

Ask HN: Cheapest MBA? - northband

Does anyone know where to get an affordable MBA online?  Thinking about getting one so the suits take me more serious.  I know its sad - but seems a piece of paper or acronym works in some circles.
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hodder
We need you to provide more detail on your goals. Is your goal to raise money
for an entrepreneurial venture? Better undertand finance and accounting? Learn
about enterpeneurship? Create a business plan? Gain a network? Get a job?

Impressing "the suits" obviously isn't your end goal.

Regardless of your goals, I urge you to avoid enrolling in a cheap MBA
program. An MBA program's value comes primarily from the network of
classmates, alumni, potental employers, and the signalling effect of the
programs selectivity. Cheap MBA programs typically fail in all of those
categories.

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scottyallen
Have you tried craigslist? "Technical cofounder seeks business
counterpart(must have MBA) to join forces and take over the world. Must be
willing to work for equity at the start."

Quality of your MBA matters too, not just affordability. You might find in
person networking more effective. I've met plenty of fresh MBA graduates
looking for a technical person to make their dream come true. Based on the
aura of desperation that surrounds them, I would suspect they're pretty
affordable...

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mindcrime
I'm not sure about _the_ cheapest, but ECU (East Carolina University) has an
MBA program available online that is generally considered a pretty good value.

<http://www.ecu.edu/cs-bus/>

<http://www.ecu.edu/cs-bus/op.cfm>

<http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/grcat/distanceEd.cfm>

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richf
Looks like the cheapest AACSB-accredited MBA program is $9k.

Good site to check out: [http://www.geteducated.com/online-college-ratings-
and-rankin...](http://www.geteducated.com/online-college-ratings-and-
rankings/best-buy-lists/best-buy-online-masters-mba-aacsb)

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gawker
A lot of the value of an MBA comes from the school and not just the three
letters. You'd be better off focusing on building something that will wow the
suits. If you really want credibility, I'm not sure if an online MBA will
bring you that.

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brudgers
Western Governor's University is $2890 every six months. The format generally
allows working at whatever pace suits you...at least according to the
literature.

It is not for profit (quasi-public), and fully accredited.

www.wgu.edu

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gdilla
build and launch something. Follow lean startup principles. The ROI is
probably better than an MBA, and you'll learn something and be very
employable.

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northband
+1 for this. I've been on the startup circuit for almost 2 decades and find it
as home. But getting tired of being depicted as not knowing how business works
because I'm just a "coder".

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debacle
The cheapest MBA is the one the company you work at pays for.

