Interview with Michael Luster
MBA - Healthcare Management

Road to Success

What is your academic background?

In May, I graduated from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC with a degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in law enforcement. I graduated with a 2.5 GPA, and I wanted to return to school to get my graduate degree so that I could advance professionally.

How did you decide to attend AIU Online?

I first looked at a couple of online universities. I'll be honest with you, I enrolled at one of the universities for a little over a month, and it was overwhelming. I only spoke with one professor during the entire time, and he had no interest in me and wasn't helpful at all. I knew immediately that program wasn't going to work for me, so I dropped out of it.

I looked at AIU Online, and found that it was exactly what I wanted. AIU Online really came through for me and after working with the Admissions Advisor I was accepted into the MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Management degree program.

How was your experience with AIU Online?

I can't say enough positive things about everyone at AIU Online. Everyone I dealt with motivated me so much. They worked with me and gave me the tools I needed. There were multiple opportunities to study.

My current GPA is 3.86. The reason for that is that one of the major benefits of AIU Online—I can attend class when I want to. When I was attending the brick and mortar university, the professors dictated my schedule. AIU Online allows me to decide when I go to class—24/7. My classroom is everywhere I look. I can take a course wherever I am through an Internet connected computer. My GPA difference speaks to my motivation based on the flexibility in my schedule.

The degree programs at AIU Online are comprehensive and accelerated, and everything I need to do is at my fingertips. All of my resources are web-based. This motivates me to focus on what I need to do, and to do it well!

AIU Online gives me whatever I need—including my instructors' time. My instructors even offered me an 800 voicemail number where I can call them anytime.

How will your life change once you've earned your degree?

Currently, I'm employed as a cardiovascular technologist in the CathLab at Duke University, working with cardiovascular disease prevention. Once I complete my MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Management, I'm looking to be supervising the CathLab.

I have 13 years of experience, but with the MBA credentials, I can move to the next level in my career path. Once my degree is completed and filed in Human Resources at Duke University, I think my promotion will happen very quickly. Duke University absolutely recognizes the merits of an AIU Online degree.

What advice would you give to students who are thinking about pursuing an advanced degree?

I would say that online degrees will be the way to go with education in the future. The tuition costs seem to be reasonable. I can carry my virtual classroom in my bag, across my shoulder.

I think I would tell anyone that wanted to return to school that they should consider an online education. I believe that AIU Online is one of the best online schools around. You get the university feel and personalized attention without the demands on your busy schedule. You cannot beat it!

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