Question:
I am interested in hearing from anyone who has feedback on theUniversity of Phoenix online programs - both undergraduate and graduate.
Answer:
Notwithstanding your poor experience at Phoenix (below),it's generally considered advisable to earn your graduate credentials ata school *other* than the one at which you earned your undergraduatedegree. (Check out the faculty listings in most college catalogs -you'll note that most academicians with three degrees listed receivedthem at two or three *different* schools.)
In addition to the MBA, you may want to check out the newer M.S. inManagement programs. Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, NJ, is oneof the leading regionally accredited external programs in the nation,and they have just established an M.S. in Management program. If youdon't mind religious hooplah in the form of Pat Robertson, there's alsoan M.A. in Management program and an M.B.A. program available throughthe Center for Extended Learning at Regent University in Virginia Beach.
Remember that the University of Phoenix (at least as I understand it) isa proprietary (for-profit) school. They may have met the qualificationsfor regional accreditation, but they still operate from a differentphilosophical perspective than an historically nonprofit institution.
And - feel free to treat this as a presumptuous personal opinion - myopinion of for-profit schools is about the same as my opinion on for-profit hospitals, mental health organizations, prisons, etc. *Their*primary motivation is to get your bucks. That doesn't mean that the"product quality" they offer isn't good, but it makes me think twice.
That's good advice for students in *any* nontraditional program (and,for that matter, students in any traditional program). Remember thePeter Principle? In any hierarchy, one tends to rise to his or herlevel of incompetence. In other words, the same incompetence youallegedly found at Phoenix exists in almost every other educationalprogram. Students in any nontraditional program, undergraduate orgraduate, should (1) make copies of everything, (2) keep copies ofeverything, (3) request acknowledgments of confirmation for everything,ad infinitum, ad nauseam. (This is especially the case in open-endedtuition programs like The Union Institute, in which one pays tuition bythe semester instead of by the credit. An administrative mistake canbecome costly if it hangs up your program completion.)
Welcome to the wacky world of academia. *You* know you're a consumer,*I* know your a consumer, but the academic world is full of yahoos whobelieve they're granting you a privilege and honor by accepting yourhard-earned tuition dollars. Students certainly have a responsibilityto *earn* their credit through solid academic performance, but itwouldn't hurt for administrators to have a more realistic perspective. Nonetheless, there *is* a certain decorum in academia, and you mightfind your efforts more successful if you remember that one can catchmore flies with honey than with vinegar.
