<p>Hello everyone!</p>
<p>I'm in the military and have about 6 years experience in Network Security & IT. I enjoy the field and want to stay in it (though, not necessarily in the military ;). My IT resume in that aspect is pretty high quality. My academic record is excellent (3.8 and rising).</p>
<p>Ultimately, some day in the future, I want to get an MBA. Although I love IT, I don't want to be that guy on the keyboard the rest of my life. I especially enjoy the business integration & solutioning aspects of IT.</p>
<p>Although I am well on my way, I still lack my undergrad and I am at a crossroads where I am able to transfer. I intend to go with a BS in Computer Science (CS), but I'm not entirely sure which school to go for my bachelors. As I don't want to stop working full time, I have two options:</p>
<p>University of Maryland University College (UMUC) -
An unranked school that allows several (though not all) classes for a CS degree to be taken online. It's not a strong CS program but their schedule allows me to continue to work and finish my degree at a full time pace.</p>
<p>University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) -
This is a ranked CS program and a pretty decent IT school for MD. Overall a much stronger program. Their schedule allows for one to attain a CS degree by night classes. However, they still work within the bounds of a standard university schedule, so getting my degree will take at least another couple of years there.</p>
<p>So, my issue is speed vs. quality. But what I really care about is, when it comes to eventually fulfilling my hope (dream?) of perhaps going to a top tier MBA program how much does the quality of the school or program itself matter? I realize, of course, going to UMBC would be better, but exactly how MUCH better?</p>
<p>Even if I have a 3.99 from either school and a great resume, would I eventually regret graduating from UMUC rather than UMBC because no one would take my degree seriously? Are there other things I can do to make up for graduating from UMUC that I don't see? I'm willing to do the work necessary to achieve this, I'm just not clear on which path to take yet.</p>
<p>Thank you in advance for answering. All input is greatly appreciated!
Adam</p>