Accredited Online Bachelor Degree
Q: My niece has asked me to help her find a way for her to finish
her Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources after recently having a baby. I
suggested she might find online courses a viable alternative for her and
I have looked at a few programs online. She is asking if University of
Phoenix has a good program and reputation for online degrees. Anyone
have any experience or insight into this?
A:The University of Phoenix has a solid, though hardly "outstanding",
reputation for offering fully accredited degrees via online and
site-based programs. It is a very large school with a physical presence
in most major US metropolitan areas in addition to its comprehensive
virtual campus. It is run for-profit and its focus is mainly upon
practical fields like business and education. As such, UOP relies
heavily upon part-time, untenured faculty who are practitioners in their
fields rather than the academic and research-oriented professors and TAs
who typically teach at traditional institutions. The price that is paid
for convenience is found in UOP's relatively high tuition and fee
structure (presently $475/c.h.-undergraduate), but it remains one of
many options that is worthy of serious consideration.
Though less well-publicized, many traditional universities also offer
fully online programs that are often accompanied by a greater prestige
factor and lower tuition bill than schools like UOP. In the area of
Human Resources, for example, Indiana State University
(http://www.indstate.edu/degreelink/) offers a fully online degree
completion program for the in-state rate of $208/c.h. or $2878/semester
regardless of residency, provided no on-campus courses are taken
concurrently. Kansas State University,