Webster University

I, like so many students and graduates, am SO FED UP with Webster University's blatant lies, mis advertising, and scandals! DO NOT put a single penny in this place! I can only speak for Webster's Business School, not the arts or drama schools. I wish this place would just stop lying and misleading people with its false advertising and misrepresentation--all to just make money! Especially, regarding the Business School's ranking, program quality, reputation and placement of its graduates. Webster... Read More is now down from 27,000 students a decade ago to below 9000 today. And, as has been reported in the press, is on the verge of collapse. Webster has a reputation that is simply laughable- equal to Phoenix. I often saw half of my classes quit due to ridiculous low-quality courses (some taught in high school classrooms) that weren't even community college level (not a single spreadsheet in finance or accounting... and basic numbers???)! Worse is that after graduation NO ONE I went through the MBA with got a job or even a single job interview! In fact, the Career Center has never had any companies recruit MBA's from its campus! My $30,000 degree went into the garbage 2 years after looking for work with it! The "Webster MBA" is simply 12 OVERPRICED, NON-INVESTED, repetitive survey courses at a 1st year community college level(at best) that are loosely and cheaply strung together (with no learning outcomes or cross learning goals) to make a "Webster version" of an MBA (their words). In NO WAY or form is a Webster MBA giving you proper, deep rooted, quantitative, integrated and hard MBA skillsets at a Masters Level. Webster University has misrepresented itself and its business school for decades and the lawsuits, school closing globally, open letters from leading faculty on the shocking low standards, and bad press/scandals (globally)have proven this. Do your research! Here is The TRUTH about Webster University's Business School and its MBA rankings before you even consider giving them a dollar: Firstly, Webster claims its MBA and Business school are "Tier 1" and Top 15 regionally- and has done so for decades. The Top 15 Regional School Ranking is for the entire University as a whole- NOT SPECIFIC Programs such as the Business School or MBA. This is misrepresentation as MBA and Business Schools are ranked SEPRATELY to a University's overall ranking. This is for ALL schools both national and regional. Stanford Medical School and Washington University's Olin Business Schools are ranked SEPARATELY to their overall universities. This is especially true for MBA and Business School programs. So, concerning Webster University, although it generally ranks top 20 for Midwest Regional Schools in USA Reports, its MBA and Business School rank totally differently: in the BOTTOM 1 percent! And for top publications like The Times of London and Forbes Webster ranks between the #500 and #600 level for the USA (or Bottom 1%). Do your RESEARCH before going near Webster or ANY MBA School as its a lot of MONEY to throw away! Why would anyone pay $30,000 USD for a MBA or Business Degree ranked as a #500 or #600 school and in the BOTTOM 1% whose brand name is worthless in the job market? Especially when there are AACSB Schools that cost half the price and rank far higher? Imagine applying for a job with a Masters in Business degree ranked in the bottom 1% or ranked #300? It's laughable and you look like an idiot. Here are the TRUE Rankings of Webster University's MBA and Business School from the most trusted and respected Rankings Sources. They are Far from the "Top 15" and "Tier 1" that Webster STILL claims for its Business School and MBA (check for yourself on a Google Search). US News: -MBA (General Category): Not Ranked (it has NEVER made even the top 3000 MBA schools despite having the largest business school in the US at one time. And this list is NOT exclusively for AACSB Schools as falsely claimed). When asked, Webster refuse to answer why. FYI: contact US News for more info on why Webster has never ranked. -US News Best Online MBA Programs: Rank: 224-295. These schools are so badly ranked they are listed alphabetically as they stop ranking at 295! Webster's actual rank is #292. So Webster's ranking is BOTTOM .5% -US News Best Online Master is Business (Non-MBA): Ranking: 125-164. Again, so bad ranking the schools at this level are Alphabetically ranked after 125 and there is NO ranking after 164. Webster's Actual rank: #162. BOTTOM .5% Forbes (general ranking of Webster as a whole): Rank: #506 (bottom 1%) Times Education (Global Universities): #600 (Bottom 1%) Imagine applying for a job with a Masters in Business degree ranked in the bottom 1% or ranked #300? It's laughable and you look like an idiot. For less than a Webster Walker Business School MBA you can get a PROPER Highly ranked AACSB one that heavily invests in its programs and WITHOUT A GMAT from many top state schools... and pay far less per credit and have something corporations WONT laugh at. And from a school that's NOT collapsing and may not be here in a few years.

Webster University is truly an awful school for a business degree. I enrolled in the Master in Business for 6 courses and it was simply terrible. It started off bad and got progressively worse despite promises that strung you along to buy more courses. As said in the many earlier posts, before these very questionable 5 Star ones that are all written in the same style, Webster University's courses were not university level at all. They are first year college at best which means we should be paying... Read More $500 a course not $3000. Websters courses were simply about reading a few chapters and taking a multiple choice test which is unethical. The text books were old, first year ones and not Masters level. Instructors were not Phds at all and had minimal industry experience. Most were desperate to supplement their income and were in sales or low level management roles (not exactly success stories you want to emulate). I saw at least half to of my classmates quit which is a very bad sign. There is no evidence of any investment by Webster in these courses or its programs with no Excel or heavy quants, deep live case studies, or research by staff. I finally called it a day as I witnessed extreme anger by graduates who had no placement whatsoever at the end of their degrees. Not a single company came to campus to hire the grads and complaints were everywhere of the Webster MBA being useless and even laughed at when looking for work like Phoenix degrees. Several new graduates went to classes and the computer rooms on campus to complain about the reception and value of their degrees and for students not to put any more money into these worthless degrees. Extraordinary. Since leaving Websters Walker Business School, I have tried to transfer these courses I paid a huge $3000 each for and NOT A SINGLE decent school will accept them because they are not properly accredited by the AACSB (something Webster never told me about). Webster claims it is fully accredited which is not true as it lacks the vital AACSB. So, Websters business degrees are in reality terminal. As for the many well-publicized scandals and questions about the quality of Webster University, they are demoralizing and have a big impact of people studying there with many quitting or leaving because of them. Webster and its Walker Business school for me are a scam. Keep away and go to a good aascb school that will cost half as much and give you 10 times more benefits at the end.

To be honest I have to totally disagree with all these 4 star ratings and agree with the 1 star ones. The Webster University I went to was a joke. The course standards were terrible, and I found myself quitting at least 4 of the courses due to low standards. Many of my classmates also quit the degree completely going to proper AACSB accredited schools. As has been stated all over this blog there were no spread sheets such as Excel, and no a sign of complex modeling or advanced quants which are the... Read More backbone of any MBA. I also never had any PHD experts teaching my courses. What am I paying a huge $2800 a course for? To read some book chapters and write a multiple choice exam? I found most of the courses 1st year level in terms of material and depth. The real test of a university's quality is its reputation with recruiters and companies and Webster didn't have a single one come near the place when I graduated. In fact, Webster's career center could not place a single grad from my group. We were given every excuse possible and finally a membership in Right Associates which is the old manpower group that places secretaries and office staff (for MBA graduates???). When I asked Webster why it cannot draw in any companies nor even give me a single name for a contact they simply told me "we are a business selling courses and have fulfilled our contract to you. We did not promise you a job or career!" As for the alumnae, not a single job or contact could be provided by the school. This is all ridiculous as any decent MBA or grad school easily places its graduates with companies (especially experienced working adult grads)-- lining up jobs or career contacts long before graduation! Not with Webster. and this very expensive degree that cost me and a dozen of my classmates over $50,000 is worthless in the job market. We have been out for well over a year with hundreds of CV's and cold calls and nothing! Not a single one of us has gotten a better or field related job as companies don't even acknowledge Webster's non-AACSB junk degrees. I look at my friends with SLU, Wash U, and Columbia MBA's and they were fought over by major corporations long before graduation. I apply and my Webster degree ends up in the garbage can. For me, Webster's degree is a waste of time, money and effort.

My experience with Webster was rather unique. I graduated with my undergraduate degree at age 20 from a large, reputable institution and started on my MBA at age 30 on the Greenville, SC Metropolitan Campus. Being from Missouri, I knew a little of Webster, but my decision to attend was based on interviewing leadership at the large academic medical facility where I worked at the time. The ones who attended Webster were pleased not only with the course design, but with the professionalism of the faculty... Read More and their peers. They felt their academic coursework complimented their professional goals and strengthened their skills, especially in statistical and financial analysis, operations management and human resource issues. I studied under professors with PhDs and terminal degrees but limited real world experience, and I had instructors with professional experience and solid master's degrees. I attended classes two nights a week and studied two nights a week with a small group. I spent my weekends reading texts, preparing Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint decks. It was not a simple pay for a grade experience. My professional globe trotting had me moving across the country and as a result I took a nine-year sabbatical on my MBA journey. I finally landed in St. Louis and decided to finish the degree. I took classes on the main campus as well as downtown. Some of my professors had terminal degrees (e.g., PhD and JD), while others were masters prepared but had exceptional professional backgrounds. My classmates were professional, and in the best classes our professors assumed the role of more the role of facilitators as the class outperformed traditional expectations and we expanded the traditional syllabus. I benefitted from hearing guest speakers with interesting case studies and participating in group activities that taught me not only the value of leadership, but collaboration and followership. I became a better manager and mentor for my experiences at Webster, and not only did I hone my skills where I excel (i.e. marketing, strategic planning and management), but I became a much better consumer of statistical data, accounting analysis. My organizational skills were honed, my listening capacities increased, and I learned much about corporate ethics, professional accountability, and academic honesty. I tapped into the Career Center to update my resume and several recruiters have reached out to me though Webster's networking. It might be that I, as an older non-traditional student, have a different sense of value, but I also took out the $40,000 loans to finish my degree and I will be paying those off for several years to come. Two employers (one in South Carolina and another in Missouri) subsidized my education because they saw the value of my education and received a return on their investment. As a single mother raising a teenager, I give very careful consideration to where my money is spent. I do not have the luxury of excess time or finances at this stage in my life, and I will attest to the value of my freshly minted degree. Many of my fellow students remain friends. I was in the wedding of a friend I went to school with in SC ten years ago and see her annually. Some of my teachers and fellow students remain connected on Facebook and LinkedIn. My Webster network is strong and my education valuable because I chose to do the work and learn as much as I could. Like with any institution, professional or academic, you get what you invest into it. If you want to do the bare minimum to make the A or pass the class, you can, but before you write that scathing review, examine your own conscience and your own efforts. If you thrived in the ethics and corporate responsibility course, you should have the tools to conduct that honest analysis.