Online universities

MrNightly

Anyone have any experience with online colleges?

I'm looking into finding one that offers accredited, transferable credits/degrees.

Thanks.

Systems

MrNightly wrote:

Anyone have any experience with online colleges?

I'm looking into finding one that offers accredited, transferable credits/degrees.

Thanks.

Hello,

My wife has been taking courses with the University of Phoenix.

http://www.axiacollege.com/

Shes had a very good experience with them so far, I'll ask her to post more about it if you want. Or if you have other questions....

MrNightly

I am interested! It looks like that is actually for an AA right? I'm looking to finish up my Bachelors.

Probably interested in an Administration degree of some sorts, with the possibility to move into education for my Masters.

bobman1235

University of Phoenix is the only one I've heard of that actually has any.... decent reputation.

venomclan

I looked into University of Phoenix when I was going to get my Masters. While they do have a better reputation than most online only schools, I was not that impressed personally.

The real question is whether a degree from this school will be looked down upon from a prospective employer, as opposed to another school. There are many different opinons on this. I found that out in the real world, experience counts more than where a degree was obtained. I have heard personally, and from many friends who attended elite universities, that their professors told them that a degree is a degree. Ivy league schools are more for networking and branding than actual real-world use and advantage.

A coworker of mine instructs at University of Phoenix and a few other local schools part time. He said that their group learning technique is well liked with students, but it does not challenge them enough. He also said that it is pretty hard to fail these courses, in the way that they structure the curves and such.

It is up to you to decide the right school. Mileage may vary.
Venom

Jstas

Check out Drexel University. They have a very highly acclaimed online business school offering a very competative masters in business administration.

http://www.drexel.com/
http://www.drexel.com/online-degrees/masterdegrees.aspx

They transfer alot of credits from alot of schools too. They also offer online bachelors degrees.

http://www.drexel.com/online-degrees/bachelordegrees.aspx


They are a very highly acclaimed school. The curriculum is technology driven and they have some of the most experienced and published faculty in the country. Thier undergraduate programs have pioneered changes in the way college curriculums are designed and implimented and they have consequently been copied by many other schools. They are also routinely listed in WIRED Magazine as one of the most wired campuses in the country. They don't pride themselves on sports teams but rather the quality of the education you get. They may not be very well known across the country but the school was started in 1892 and has been pumping out graduates with all sorts of degrees that are sought after in the area as being prime candidates. Drexel graduates are some of the most successful in the area and Drexel maintains many professional relationships with some of the biggest Fortune 500 companies for not only R&D and operational money but also job placement purposes because of those graduates. A Drexel graudate not being able to find a job is almost unheard of. Companies invest in places where excellent resources can be had and Drexel is one of those places. The curriculum can be very challenging and people actually do fail out but I don't think there is a better way to prepare for a challenging job then going to a challenging school.

It's a very good school. Also my alma mater so I'm, a bit biased! However, all of the things I have said already have been published in news and industry papers. Drexel is a good school and thier online programs get excellent reviews. They are worth checking out. They also won't rape you financially. They aren't cheap by most standards but they are a good value overall.

Besides, thier mascot is a dragon! How cool is that?

markmarc

I received my Master from Walden University. Did it all online from my recliner. It ended up being less expensive (about 10K in 2005), than any university in the Portland area. Plenty of interaction with other students through the communication boards. I also felt like I received a tremendous amount of feedback from the professors.

If travel time is an issue, or scheduling difficult, this is a great way to go.

MrNightly

Just got off the phone with University of Phoenix online, and they want $494 a credit. Seems high to me, since this is still only at the Bachelors' level.

I'm checking out Drexel now. I was hoping to stay around the $200/hr range... maybe I'm dreaming huh?

MrNightly

venomclan wrote:

I looked into University of Phoenix when I was going to get my Masters. While they do have a better reputation than most online only schools, I was not that impressed personally.

The real question is whether a degree from this school will be looked down upon from a prospective employer, as opposed to another school. There are many different opinons on this. I found that out in the real world, experience counts more than where a degree was obtained. I have heard personally, and from many friends who attended elite universities, that their professors told them that a degree is a degree. Ivy league schools are more for networking and branding than actual real-world use and advantage.

A coworker of mine instructs at University of Phoenix and a few other local schools part time. He said that their group learning technique is well liked with students, but it does not challenge them enough. He also said that it is pretty hard to fail these courses, in the way that they structure the curves and such.

It is up to you to decide the right school. Mileage may vary.
Venom

Some good points. UoP said that their degree didn't even state "Online" on it, and that was was fully accredited. I personally would prefer a classroom setting, but with my crazy hours, nearly impossible to achieve. So, the next best would be online, where I can pick my own hours to study, and at my own pace. Seems that Drexel has structured times, and paces, which goes against what I'm looking for.

UoP seems to be the better between the two, but my research is just beginning.

All other input welcome!

dorokusai

My wife received her Masters from the University of Maryland University College and was very happy with the program. Good luck.

schwarcw

Isn't the real question how do potential employers think about them? Are they accredided by the National College Acredidation Board (or whatever)? If not, a lot of employers will not hold them in the same esteem as accredited colleges. I'm not saying that these colleges aren't any good, it's a perception by the employer that you should take into consideration. Drexel of course is an accredited university, however, is their business program accredited like their science or engineering school? Do some research. It could be a good option, or it might be a waste of money.

Now, in the future I think many colleges and universities will offer accredited programs. We're just not there yet.

JoshParsons84

http://www.anthemcollege.com

My wife does her schooling here. Pretty good college I gotta say.

MrNightly

JoshParsons84 wrote:

My wife does her schooling here. Pretty good college I gotta say.

Josh/LSI/JP

Why do you keep changing names? There isn't a prize for the most usernames a person enters... in case you were told otherwise!

venomclan

MrNightly wrote:

Just got off the phone with University of Phoenix online, and they want $494 a credit. Seems high to me, since this is still only at the Bachelors' level.

I'm checking out Drexel now. I was hoping to stay around the $200/hr range... maybe I'm dreaming huh?

P.S. DO not go bankrupt getting a 2/4 year degree. If you get your Bachelors, nobody is going to care if you have a 2 year degree, what you paid for it or where you went. Same with the BA if you get a Masters. I have a friend who went to a private college to get his BA and MA. He has over 50K in loans and regrets it. A BA today is like a High School diploma years ago. There is a calculation to see if the field of study will pay off down the road. Someone planning to be a teacher should not go to a 30K/year school. It will never pay off. $500/credit is a lot, it is probably for the online course which is always more expensive. Good luck.
Venom

shack

An online degree is better than no degree. But it is not looked on as favorably by employeers as most traditional, four year colleges. The first thing that comes to mind is "diploma mill". That may or may not be the case...but it is the perception.

bdaley6509

I attend Franklin University in Columbus, OH, and graduate with my Bachelor's of Science in Information Technology next month. I am 33, and this is a long time coming (can you hear my excitment as I type?) Franklin has an outstanding credit transfer program, a great reputation, and runs about $250.00 per credit hour. In addition, every class can be taken online, or face to face. There are students from around the globe who attend. Here is the link if you are interested.
www.franklin.edu

Good luck.

MrNightly

bdaley6509 wrote:

I attend Franklin University in Columbus, OH, and graduate with my Bachelor's of Science in Information Technology next month. I am 33, and this is a long time coming (can you hear my excitment as I type?) Franklin has an outstanding credit transfer program, a great reputation, and runs about $250.00 per credit hour. In addition, every class can be taken online, or face to face. There are students from around the globe who attend. Here is the link if you are interested.
www.franklin.edu

Good luck.

Congrats on the degree!!

I like their site, and their degree options. The only question is, do you know if Franklin allows you to move as quickly/slowly thru the online material, or are there set assignments per week, and structured like a regular semester?

I can't find anywhere that it is a Regionally accredited school either.

bdaley6509

Thank you!!!

They are definitely accredited and well respected here in Columbus.
http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/InstDetail.asp

The courses (including online) are structured and do follow a syllabus, but there is no penalty for working ahead. The classes are based on trimesters, and some even have 6-week options. I've taken a couple of these, but be warned they cram a huge amount of work in very little time. The payoff is excellent, but getting there can be a challenge. Shoot me a pm if you have any other questions.