Online Graduate Degree Program, Online Bachelor's 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:I just finished a Master's program with University of Phoenix online. It was
expensive (they are a private university).I completed my degree in 18 months.
It was pretty time consuming b/c we had to post and respond to postings 4 out
of 7 days in the week (weeks started on Tuesday to allow homework to be done on
the weekends). Since it is online there are also a lot of papers to write.
Group projects are also a big part of the program... in my case it went very
well with our groups never meeting f2f, but using IM and email instead.
The upside it that you never have to got out of your PJ's to go to class and
you get done a bit quicker, even if you put in a lot of time (I was also
teaching and have a family to care for, so UoP on top of it all was probably
overkill!) I have to admit that I learned a bunch and feel like it was worth
my time and money to complete the program.
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, UMass-Amherst, and Drexel are
just a few among the numerous other schools offering online bachelor's
degree completion programs in virtually every field with graduate degree
programs likely even more numerous. Schools like UOP meet many
learners' needs for convenient accredited degrees, but one should be as
careful in considering among all of the degree program options available
online as they would in considering programs in the brick and mortar
environment.
I wouldn't want to hazard a guess about the quality of its undergraduate
program as I taught in the graduate program, but caution that its for-profit
status puts students of every quality in their 'classrooms'.
Online conversation is challenging for some students who have never experienced
the level of writing that should be expected of a high quality program, so you
get all manner of discussion. I questioned whether this student makeup
could elevate the dialog and decided it wasn't a student environment I'd find
challenging enough for my child.
Instructors are facilitators and do not write the curriculum; Despite the online
nature of the program, the instruction does not at all