A Master's from Northeastern Illinois? (Chicago: loans, high school, salary)

[ChikidII]

Okay I am not trying to be a snob, I am really not. I am considering doing a Master's in Talent Development/Human Resources Development. I would do this part-time while working full-time. I went to DePaul for undergrad and to Illinois-Chambana for a Master's I didn't complete (which that is a long story and don't want to get into). When I left UofI my grades were fantastic so I probably shouldn't have too much of problem getting into most schools I apply for. So DePaul, Roosevelt, Northwestern, and NEIU all have the program I am looking for and can be done part-time. Doing this program in a normal full-time would take 1 year in all these schools.

I do have a lot of student debt so I am trying to take on the smallest amount more for this degree. Northwestern is out because it's like 50k for one year, so forget it. DePaul is about 30k, Roosevelt is about 25k and NEIU is about 10k. Now this program isn't like engineering or law, where the school brand really matters but...

At DePaul the burden could be made easier as you have six years to complete the program which equals 2 classes per year, which is about 4k a year, which I can pay out of my pocket and if I have to take out loans it would be a very small amount (like 1k).

Roosevelt has a smilar set up to DePaul. Slightly less expensive, but less known.

NEIU however, I could complete the degree much quicker (like in two years) as it would be more afforadable, but how does a MA from NEIU look? When I looked at their website for the program it was so crappy looking (the site it is). I have also heard nothing but complaints about this school.

I am just thinking it might be better to invest in a better name like DePaul and have it take sometime in getting the degree than get it quickly done by a school that has little to no reputation.

Any opinions?

[ERS-One]

From quasi-second hand experience: My girlfriend was thinking about pursuing a Master's there. She talked to someone on the phone, and then went to see someone at the Registrar's office, and she was not impressed. Something about no one really seeming to give a damn about anything. She's glad she didn't choose it.

[thePR]

Originally Posted by ChikidII

Okay I am not trying to be a snob, I am really not. I am considering doing a Master's in Talent Development/Human Resources Development. I would do this part-time while working full-time. I went to DePaul for undergrad and to Illinois-Chambana for a Master's I didn't complete (which that is a long story and don't want to get into). When I left UofI my grades were fantastic so I probably shouldn't have too much of problem getting into most schools I apply for. So DePaul, Roosevelt, Northwestern, and NEIU all have the program I am looking for and can be done part-time. Doing this program in a normal full-time would take 1 year in all these schools.

I do have a lot of student debt so I am trying to take on the smallest amount more for this degree. Northwestern is out because it's like 50k for one year, so forget it. DePaul is about 30k, Roosevelt is about 25k and NEIU is about 10k. Now this program isn't like engineering or law, where the school brand really matters but...

At DePaul the burden could be made easier as you have six years to complete the program which equals 2 classes per year, which is about 4k a year, which I can pay out of my pocket and if I have to take out loans it would be a very small amount (like 1k).

Roosevelt has a smilar set up to DePaul. Slightly less expensive, but less known.

NEIU however, I could complete the degree much quicker (like in two years) as it would be more afforadable, but how does a MA from NEIU look? When I looked at their website for the program it was so crappy looking (the site it is). I have also heard nothing but complaints about this school.

I am just thinking it might be better to invest in a better name like DePaul and have it take sometime in getting the degree than get it quickly done by a school that has little to no reputation.

Any opinions?

Well if you go back to school your loans are deferred I believe, so you wouldn't have to worry about that.

Just because the NEIU program is usually two year doesn't mean that they wouldn't allow you to do it in three years to relieve the financial burden.

Does UIC have a program like this? I would look into that.

[ChikidII]

From what I have gathered NEIU just seems like one of those schools where you get what you pay for.

For instance at DePaul it is expensive, however I found the service, quality of everything and efficency to be much better that what was given to me at Illinois-Chambana. Chambana was OK, it wasn't horribly ran, but it was definitely a school where you really were just a number and trying to get certain things done was just a headache.

I fear that NEIU might be far far worse and to add to that the name really won't impress anybody.

[ChikidII]

Originally Posted by thePR

Well if you go back to school your loans are deferred I believe, so you wouldn't have to worry about that.

Just because the NEIU program is usually two year doesn't mean that they wouldn't allow you to do it in three years to relieve the financial burden.

Does UIC have a program like this? I would look into that.

Actually NEIU is one year program put part-time it would be two years because I could be able to take more classes as it is more affordable. I mean I could complete the degree at DePaul and Roosevelt in two years as well, but it would require me to take out a lot more loans since I would not be able to pay as much out of my pocket.

I know that loans are deferred when in school which is fine, I just don't want to add too much more debt than I already have overall.

UIC does not have program like this, and if they did, that would have been choice numero 1. UofI offers an online degree (no way I am moving back down there and leaving this job) which is slightly cheaper than DePaul's but it's online which I am not a big fan of.

[ChikidII]

Any other opinions?

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by ChikidII

From what I have gathered NEIU just seems like one of those schools where you get what you pay for.

For instance at DePaul it is expensive, however I found the service, quality of everything and efficency to be much better that what was given to me at Illinois-Chambana. Chambana was OK, it wasn't horribly ran, but it was definitely a school where you really were just a number and trying to get certain things done was just a headache.

I fear that NEIU might be far far worse and to add to that the name really won't impress anybody.

You just said it yourself. The name impresses nobody. I got halfway through an MA there, and was considering switching to an MBA program. Nobody there ever got back to me, so I said **** it.

These days my employer has paid for my entire APICS certification up to this point, and I'm moving on to Six Sigma next. I would think that if they paid for an MBA, it would have to be a from a fairly decent school to be worth my while.

I'm now of the persuasion that unless a masters degree is funded by your employer, it probably isn't worth the charge incurred. Actually, CNN or someone just did a price analysis on MBA and when you actually broke even with salary. It didn't look too pretty.

[ChikidII]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

You just said it yourself. The name impresses nobody. I got halfway through an MA there, and was considering switching to an MBA program. Nobody there ever got back to me, so I said **** it.

These days my employer has paid for my entire APICS certification up to this point, and I'm moving on to Six Sigma next. I would think that if they paid for an MBA, it would have to be a from a fairly decent school to be worth my while.

I'm now of the persuasion that unless a masters degree is funded by your employer, it probably isn't worth the charge incurred. Actually, CNN or someone just did a price analysis on MBA and when you actually broke even with salary. It didn't look too pretty.

Thanks for the input. There is a chance my employer might reimburse me because what I would be studying relates to my career, but the company currently does not have any tuition reimburstment benefits, put the hr person told me something might be able to be arranged. If not I might just get a certificate through the ASTD which should be helpful.

I think everything I have read here confirms my decision to not even apply to NEIU. I am also considering not applying to Roosevelt. I mean DePaul is 30k and Roosevelt is 25k. Not that Roosevelt is bad school but I am not sure 25k is worth it. While DePaul is not UC or NU, it has a very solid name in Chicago and the Midwest. I also feel it's going to continue to grow in recognition especially since its undergrad school is now ranked in the tier 1 and it has several graduate programs ranked as well.

If I am going to invest that much money it's going to be in a program that at least has a good brand name. Now if I were paying 5k or something, that would be a different story.

[DrEarth]

Originally Posted by ChikidII

Okay I am not trying to be a snob, I am really not. I am considering doing a Master's in Talent Development/Human Resources Development. I would do this part-time while working full-time. I went to DePaul for undergrad and to Illinois-Chambana for a Master's I didn't complete (which that is a long story and don't want to get into). When I left UofI my grades were fantastic so I probably shouldn't have too much of problem getting into most schools I apply for. So DePaul, Roosevelt, Northwestern, and NEIU all have the program I am looking for and can be done part-time. Doing this program in a normal full-time would take 1 year in all these schools.

I do have a lot of student debt so I am trying to take on the smallest amount more for this degree. Northwestern is out because it's like 50k for one year, so forget it. DePaul is about 30k, Roosevelt is about 25k and NEIU is about 10k. Now this program isn't like engineering or law, where the school brand really matters but...

At DePaul the burden could be made easier as you have six years to complete the program which equals 2 classes per year, which is about 4k a year, which I can pay out of my pocket and if I have to take out loans it would be a very small amount (like 1k).

Roosevelt has a smilar set up to DePaul. Slightly less expensive, but less known.

NEIU however, I could complete the degree much quicker (like in two years) as it would be more afforadable, but how does a MA from NEIU look? When I looked at their website for the program it was so crappy looking (the site it is). I have also heard nothing but complaints about this school.

I am just thinking it might be better to invest in a better name like DePaul and have it take sometime in getting the degree than get it quickly done by a school that has little to no reputation.

Any opinions?

Haha, yea, that site is terribly laid out.

I'm thinking of taking some language classes there, but am not sure of the quality of the education.

[soulful]

I know someone who teaches fulltime at Northeastern. Honestly, some consider it a glorified high school in many regards.

With that said, I think it depends on what you plan to do with your M. A. If it is to get a job in a new field or with a new employer, then I would perhaps not consider Northeastern (just my opinion).

I think there would be less stigma outside of the Chicago area as employers in other parts of the US would be less familiar with the school (sure..they could look up the rankings but for many jobs they won't bother).

good luck whatever you decide