Harvard Extension School vs. Accredited M.Sc./ MBA


I am considering to further study in financial management and strategic planning subjects. I found several interesting online programs from US and UK.

I would like to ask for your comments or suggestions on the master's degree program. If anyone has experience in these programs, please share your opinions.

My career goals:
1) I have worked in a bank's IT roles for several years. Currently, I am a team manager . I would like to broader my managerial and financial knowledge. So I am preparing for a more general manager role in the future.
2) I am also ambitious to set up my own business shortly. I believe that
3) I don't have a plan to move to US or UK. But I would like to have an international network.

Therefore, I am seeking a master's degree program and have a shortlist.

1) Harvard Extension School - Master of Liberal Arts, Finance ($37,000): I for enrolled for 1-2 courses. The program is demanding and emphasizes practical perspective, which is a lite of academic theories. The program should call remote classrooms because online teaching is required to attend. It's no video part like MOOC.
I like their content and structure. It is flexible in choosing classes to fulfill the program requirement. But the lecturers are from the local Boston area. Some TA is Ph.D. Student from Harvard or MIT. I wonder if this should consider a con for the program and make the value of the program lower than other academic programs.

2) University of Manchester - M.Sc. Financial Management/ Global MBA ($25,000): I talked to their student recruitment team. I found that the program has no online teaching part. It is a self-study and 3-6 days of workshops in local centers. They highly value the group working on each module, you will have a group report and presentation. The final project is also a term for the group research project. Since I am an alumnus, I have a tuition fee discount. Both M.Sc. and MBA have a course in business strategy.
Manchester is very well respected. But I am not sure what the student does during the self-study period. It takes 3-4 months to meet in the workshop. Will it be value to money to pay expensive tuition to be reading alone at my home.

3) King's College London - M.Sc. Global Finance and Banking ($25,000): The program combines 1) self-study with pre-reading and video records and 2) weekly webinars. The assessment is based on online exams and individual coursework. I like their assessment method, and the program is focused on academics. But KCL has no business economic or business strategy courses as provided by HES and Manchester. It mainly focuses on finance and investment functions in the financial sector.

I am also looking for Global Online MBA-Imperial and Distance Learning MBA-Warwick. But the cost is more expensive, and their application is competitive. I am not sure I will be accepted to the program.

Please feel free to comment or recommend, which will be a value information for me in choosing the right program.

Thank you very much.

I am considering to further study in financial management and strategic planning subjects. I found several interesting online programs from US and UK.

I would like to ask for your comments or suggestions on the master's degree program. If anyone has experience in these programs, please share your opinions.

My career goals:
1) I have worked in a bank's IT roles for several years. Currently, I am a team manager . I would like to broader my managerial and financial knowledge. So I am preparing for a more general manager role in the future.
2) I am also ambitious to set up my own business shortly. I believe that
3) I don't have a plan to move to US or UK. But I would like to have an international network.

Therefore, I am seeking a master's degree program and have a shortlist.

1) Harvard Extension School - Master of Liberal Arts, Finance ($37,000): I for enrolled for 1-2 courses. The program is demanding and emphasizes practical perspective, which is a lite of academic theories. The program should call remote classrooms because online teaching is required to attend. It's no video part like MOOC.
I like their content and structure. It is flexible in choosing classes to fulfill the program requirement. But the lecturers are from the local Boston area. Some TA is Ph.D. Student from Harvard or MIT. I wonder if this should consider a con for the program and make the value of the program lower than other academic programs.

2) University of Manchester - M.Sc. Financial Management/ Global MBA ($25,000): I talked to their student recruitment team. I found that the program has no online teaching part. It is a self-study and 3-6 days of workshops in local centers. They highly value the group working on each module, you will have a group report and presentation. The final project is also a term for the group research project. Since I am an alumnus, I have a tuition fee discount. Both M.Sc. and MBA have a course in business strategy.
Manchester is very well respected. But I am not sure what the student does during the self-study period. It takes 3-4 months to meet in the workshop. Will it be value to money to pay expensive tuition to be reading alone at my home.

3) King's College London - M.Sc. Global Finance and Banking ($25,000): The program combines 1) self-study with pre-reading and video records and 2) weekly webinars. The assessment is based on online exams and individual coursework. I like their assessment method, and the program is focused on academics. But KCL has no business economic or business strategy courses as provided by HES and Manchester. It mainly focuses on finance and investment functions in the financial sector.

I am also looking for Global Online MBA-Imperial and Distance Learning MBA-Warwick. But the cost is more expensive, and their application is competitive. I am not sure I will be accepted to the program.

Please feel free to comment or recommend, which will be a value information for me in choosing the right program.

Thank you very much.
quote
Duncan

A late reply. The Harvard ALM can be much cheaper, under $25,000, if you use the MIT Micromasters pathway. https://extension.harvard.edu/academics/programs/finance-graduate-program/mitx-micromasters-program-pathway-to-the-finance-degree-program/ This gives you two of the largest and most powerful alumni networks, Harvard and MIT. I think that's unbeatable. 

A late reply. The Harvard ALM can be much cheaper, under $25,000, if you use the MIT Micromasters pathway. https://extension.harvard.edu/academics/programs/finance-graduate-program/mitx-micromasters-program-pathway-to-the-finance-degree-program/ This gives you two of the largest and most powerful alumni networks, Harvard and MIT. I think that's unbeatable. 
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