Anyone here attend or graduated from University of Phoenix Online?

I signed up for UOP a couple of times now. The first two times I decided not to go through with it because my anxiety got the better of me. I haven't done school work since 2003 after all. So the confidence is pretty low :(

Anyway, with my weird, busy work schedule I cannot attend a traditional school. No matter how convenient community colleges claim to be for the working man, realistically if you are going to get fafsa loans you have to be a half time student and again with my schedule that would not work.

So in a nutshell, I want to get a degree. So I have to do it online. I re-did my loan stuff and contacted UOP because I am interested in starting off with an AA in Business management with a focus on hospitality.

Anyone go to an online college? How was your experience?

Yes, I have been going for almost four years now. I have never attended a brick-and-mortar college. I love UoP. I graduate with my Bachelor's in Software Engineering in January. It is extremely convenient, but it is expensive.

I have several friends, and aquaintances who have, my daughter is also be taking on-line courses for her BS.

Please don't confuse taking online courses at an accredited college or university with UOP. They are viewed differently when seen on resumes.

The only organization that accredited the UOP was created by the same people that started UOP. Seems like a conflict to me.

YMMV

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

Please don't confuse taking online courses at an accredited college or university with UOP. They are viewed differently when seen on resumes.

The only organization that accredited the UOP was created by the same people that started UOP. Seems like a conflict to me.

YMMV

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My Associates Degree from UOP says University of Phoenix, not University of Phoenix Online.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

My Associates Degree from UOP says University of Phoenix, not University of Phoenix Online.

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What's your point?

My wife had a bad experience with University of Phoenix. She ended up transfering to a real university, Jacksonville University (JU).

She was VERY upset when she transferd because JU didn't even accept some of her University of Phoenix classes as college level classes. She now refers to University of Phoenix as a joke.

Obvioulsy anything on the wall is better then nothing... but when it comes to getting a good job there is a big difference in most hiring managers eyes between a degree from a real university and one from UOP.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I pretty much need to be available to work at anytime, so I have to do something online. I don't really have high expectations of earning a six figure income, just to do better than I am now and maybe a few more open doors to more opportunity.

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Originally Posted by granitestate

Thanks everyone for your responses. I pretty much need to be available to work at anytime, so I have to do something online. I don't really have high expectations of earning a six figure income, just to do better than I am now and maybe a few more open doors to more opportunity.

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I think you're missing the point. A degree from the UOP may not help you reach your goals and may actually be a waste of time and money.

Almost every brick and mortar college/university is offering online courses. You would have to check to see which ones will allow the full completion of a degree online.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

I think you're missing the point. A degree from the UOP may not help you reach your goals and may actually be a waste of time and money.

Almost every brick and mortar college/university is offering online courses. You would have to check to see which ones will allow the full completion of a degree online.

Good luck.

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UoP is a brick and mortar college that offers online classes. The company that I work for, one of the largest retail companies in the United States, accepts UoP. Our Senior IT manager got his Masters from UoP.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

UoP is a brick and mortar college that offers online classes. The company that I work for, one of the largest retail companies in the United States, accepts UoP. Our Senior IT manager got his Masters from UoP.

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When your Senior IT Manager received his Masters from UOP did anything change for him at the company? Raise, promotion, etc.?

I can't speak for the rest of the world but in the NYC area UOP is not considered a legitimate degree in a lot, not all, companies.

YMMV

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

I can't speak for the rest of the world but in the NYC area UOP is not considered a legitimate degree in a lot, not all, companies.

YMMV

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Around here the uop degree counts as a degree... But when you are compared to other applicants that have earned degrees at traditional universities (even if most of the classes were taken online) the non UOP degree holds much more weight.

With today's job market and the number of applicants fighting for the same job you would be much better off taking online courses at your local university.

I hired our HR Director who had a UoP Masters in Organizational Development. Her undergraduate degree was from Virginia Tech. She is an exceptional HR Director, the best I've ever worked with. However, if her undergrad degree was from UofP, I probably would not have interviewed her.

I do think that online colleges are good for non-traditional students and those degrees are better than not having a degree. However, I do know of some brick and mortar colleges that have very low (if any real) accreditation and I put very little weight in their diplomas.

The thing you should really want is to get a degree from a University that has a rigorous academic program that is respected, inside and outside of academia. That program can be online or on campus. Look at the accreditation and compare it to programs that you know and respect. See if they are comparable. Good luck.

I am going to approach this topic as an online class vs "traditional" class, as it is being referred to in this thread.

I spent 8 years in college and took MANY "traditional" classes from "brick and mortar" universities. During my studies, I did end up taking 3 or so online classes...the reason mostly beings it was the only way I could get that particular class to fit my schedule that semester.

To sum it up...I don't like online classes.

I think the big, and often overlooked, negative in taking an online class is the whole social aspect of it.

There were many academic conversations amongst my peer in the halls, before/after classes, and during class sometimes. Same goes with the instructors... There were so many times at the end of a lecture, the instructor would ask the traditional "Does anyone have any questions...?" And many times I didn't think I did...but then one of my peers would ask one...I would say to myself, good question. There were group meetings...formal and informal presentations in front of faculty and student bodies. It was having to successfully perform certain task (test/presentation) on someone else's schedule rather than at my own convenience...similar to work now.

There is so much more I feel is lost when an individual takes an online class...I felt I was less prepared after finishing an online class compared to my peers who took the same class...but in person.

Again...these are MY personal feelings from previous experiences.

The online classes are convenient...sure. I had to do it. But in the end, I would much rather be sitting in a classroom with my hand raised rather than behind my computer...

What does everyone think about other for-profit schools such as Ashford University? They are a regionally accredited school that has a brick and mortar school in Idaho as well as online only programs.

Are some of you saying that you would never hire someone that earned their degree online? If so, what are your recommendations to someone that work odd shifts or full time? For many people going to a brick and mortar school is not an option.

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Originally Posted by eel588

Are some of you saying that you would never hire someone that earned their degree online? If so, what are your recommendations to someone that work odd shifts or full time? For many people going to a brick and mortar school is not an option.

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What some of us are saying is that many employers do not consider a degree from the UOP to be worth what a degree from a normal university is worth.

I would recomend that the someone you speak of look into how many online classes they can do at their local university.

I totally agree that it is silly for employers to consider UOP different then normal universities that offer online classes... but it is what it is, and they do.

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Originally Posted by eel588

What does everyone think about other for-profit schools such as Ashford University? They are a regionally accredited school that has a brick and mortar school in Idaho as well as online only programs.

Are some of you saying that you would never hire someone that earned their degree online? If so, what are your recommendations to someone that work odd shifts or full time? For many people going to a brick and mortar school is not an option.

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Many people have earned a degree in the evening after working a full time job all day. There are weekend courses also. Some schools run on trimesters with two summer sessions so it moves the process along at a quicker pace.

I'm not saying that all online courses are bad. I would just caution anyone facing the very high cost of a UOP degree to clearly define their goals and then ensure that the degree they earn will help them achieve those goals. If it doesn't then you just wasted a lot of time and money.

I know someone that earned her Masters at UOP but the company she worked for paid some of the cost and they guaranteed her a raise and promotion when she completed it. They made good on that promise so for her it was worth it. How that degree is viewed by other employers if she decides to change jobs is not certain but for now she made the right choice. She did her research, which is all I'm saying should be done.

I've known a lot of people that enrolled in UOP's programs, most all of them had issues with the school before even completing.

UOP is considered a "for profit" school by most organizations, so it really depends on the company if they count it as a real degree. Seems like most don't though.

I am in the military. I sometimes work 3 different shifts in a period of 7 days, I work some weekends as well. My shop is never closed, not even on holidays. I have been going through Ashford University since November of last year. I haven't had to pay for one cent of my degree so far because of tuition assistance and have earned around 30 credits. I am getting my degree in Environmental Studies because I want to teach high school life science. With the schedule I work I cannot go to an actual brick and mortar school. Once I obtain my bachelors and I am out of the military I plan to get my licensing, start student teaching, and get all certifications needed to teach in California.

I did a lot of research to where I was going to go to school and I still think Ashford was the best choice for me. We will see how it goes.