anybody universiy of phoenix

[bambii]

SCHOOL PRO AND CON.. THINKING ABOUT

Im looking into teaching.... is it too late to get started in a teaching career at my age (37)..

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

You're never too old for a career change, if it's right for you.

Consider teaching part time to 'try it out'.

Good luck.

 

[shellybaxter]

I've had friends attend University of Phoenix and they thought they got a good education. However, it is still not recognized as a "good" school by many employers. Some consider it a "diploma mill" school and therefore don't give as much respect to students who graduate from there. I know because the President of my college is one of those employers. He doesn't like online education but is willing to except that "good" schools do a decent job with online course - just not that UofP does.

You should look around. There are lots of school that offer online programs. I got my BA degree from Ashford University and will soon (yeah) receive my Masters from Gonzaga. Both of these schools have both on campus and online programs in my field so my diploma and transcripts don't, in anyway designate that I took my degree online. The programs are the same online and on campus and so are the degrees. I would try to find a program like this if I were you. Also, make sure the college is accredited - that is the biggest consideration. Degrees from a non-accredited school are not worth a lot

 

[barkley]

dh is in a teaching program and he's 41-several people in his program are his age.

that said-dh got his first degree from uop in 2000. he felt the education was good BUT (and i don't know if they've changed their education model since) because it was structured for "working professionals" many of the assignments were structured such that you needed to have the ability to pull in "real life" examples from the field you were studying (so since his was in buisness and computer science he had to take projects or duties he was working on at work and use elements to complete assignments or tasks). i would think it would be hard to have done some of them without access (and some of his classmates who were'nt working in related fields had a difficult time managing this aspect).

he enjoyed the instructors (liked studying from professionals in the field-much more practical/realistic instruction vs. just theory taught from educators who had never/were 20 years out from working in the subject matter they taught).

one of the cons-unlike "traditional" schools, because the classes were made up of "working professionals" who largly were'nt available day hours (and all his classes were nights), when they did group reports/projects (and ALLOT were assigned) they always had to schedual for weekends. so it was very time consuming. another con was the cost-very expensive (don't know how it compares to tuition at traditional schools now but back then it was much higher). also, we were recently surprised to hear that a family member who will be graduating from one of their master's programs in june would have to travel several states from where he lives if he wants to do the graduation ceremony. when dh graduated they did bundle all the local campuses together under the "main campus" for the region in that state but now it almost sounds like they only conduct some kind of regional ceremonies.

check out programs at colleges and universities around you (cuz i have to imagine that even if you can do an on-line program for part of a teaching degree, for the credentialing portion which includes the student teaching you'de have to be physicaly close to a college to facilitate their placement program and oversight). dh looked at several programs and he's opted for one that (if you already have a b.a. or b.s. in one of the disciplines our state requires for a credential) from start to finish is 1 1/2 years (he will take longer because he had to pick up some classes since his degree was'nt one but it was related to one so he's taking the classes to make up the difference). his program will be VERY intense-it's full time begining with summer quarter, with the student teaching begining in the fall and they don't permit outside employment during the 2nd/3rd/4th quarters. at the end of the 4th quarter he will be qualified to teach, and by the end of the 6th he will also have his masters in education (which he needs because although he will be qualified to teach middle school and highschool he realy wants to be able to also teach adults and it's the bare bones minimum for any of the learning institutions around here).

 

[torinsmom]

From what I have heard, it is expensive, and I have also heard that some companies do not recognize their degrees. With teaching, I would also worry that a national school like that would not know what it takes in YOUR state to get licensed.


Many universities now have online classes and evening/weekend classes for non-traditional students. I went for an education degree. The university I went to(NOrth Carolina Central University) calls that area of their curriculum distance education. It was actually cheaper than going to class on campus, because you didn't get charged all the facilities fees. I'm not sure about taking classes from out of state, and how much that would add to the costs.

Marsha

 

[Plantlady]

if you have an undergraduate degree already, you can get an alternative license to teach.

One place you can use is http://abcte.org

That would be cheaper, and quicker, and have the same end results.

 

[december]

I know it isn't looked at in a positive way here. I checked into it a few years ago, and I was told the state of MS didn't recognize a degree from there for advanced certification.

Do you already have a BS in another field? I'm 36, and working on my masters in school counseling through the University of West AL online. Everything is online-no traveling. And my diploma will not state that it is an online degree. I am currently working on a 300 hour practicum, but can do that at my local school and I have a year to complete it. They have 5 8 wk terms a year. I started last summer, and plan to finish in May of 2010.

I know they have a masters in teaching online for people who already have a BS in another field. You would have to do a practicum, but I don't think you would have to student teach. I'm actually alternate route certified (my degree is in math with a minor in business) and I never student taught. I do think it would be a good idea to observe or sub in a school to make sure it is right for you.

Good luck!

 

[Maggi May]

The best place to look is often your state Dept. of Education.

I found this link for South Dakota which describes distance learning teacher preparation programs for mid-career professionals..

http://doe.sd.gov/oatq/teachercert/DDTE_program.asp

Hope it helps!