Advice on lower tier MBA

Hello everyone. I’m about to graduate from East Carolina with a BSBA with a concentration in Supply Chain Management next semester. I have around 8 years of work experience with half of that related to my major. I was offered early admission into the MBA program at ECU with almost all of the tuition paid. My out of pocket cost for the entire program would be around 5 grand.

I’m extremely grateful for the offer to attend I just don’t know if an MBA at a school like ECU is worth the time. My GPA is around 3.7 and I can probably get into other programs at other school. The problem is I’m sure I could not afford anywhere else. I priced UNC and NC State and it would be 50,000 to 100,000 for those ‘public’ programs.

I’m poor. I’m attending school entirely on state/federal aid and work study. I would LOVE to have a masters degree especially an MBA. I looked into the program and I could graduate with an MBA and a post grad Supply Chain certificate at the same time/same cost. Would this be worth the time though since ECUs MBA program isn’t even ranked near the top 100?

I also have the option of getting a masters in Industrial Distribution and Logistics which would further my specialization with my undergrad. I’m interested in this program as well but not as much as the MBA program. This route would only cost me a around 2k with the aid I’m being offered.

Am I over thinking this ranking thing? I’ll probably end up living in NC for the rest of my life so the ‘national prestige’ isn’t that much of a big deal. I’m just poor and that sucks!

Would like to add… I could do the Industrial Distribution/Logistics masters and get an MBA if/when a future employer offers to pay for it. If I do that I’m sure I can probably get into a top 30 program somewhere (UNC/Duke/Wake Forest)… but that is a lot of hoping, waiting, and wishing. So much could change in the future I don’t just want to throw ECU’s offer away.

I see the ID/L masters option as your best choice, and try to get a future employer to foot the bill for a top notch MBA program like UNC Kenan-Flagler.

The more I think about it the more that seems like the best choice. What I’m doing now is the supply chain being taught in the business school. The ID/L masters is taught in the engineering department so I assume that will give me a whole new viewpoint of the industry. Can’t hurt having the extra networking contacts in both departments at a place like ECU.

Thanks defensor for your advise. It definitely seems the right way to go.

Sounds like you’ve got things figured out. Go for it, and good luck!