Webster University

I honestly can't think of a worse way to waste $40,000 bucks than an MBA from Webster University. From tattered classrooms in old musty high schools to cheap rented properties in run down malls, this money-hungry business masquerading as a University should be on everyone's "no go" list. To start with, my courses academically were not masters quality but more like a first year associates degree level or even community college. My profs were really not full professors but more like community college... Read More teachers with only 2 having some form of Ph.D. and the rest being part time "instructors" having no-name masters degrees and many from Webster itself and holding down basic day jobs. My co-students were equally as low grade ranging from gas station managers, fast food night shift workers, bank employees and lots of HR assistants dreaming a Webster MBA is a ticket to be a manager. The Webster academic formula is simple and resembles U of Phoenix step by step: read some easy chapters from a 1st year text book, do a mid-term multiple choice test, read some more chapters and then write a final exam based on the content studied after the mid-term test. Somewhere in this process you may do an easy 5 page paper. That's a Webster Masters degree in a nutshell. The quit rate has to be 50% as I saw seats being abandoned all around me as each class continued. The last straw came when students nearing graduation went to the career center to look for jobs with their upcoming Webster degrees. All came back to class telling us that there isn't a single job or internship posted, there are no companies recruiting at all, nor is there even a single job or lead or contact to be had! And that the alumnae which Webster promised to be about 190,000 is non existent for help! I asked why does a school that has been in business for 60 years making business degrees have no companies recruiting its graduates and zero business contacts whatsoever for its graduates? If Webster's academics were respected, wouldn't Webster graduates with years of experience pull in corporate recruiters from all over? At the least wouldn’t Webster’s brand name on a CV open doors for its MBA grads like every other school except maybe Phoenix? Webster refused to answer any of my questions concerning this or any other such questions from students and basically told us to "go somewhere else with a brand name and a respected reputation that does get jobs such as Washington University or SLU." A nice thing to say to people that have spent tens of thousands of dollars on your worthless courses and degree, Webster. Looking for jobs in corporate America with a Webster MBA on your CV was even worse and you are either ignored or laughed at despite how many years of experience you have. The Webster MBA does nothing for your experience like other MBA's do and should do. The real test came when searching for "Webster MBA" on LinkedIn which produced shocking results and caused me to wish I had never gone near this half-baked degree factory. Instead of successful executives and managers that every half-decent State school MBA produces for half the cost of Webster, all that came up on LinkedIn were a handful of HR people (assistants, low grade mangers, etc.) or junior workers in mostly small business or no-name companies. Everyone felt they had been had by Webster as this does not look good for the school. Why spend $40,000 bucks for a degree that does nothing for you? I am my classmates have basically dumped our Webster MBA's and learned a hard lesson. Don't trust anything but known and respected business school rankings and search what MBA programs local and national corporations actively recruit from. And accreditation is very important for an MBA or any management degree. Webster told me in writing it has AACSB accreditation which it does not! It has only ACBSP which is mostly for community colleges. If a school doesn’t have AACSB than be very weary and go to a good state MBA program or else you'll end with paying huge student loans for years on a worthless Webster MBA like myself and so many others.

I am a mid-career professional who got sucked into Webster by simple lies and misleading information on the part of this business. To start, a good and solid MBA is vital to 20 year- mid career professionals such as myself as the throngs of students my age and level prove at Wash U, Stanford, SLU, Arizona, PENN State, etc. The vital MBA skillsets are simply a must to continue to climb to more responsibility and are the only proven way to boost experience which is proved by ever-increasing demand... Read More for high quality programs. For myself and many others, the misrepresentation by Webster is most shocking and unacceptable as I was accepted to a number of top state schools, but instead forsook these as I believed in Webster University's b-school claims which proved to be entirely false. In their public ads and brochures, as well as discussions with the university itself (which I now believe is a business), Webster claimed its Walker business school had a "tier 1" ranking of top 30 in the Midwest (not true in any form), had major corporations regularly recruit their MBA grads on campus for jobs and internships, possessed a huge and active alumnae network of over 150,000 that was involved in helping alumnae get jobs and network (not true at all), was fully accredited (its business school has never been so), possessed top executives and academics teaching in its MBA and business courses, and possessed academics and a reputation that were highly regarded in both its home state of Missouri and globally. They also claimed and still claim that large numbers of Generals and senior military officers are Webster graduates. My family is full of military and after checking the validity of this claim it was found completely untrue. Less than .1% of US officers have any type of a Webster degree which makes sense as with high quality institutions such as Westpoint and Annapolis why would the US military choose a 4th rate, unranked, low quality business school like Webster over these???? Also, our military demands only the highest standards and thus most senior military can be found at the literally dozens of our great schools such as Stanford, Wash U, Northwestern, Harvard Extension School and Penn State all which have working adult friendly programs for military? I and others found these and other claims by Webster's Walker business school to be completely false. Classes were in a variety of high schools and cheap rented premises not a proper business school campus, and after 3 to 5 courses I found the academic work not be anywhere near masters level, void of spreadsheets and of minimal technical quality. Classmates came to the same conclusion and either quit or demanded explanations and their money back. Teachers (not professors) were sub par in every way being either sales people, junior managers at best (at no name companies), retirees, or simply bottom of the barrel part-timers. There was not a single teacher on my level which is ridiculous! Why am I paying thousands of dollars per course to Webster to learn the most basic functions at a community college level from a bottom tier manager or quasi academic? I can go to St. Louis Community College and pay $250 for better academic standards than I was getting at Webster that's charging $2600! The only answers anyone got were "that's the way Webster's Walker business school is!" Or we got no answers at all just silence. With such shocking academics and a joke-level reputation, it is not surprising that there are absolutely no corporate connections and thus no jobs or internships from Webster for its MBA or business grads. And Webster's MBA or business school's reputation in its home city of St. Louis or even regionally? I and fellow class mates quickly found that it's literally on a joke-level, especially in its home city of St. Louis which really says something. Finally, the Webster masters business degree that cost me at least $55 to 60 thousand dollars is simply worthless in the job market, career boost and in terms of skill development. The fact that Webster's Walker business school has collapsed from being the biggest in the country just a few years ago (about 20,000 students worldwide) to now less than 1500 is the most obvious and definite testament of its perceived reputation and value in the business community. And the fact that none of its courses are accepted for credit at ANY decent-ranking business program further prove the fact that Webster University’s business school is one to keep far away from and may not be around for much longer. Why throw away tens of thousands of dollars and years of valuable time and earnings on a Webster MBA or any management or business master degree for such a low quality, low ranked, non-masters level, and ill-perceived piece of paper from a brand seen as a joke. You may as well burn your money. Do some serious research, get things in writing, and go to a decent school (there are hundreds of them that cost far less than Webster) that is a smart investment of your time, career and money.

Webster's MBA program is great for part-time students who are working full time and have already embarked on a career. In my case, I am retired military and am currently in civil service. I'm getting reduced tuition through their USA Scholarship program for federal employees who attend classes on military installations. I plan to enter private industry as a consultant when I retire in a couple of years, and I am using the MBA as a way to build a solid knowledge of business fundamentals. I live in... Read More the DC area, and there are many successful Webster alumni working in various corporations that do consulting work with the federal government and the military. As an example, the current Secretary of Defense and former Army Chief of Staff, Retired Gen. Lloyd F. Austin, has a master's degree in management from Webster. For someone in my situation, this MBA degree is perfect. There is enough work to challenge me and allow me to grow in skills and knowledge, but not so much as to overwhelm me, given my other responsibilities to my job and my family. There are certainly more rigorous and more challenging MBA programs, but quite honestly they would likely be too much for me at this stage of my career. There are also probably better programs for people who don't already have good careers underway. This degree won't launch your career if you're not already on your way, but it will definitely help you to achieve higher positions in the corporate world if you are already a working professional with solid experience. That is especially true for people like me, with military and/or government backgrounds.

Webster needs to be investigated by its ACBSP accreditor regarding its academic standards and programs again! After being pointed out to me by other students, I read the ACBSP's reviews of Webster's George Walker Business School and they were unsurprisingly awful! After going through half of its MBA I like so many other students demanded refunds that the school still refuses to give (do I sue for my wasted 6 courses that cost $17,000 like many of my classmates?). These are not Masters level courses... Read More in business and are in reality a cacophony of first year community college and high school courses without the rigor. It's so obvious that Webster University doesn't invest a dime in its business courses as is nothing more than profiteering on selling bogus academics. There were no professors anywhere and just a bunch of basic textbook readings followed by easy tests. Not a single spreadsheet anywhere in any class and no real deep technical skills in business. If I wanted to waste my time studying easy first year technical college I would have registered at the local community college and paid 1/10th the price not $800 a credit hour for academic garbage. Webster charges $3000 for what is essentially a $250 Community college course, except with less depth. From talking to upcoming Webster graduates it also became clear that Webster's brand name is on par with University of Phoenix in the workforce and with companies. Graduates sadly found out that corporations stopped years ago paying for employees to attend Webster's business school because of viewing Webster's degrees as a waste of money and time. The same it seems with hiring as I watched "soon to be Webster MBA graduates" sick and angry with what they were finding out regarding Webster's MBA brand value, hire-ability and reception in the job market. Any Webster/George Herbert Walker Bush business degree is wasted money and time. Wished I had gone to Wash U or SLU in the first place and taken a proper and respected business degree. With literally hundreds of MBA and business degrees out there of much higher quality and reputation, avoid Webster for any type of business education as you are just burning money and time on something completely worthless.

I am very disappointed with the Webster's George Herbert Walker Business program. I chose Webster as I had seen the ads, got the brochures, and met the school before going. My goal was that I wanted to expand my career into being a brand manager. A few months into my MBA, I was warned by friends not to attend Webster as its reputation was not great, the school was in severe decline, and local employers would simply not respect or hire it. A little late as I had already sunk thousands into the place.... Read More I eventually came to realize that I may as well have spent $29,000 on a library card and attended the library. Webster's recycling of material from one course to another was ridiculous, so for 12 courses you are really only getting maybe 7 or 8. I always felt greatly shortchanged after each class in terms of content, academic rigor, depth of knowledge and overall academic standards. I had minimal homework and I seemed to get all A's for work which I was not pleased with depth-wise. My instructors were nice people, but they were far from being experts in their fields and the courses were simply text-book led with cherry-picking of the easiest chapters and no detailed discussion or treatment of the subjects. I had taken economics and management in high school and 1st year undergrad, and Webster's MBA courses were about the same level of difficulty if not easier. I stuck it out to graduation, and wish now I had not wasted the time or money. For all of us in the group that I started with, the fact that there were no job postings, internships, career placements, alumnae contacts, or any companies recruiting as promised by Webster when we enrolled was both very disappointing and shocking. The career center was useless and simply showed myself and others the door with nothing but excuses and actually blaming us for "coming to Webster in the first place!" The biggest shock was to come. After over a year of looking for jobs, internships and MBA trainee jobs by myself, and sending out hundreds of CV's, not a single company would even look at this Webster masters degree! In fact, I had many who wouldn't even accept an application with my degree telling me directly "we don't hire from THAT school!" I had others who said privately to simply take it off my CV and start again with a good school! That's a lot of money, student loans and time wasted for absolutely nothing. I have read recently that Webster's Business School is now down to nearly no students. I can honestly say I know exactly why! A complete waste of time, money and effort.

Some of the negative reviews amaze me. My experience at Webster was very rewarding. I learned a tremendous amount that expanded my knowledge base and help to excell me to higher levels within my organization. As far as accreditation, Webster is a regionally accredited school. This accreditation is the standard for reputable colleges/universities. Programs within the school can have additional accreditations depending on the major. In business education there are two widely accepted accreditations... Read More that create standards for business programs. The AACSB is the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. It is a voluntary, non-governmental accrediting agency that oversees the standardization of collegiate schools of business and accounting nationwide. The AACSB accredits approximately 5% of all business programs in the world. Their standards are geared toward the world of academia and focus on research and teaching. The AACSB is the odest business accrediting agency and is considered the gold standard by many. The other accrediting body is the ACBSP . The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs mission is to continually seek improvement and recognize excellence in the accreditation of business education programs around the world. Their vision is to find every quality business program worldwide is accredited. The ACBSP accredits associate, baccalaureate, master and doctoral degree levels worldwide in regarding to business-related programs. They reward teaching excellence and was the first to offer specialized business accreditation to all degree levels. The purpose of the council is to instill the need for continuous research in colleges and universities as they feel this is of utmost importance in the business world in order to enhance the quality of the curriculums in which they teach. The ACBSP doesnt focus on research and teaching as much as the AACSB does because their focus is the practical use of business principals in real world applications. With less than 5% of the over 13,000 business schools being accredited by the AACSB, many feel the accreditation is reserved for the schools that cater to the elite and privileged. Nevertheless, most of the highest rated business programs are AACSB accredited and if you are in a position to gain admission and pay for the education go for it. Webster Universitys business programs are accredited by the ACBSP and are held to their standards. The commnents about transferring the classes are comical. It doesnt matter what institution you attend, you are limited on the credits that are eligible for transfer. On the graduate level most universities only accept 6 hours from another school, so that would equal 2 classes. You cant transfer more than that at most schools. Your education is like everything else in life...you get out of it what you put into it. My experience was great, the material was challenging, the professors were knowledgeable and responsive and my peers were experienced and engaging.

The Webster MBA program is designed for working professionals who want to challenge themselves to enhance their business acumen and take their careers to the next level. The program has some fantastic teachers with excellent credentials and public private experience. I found the courses to be relevant and the learning environment intellectually stimulating. I would highly recommend Webster to prospective MBA students who may not have the time or resources to attend out-of-state business schools.... Read More My MBA degree opened many doors for my career and allowed me to work on challenging and financially rewarding initiatives.

I attended Webster University through a cohort offered through SSM. Over the 3 yr period I developed many relationships. With both my fellow students and professors, some I keep in contact with today. I found the staff to be very professional and most importantly very supportive. I'm a RN so this was a very challenging program for this nurse brain but I did it! Classes were just once a week and very convenient. The professors were very encouraging but at the same time challenging. I would definitely... Read More refer this program to friends and family. Keep up the great work Webster University you are making a difference!!! I would recommend the development of a collaborative effort with the HR department offering the cohort and Webster on job placement post graduation.

I work for one of the largest healthcare providers in St. Louis and my company designed a cohort based program with Webster University that allowed us to earn a Master's in Business Administration over close to a 3 year time span. We found that the classes were challenging yet relevant to what we face every day in the healthcare industry. A lot of the coursework was taught by experts in their fields and we were able to apply the material on the job to make headway. I found the Managerial Leadership... Read More course and the Healthcare Policy course to be helpful and all of the professors were clearly informed of what we wanted to accomplish through personal engagement. I know that Webster offers a similar cohort based program with at least two other healthcare institutions locally because I have friends in each of them.