Compare
The Mini-MBA costs $49 and the MBA costs $89 — but the $40 gap is not the decision. One is a certificate, the other is a degree, and buying the wrong category is the expensive mistake, not the price.
Side by side
Everything that differs, in one table. The credential-type row is the decision.
| Dimension | Mini-MBA Certificate — $49 | MBA Degree — $89 |
|---|---|---|
| Credential type | Non-degree professional certificate. It documents completed study; it is not a degree and carries no academic credit. | Degree: Master of Business Administration, 120 credits, with degree certificate and transcript. |
| Courses | 6 courses — broad business and management grounding. | 8 courses — strategy, finance, leadership, international business and more. |
| Tuition | $49 one-time. | $89 one-time. |
| Time window | All six courses within 12 months of enrollment. | Self-paced, typically 1–2 years; no fixed deadline. |
| Entry requirement | Open — no degree required. | Bachelor's degree or equivalent. |
| Passes degree filters | No. Automated HR filters and credential evaluations look for degrees. | Yes, as a degree — subject to each employer's recognition policy. |
Decide
Answer one question honestly and the choice makes itself.
The one question Will anyone who matters to you ever need this to be a degree — a job application filter, a promotion policy, a visa, a future university application? If yes, take the MBA. The $40 you save on the Mini-MBA is the most expensive $40 in this comparison if you have to buy the degree later anyway.
You want business grounding for your own competence — running a small business, leading a team, speaking the language of management. No one will ask you to prove a degree, and you prefer the lower price and the 12-month structure.
The word "degree" matters anywhere in your plans — now or later. You hold a bachelor's degree already. You want the transcript, the credit load and the credential that survives a background check as a degree.
Questions
The questions that decide it for most people.
No — and that is the entire point of this comparison. The Mini-MBA is a non-degree professional certificate: six courses, no academic credit, no degree title. The MBA is a degree program: eight courses, 120 credits, a degree certificate and transcript. Both are genuine credentials; they are different categories of credential.
The Mini-MBA and the MBA are separate programs with separate tuition. Completing the Mini-MBA does not grant credit toward the MBA. If you think you may want the degree eventually, starting with the MBA ($89) costs less than doing both ($49 + $89).
Employers who filter by degree will only count the MBA. Employers who care about demonstrated business knowledge will respect either. If your goal is a resume line that passes automated degree filters, only the degree qualifies.
Both are self-paced with no fixed deadline. The Mini-MBA's six courses must be completed within twelve months of enrollment. The MBA's eight courses typically take 1–2 years around full-time work.
ACLAS prices by program scope, not prestige. The MBA covers eight courses and 120 credits of degree-level study; the Mini-MBA covers six courses as a non-degree certificate. The $40 gap buys the degree credential, the transcript and the credit load.
If the degree question is genuinely undecided, the Mini-MBA at USD 49 is a low-cost way to test how ACLAS teaches. If the degree matters, go straight to the USD 89 MBA — doing both costs more than starting right.
