My Experience with UIUC Gies Online MBA Program

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1

Just finished the online MBA at University of Illinois and wanted to share my thoughts while everything is still fresh. The whole experience was pretty amazing and I learned a ton. Here’s what I want to cover in this review.

Program Costs
Student Community
Specialization Options
Time Commitment
Final Thoughts

PROGRAM COSTS
This has to be one of the cheapest MBA programs out there. Total cost is around $24K for everything, which is incredible value. Each term cost me about $5500 for four classes. Summer was cheaper at around $2750 since I only took two classes.

I paid with my credit card despite the 2.8% processing fee. My company covered half the costs and I used some GI Bill benefits. Only paid about $7K out of my own pocket over two years.

Didn’t need any loans which was great. If your company gives $5K yearly for education, you could spread this over five years and basically get it free. That’s a huge opportunity for many people.

STUDENT COMMUNITY
I’ve been connected to UIUC my whole life since I live nearby. The school has massive enrollment with about 55K students and around 2-3K in this MBA program. You meet people from everywhere with totally different backgrounds.

I worked with folks from Taiwan financial markets, tech engineers, a fire department chief, and working moms juggling kids during video calls. Really eye opening to hear all those different perspectives.

Honestly though, you won’t build a strong professional network. Sure, you might recognize someone wearing school gear, but these connections probably won’t change your career path much. There are exceptions but they’re rare.

SPECIALIZATION OPTIONS
They offer several focus areas but I won’t list them all here. I picked entrepreneurship and digital marketing since I’m a sales director at a startup and want to maybe start my own company someday.

This choice really matters because it shapes what you’ll learn beyond the core stuff everyone takes like accounting and finance. Take time to pick the track that matches your goals best.

TIME COMMITMENT
I’m a single dad with a busy pre-teen, work full time, and travel for business regularly. Pretty typical busy life. The program can be done in two to five years and I chose the fastest option.

Some classes are way harder than others, especially the technical ones. I spent 2-5 hours daily per class each week. With two classes running at once, that meant 4-10 hours of work depending on the subject matter.

Lots of group work which means weird meeting times. I had calls at 8pm Friday nights and 7am Tuesday mornings because teammates were in different time zones. Everyone was usually understanding though.

The work splits between Coursera and Canvas platforms. Half is individual work and the rest includes group projects. Almost every class had two big group assignments which could get annoying.

You’ll record tons of videos and review other students’ work. That’s actually a big chunk of the coursework. The peer reviews don’t affect their grades much but impact yours, so don’t skip them.

Try to attend live sessions when possible. It feels more like real learning even if you wouldn’t speak up anyway. I missed some due to scheduling but could still learn from recordings.

The content is super practical. I constantly found myself thinking about how to apply new concepts at work the next day. This happened all the time and was really valuable since I wear many hats at my startup.

FINAL THOUGHTS
People always ask if MBAs are worth it anymore. This program won’t make you a Fortune 500 CEO or get you into elite investment banking. It’s not going to give you connections at top consulting firms.

But here’s what it did give me. My bosses noticed improvements and regularly commented on the added value I brought. I understand business fundamentals way better now. I got two raises during the program plus a title change with clear next steps.

I approach problems differently now and lead my team better. The program fit around my existing life without requiring me to quit work or take on massive debt.

For $7K out of pocket, I got incredible value from a respected state university. If you want professional growth without completely disrupting your life, definitely consider this program. It’s only a checkbox if you treat it that way.

So yes, totally worth it for what I was looking for.

2

Congrats on finishing! Sounds like you had a great experience. I’m halfway through myself and totally agree about the practical stuff - being able to use what you learn right away at work really makes it stick. Can’t beat the value!

3

This hits home! I’m eyeing this program but worried about group work from the west coast. Those meeting times sound brutal, but glad people were understanding. Did teammates ever slack off? And were the recorded lectures decent or just boring talking heads? Love that it’s practical instead of theoretical - I’m done with trainings that don’t help day-to-day.

4

Great write-up! The time commitment details really got my attention since I’m trying to figure out if I can handle this with my current workload. You said 2-5 hours daily per class - was that steady throughout each term or did it spike during project deadline weeks? I’m curious how the workload breaks down across those eight-week terms versus regular semesters. Also, about the technical classes being harder - which subjects gave you the most trouble? I’ve got a liberal arts background so I’m worried I’ll struggle with the quantitative stuff like finance or operations. The peer review component sounds interesting but time-consuming - how much of your weekly hours went to reviewing others’ work versus your own assignments?

5

Thanks for the detailed breakdown! I’ve been going back and forth on this program for months and your review sealed it for me. Those 8pm Friday calls sound awful though - already dreading that part. Quick question on the specializations - did the entrepreneurship track actually prep you for starting a business, or was it mostly theory? I’m a sales manager thinking about branching out too. Also, was the Canvas/Coursera split confusing at first or did you adapt quickly?

6

Thanks for the detailed review of the UIUC Gies Online MBA. Really helpful to hear from someone who just finished it. I’m curious about your point on applying coursework to your day-to-day work.

I want to dig deeper into the academic rigor vs traditional MBA programs. You mentioned the cost and flexibility, but how challenging was the curriculum intellectually? Since you’re at a startup, did the faculty have enough real-world experience to back up the theory?

Also, about career advancement - you got raises and a title bump during the program. How much was actually because of the MBA vs just your normal performance? This helps people set realistic expectations about immediate payoff, especially when they’re weighing this against other professional development options.

7

I’m honestly surprised this sounds so positive. Most online MBAs are diploma mills, but UIUC seems legit. That $7k out of pocket is nice, but most people don’t have GI Bill benefits or companies covering half. Regular folks pay $24k - not exactly chump change. It’s funny you say networking is weak but your bosses noticed improvements. Sounds like the real value was the letters after your name, not actual skills. Can’t argue with results though.