with great reputations offer MBAs online, and having those degrees carry the same weight as those earned in-residence. It is my hope that through this blog, and the abilities of those who earn this degree, that we are able to break down any of these preconceived perceptions.
There is significantly more to say on this issue, however, as this is only an introduction, hopefully it has provided you an overview on what to expect going forward.
-b
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