Master of Science in Management

This is regarding the nonchalant, don't give a darn attitudes of the reps at the UMUC financial aid call center.  I have received eight brief and incorrect answers to my inquiries via email.  I have received seven snarky and incorrect answers to my inquiries via telephone.  

I resorted to asking for a supervisor who gave me the same incorrect response as the representatives, and was no help at all.  The only reason I was given for why my aid did not disburse on time is that they are "backed up due to the holiday".  The holiday was ONE day.  There is no reason whatsoever why my aid should still be pending three weeks later except due to the negligence of the curt staff in the financial aid office.  

The reps have answered the telephone giggling, snickering, talking to each other, and otherwise behaving in a preoccupied manner.  I am very upset.  My goal was to drop the summer courses if my aid was not able to disburse on time.  Yet the financial aid office assured me eight times via email and seven via the telephone that it would disburse prior to the start date of my classes.  It is now two weeks into class, and no disbursements have been made.

I am frustrated and disappointed that UMUC has outsourced such an important function as financial aid to this incompetent company.  I am networked with thousands of service members who ask all the time for online college referrals or NOT's.  UMUC's lack of a better financial aid system has me leaning toward NOT.  I was told that Mountain State University utilizes a Virtual Financial Aid Office (VFAO) that is both efficient and courteous.

A Soon to be Former UMUC Student

I finished the dual Masters program at UMUC with a 3.61 GPA:  MS in Management with a concentration in Management Information Systems (MIS) and MBA in 2008.  (My undergrad was at Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County; brick & mortar). My honest opinion is the school is great, decent supporting staff, and just like any school, you will get some professors who are better than others. You have the option of taking classes at 3 different campuses or online...I chose 100% online due to my busy schedule and it worked out perfectly for me.  WebTycho which is a Blackboard like online portal is pretty good; an area where the class meets virtually, post discussions and turn in assignments.  I only had one class in the MBA program, that the professor held weekly live Webinar discussions.  I felt this was great b/c students can ask questions, offer input, and participate online via chat or talk live.  This should be a requirement for all classes but that is up to the professor.  Keep in mind that online classes is not for everyone.  You have to be tech savvy and motivated to get assignments done each week and able to allocate time to participate in group discussions for projects.  The hardest thing I found is for everyone in the assigned project group to collaborate at a set time b/c we all work different jobs and some are active duty in the military.  Don't be fooled by online classes...it is just as much work and challenging as in class.  As for me, I'm an IT executive for a DOD agency and my experiences with UMUC is very positive. I recommend their dual master's program highly and advise new students to be prepared to work hard and learn a lot!