UB/Towson MBA It was the best of times and the worst of times Baltimore, Maryland

The UB/Towson MBA program is the result of the arranged marriage between Towson University and The University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business.  If it were to be described as a collaboration between Cinderella and her wicked stepsisters, each institutions unquestionably assume that the Cinderella reference was for them one of them would be right.

My experiences at Towson University were exceptionally good.  The professors were engaging, evocative, provocative, and stimulating. I am told that Towson University has made teaching excellence their highest priority and it shows.  The quality of teaching that I experienced at Towson was exceptional and I went on record with my professors and the administration to say so.  This is in stark contrast to my experience at UBs Merrick School of Business, where I took two of the six courses in my MBA
program before transferring to Loyola.

I am a 58 year old retired dental specialist and professional educator. I spent 10 years teaching doctoral and post-doctoral students at the University of Maryland Dental School.  I am no stranger to either side of the classroom, and well qualified to evaluate teaching quality.  I was expecting to be educated and stimulated at The Merrick School.  The instructor for my last course was selected on short
notice after the listed professor became unavailable. Our last minute replacement arrived for classes totally unprepared, disorganized, and unable to solve the problems that he assigned for homework.  As a fellow educator, it was often painful to watch him. After several classes of disappointment I contacted the administration to complain.  The chairman of the Finance department was totally dismissive and condescending to me, and only began to investigate my complaints after several weeks of insistence. By that time I had dropped the course and began making arrangement to transfer to Loyola University of Maryland.  Discussions with the Assistant Dean, requests relayed to the Dean, and appeals on my behalf from Senator Ed Kasemeyer, chairman of the finance committee that funds the school, were all
ineffectual in eliciting any acceptance of responsibility for the poor (non-existent) quality of instruction, or any statement that my experience was in any way out of the ordinary at UB.  After 6 patient week of waiting for things to improve, I was left no option but to leave. The University was unwilling to refund any of my tuition.

If a good restaurant gave you a meal you found unacceptable, they would be anxious to try and make it right.  If a retailer sold you defective merchandise, they would offer to replace it or give you a refund.  Somehow The University of Baltimore is not similarly accountable for the quality of instruction they offer. My course could have just as well been self taught.  There was not a scintilla of enrichment to be had by virtue of the classroom experience.  I received nothing for my $2,000, and lost a semester of time.

The failure of the school to refund my tuition is what attracted me to Ripoff Report but of greater concern to me is the total lack of interest in the problem that I experienced from the administration. They were completely dismissive.  The concept of students as consumers does not appear to have reached the peaks of the ivory towers at the Merrick School of Business.  I specifically asked the administration on several occasions whether my experience was unusual or anomalous.  I asked if my expectations of the University were too high. (My expectations of the partner school, Towson
University, were exceeded.)  I was never given an answer.  I am left therefore to assume that my experience is standard fare for the University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business.  The good news is that Graduate Business programs are now being offered at Towson University.  For students who just need a degree for job advancement, training at UB is probably sufficient.   For those seeking
stimulation, enrichment, and good value for their tuition dollar,  I would recommend taking as many courses as possible at Towson, or with the new Graduate programs starting in the Fall of
2011, you could avoid UB altogether.