A.F. asks from Columbus, OH on October 13, 2010
University of Phoenix- Online Courses
My husband wants to go back to school but the only way to work that into our life with his job and our family is to do online courses. Does anyone have any experience with University of Phoenix online classes? Can you share how this works? Do you work with other individuals on projects, what are the pros and cons? Any information you could provide would be appreciated. He is going to meet with someone about it tomorrow but of course they are only going to tell him what they want him to know. (FYI- He would be going for Associate of Arts with a concentration in Psychology)
Thanks!
More Answers
N.B. answers from Toledo on October 13, 2010
Do some research. There was something on TV, "60 Minutes", I think, recently about University of Phoenix, and it wasn't a glowing endorsement. Lots of money spent, worthless degrees, etc. They are for-profit, and anyone who doesn't have a spam-blocker is inundated with ads for them, which is a bad sign, in my book. Check with something local. At least you can find someone if you have a problem.
3 moms found this helpful
L.S. answers from San Francisco on October 13, 2010
I teach at a community college. I am the vice president of the senate and I have also been teaching online for 16 years. Please research your local community college....it will be the perfect place to get an associate's degree. Your husband will receive access to quality teaching, effective counseling and ethical financial aid planning. Many folks who enroll at for profit online universities end up with huge debts and useless degrees.
3 moms found this helpful
K.N. answers from Cleveland on October 13, 2010
I just finished my associates with UOP. it's EXPENSIVE so that's a downside, and I had some issues with them messing up my financial aid, which means I owe them money and they will not give me my degree.
However I enjoyed my classes. they recently changed things from what i have been told by friends, but basically you have 2 assignments a week in 1 class, due generally wed and sun. and your second class is discussions, which means you have to post answers to 2 discussion questions generally tues and thurs. then reply to two separate posts on 3 different days as well as do an assignment on sunday. It's a lot of work and because you have to log in so often there isn't a lot of flexibility.
(and i just read the very end of your post and I have the degree your husband wants to work on)
2 moms found this helpful
M.K. answers from Los Angeles on October 13, 2010
most universities do online courses and degrees - plus you will save a PACKET!! on tuition - just for an example, I am doing an online degree through my community college - which is lonestar (you don't have to live in the state to go through them), and it is $161 per hour (would be $60 if I lived in the catchment area), it is $200 ish if you live out of state. my local 4 year university is $400 per hour, there is just no comparison.
there is also CCConline, which is $250 per hour no matter where you live.
My online degree is great, it is not necessarily at my own pace - I have deadlines, you have to participate in online discussions - you don't ever meet your peers, but that doesn't matter to me, as long as I get results.
UOP is a private company, and therefore they are in it for them - I would check your local universities first to see what online degrees they offer.
2 moms found this helpful
C.M. answers from St. Louis on October 13, 2010
Any online course will be great for someone who is dedicated to doing a lot of reading (a lot!) and a lot of writing!! I loved going to UOP for my Master's degree because I type fast and like to respond to posts, so that part of my classes was easy. As with all teams, some people did more and some did less, and depending on the professor, you were graded accordingly. The one thing I did not like about UOP was the price! It cost me $36K for my Master's degree! I did not look into other online degree programs, though and did not want to go to a school so I looked into UOP and jumped at the chance to get my degree online!
2 moms found this helpful
J.V. answers from Allentown on October 13, 2010
My husband is currently working towards his Bachelors degree through UOP. It has been a very positive experience, but he is self-motivated to get his work done. Alot of the work was his alone, but he has had to work with teams to complete a project. He truly dislikes that part of his school work because not everyone is as motivated to do it right and on time as he is (he's German). It's expensive, but he is home every night even though he goes to "school" every day. There are some very awesome staff members that will help you through each step of the process. Best of luck to the both of you! It has been a worthwhile endeavor for this family.
1 mom found this helpful
L.S. answers from Philadelphia on October 13, 2010
My brother wasted close to 40,000 dollars and a lot of time with University of Phoenix... the "degree" you get is basically useless, and noone wants to hire people from that school.
Your best bet is to look into your local colleges, as most colleges these days have their own online programs and you can earn your degree from a good school.
1 mom found this helpful
M.J. answers from Sacramento on October 13, 2010
One of my good friends is a dean of academic affairs at University of Phoenix and used to oversee their psychology department. She has a lot of good things to say about their programs and the way the company is run. One of the key advantages over public universities is that they guarantee you'll get the classes you need to graduate in time. So, if a class fills up and more need it, they create a new class. They're also good about keeping up with professional trends and creating courses that suit the current workplace. She liked this over what she dealt with teaching at a public university.
I may be wrong on this, but I believe you still must attend some activities on campus. She taught some courses from home but also met with students regularly on campus and taught there, too. I would definitely clarify this with the company rep.
1 mom found this helpful
Email