Online Schools

[MinnieLove]

I need to finish my Bachelors degree! I have a whole year of classes to take on line. I work full time, 3 kids, etc... so looking to complete online. The cost is obviously an issue. I have also seem several school that have life experience credits. Has anyone completed online with Phoenix or any other. What is average cost. How about with the life experience credits, and do the degrees you earn equal that of other online schools. Any suggestions and inputs are welcome...

Current job is NOT good and need new job, but need Bachelors degree..

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

I attended the University of Phoenix and I can't honestly recommend it. It is very expensive for one. Also, they are great about getting you enrolled but once in, you're stuck! You really don't get a lot of support.

I hate the classroom forum. 30% of your grade will be based upon team work. This consists of big projects you will work on with 3 or 4 other people in your class. The problem with this is, not everyone will pull his or her own weight. In the meantime, you either pick up the slack, or get a bad grade. Everyone gets the same grade most of the time, despite the professor telling you your grade is based upon your participation. If you have problems within your group, you will get very little support from the professor or the school.

I would highly recommend looking around for somewhere else. Maybe a local school in your area that offers online courses. I wish I had taken the time to do that. I have my degree, but having a degree from the University of Phoenix is kind of a joke, and it certainly is not as well respected as it would be from a local school!

 

[santa's surpriz]

I was in the same boat as you about two years ago. Now, I have two semesters left at Franklin University in Columbus Oh. Both traditional and online classes programs are available. I have much success with the online classes. One of the reasons I love it is many of my classes are condensed into 6 weeks. Basically, I can be fulltime with out taking on more than I can handle. It's nice because the most I have overlapped is 2 classes. My classmates have been from all over the US and it's a great way to meet new people. The only shortfall is Franklin is infamous for group projects.

I just noticed you are in Ohio, Franklin may be a really a good option for youu. I would be happy to share my experiences in more detail. Just send me a PM.

 

[Colleen27]

I have to agree with Cici - online-only universities are "kind of a joke" in terms of the job market, and certainly don't carry the same weight as the same degree from a respected local college would, especially in today's competitive job market. The bottom line, according to some people I know who are responsible for hiring in the IT field, is that with an online degree, you have no idea if he took hours to complete simple tasks that should take minutes, if he needed his textbook open to get anything right, or if the applicant even completed the work himself.

Have you checked into online options at local colleges? I did most of my associate's degree online, but because it was through a local school, I did have to go to campus for testing and labs and the degree doesn't indicate that it was an online program. I can't complete my bachelors completely online, but I'll be taking a mix of online and in-person classes when I go back to finish up.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I've heard good things about WGU ~ http://www.wgu.edu/?&gclid=CKPj8Ke8w58CFQVLbQodlx6EFA

 

[kamikazecat]

I completed my master's degree from University of Phoenix a few years ago (in educational administration) and I loved the format. I even gave birth while enrolled in the class and managed to keep up. The teamwork format was a pain to stay on top of at times, especially if you had someone flaky in your group but it was still manageable.

My husband is doing his master's in education from WGU and loves that format as well. Both are pretty expensive though so be prepared for that.

I have to disagree with the comment about these universities being looked down on in the job field. In education, I know that is simply not the case. A majority of the administrators in my school district did their degree online from UOP or Grand Canyon and have been very successful.

Good luck with your choice

 

[MinnieLove]

thanks for the replies. I live in outside of Toledo OH. I am checking into some of the above ideas.

Anyone with Life Experience credis?

 

[G's mommy]

I agree with the PP, do not do Phoenix. I work for the University system in my state and those degrees are not highly respected. Check out your local state universities, most offer many classes online and you may be able to due the bulk of your course work that way. It will also be much cheaper and you won't be left with a mound of student loans in the end.

 

[ajh88]

I agree with G's mommy - look for local universities that offer online courses. When I was doing a couple of random pre-requisites I needed for pharmacy school, I did them online from a local community college. For a couple of the classes I did have to go to campus to take exams, but it was like 4 hours total for the semester (4 exams x 1 hour each). You'd obviously have to find a university since you're aiming for a bachelor's, but I know that there are more and more offerings online or in dual format (part online/part on campus).

Another option may be to look for programs designed for working adults to finish their degrees - a lot of times these courses meet one night a week (or sometimes on a weekend, depending). You do have to physically go to class but it's not the same as a regular full time course load.

A couple of things to consider as well - what kind of degree do you want? Some fields will be easier than others to find online/non-traditional courses to take. How many hours do you have left to finish your degree? You say one year, but I don't know if that means about 24 credits, or more than that? If you can't find anything else, maybe you could just do one course at a time (night class) all year round - it would take longer, but the end result would be the same.

Finally, money wise, I think you'd be better off going with a local public university/college as opposed to an all online school with no local office. My sister finished her Bachelor's with DeVry - she said she doesn't feel like she's any better off for having completed it through them and it cost a TON of money (no, I don't know how much) - but, she did get her degree which helped her get into a Master's program.

Here's a website for University of Toledo - they offer several online degree programs. Tuition isn't really that cheap (about $1100 for one 3 hour course, it appears), but it's a place to start looking.

http://www.utoledo.edu/dl/programs/prog_index.html
Best of luck!

 

[dfchelbay]

Look into Central Michigan University. They have locations all over the place. They have "life experience" credits, they have a lot of online courses, and the College of Extended Learning. Since it's a regular University, with brick and mortar classrooms too, you won't get looked at funny in the job market. It will be the same as if you actually walked into the classrooms at Central Michigan University and took your classes. I think the website is CMich.edu.

I've also heard that they have a huge amount of online courses to choose from. They cater to the working adult, young adult, active soldiers, traveling worker/employee, etc with the distance learning classes. I also think they are on the cheaper end as far as cost per credit hour too.

Good luck.

 

[Sunshineanddaisys]

I'm currently finishing up my degree at WGU, I have 10 classes left and should be finished by August (started in Sept of last year). I have attended a variety of colleges through the years and just had about 2 years worth of classes to complete.

I've very much enjoyed the program so far and highly recommend it. With any online program, it's important to understand the workload and the need to be motivated to sit down and complete class work.

I understand that there is some negativity towards online degrees. But WGU is fully accredited by the same accreditation organization that also accredits the University of Washington, University of Oregon, Gonzaga University, University of Utah, University of Idaho, and Brigham Young University. Additionally, the teachers college is accredited by National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (and is also the first and only online college / university to receive this accreditation).

 

[LoraJ]

I first went to UMUC.edu and liked it okay. But the classes remaining in my major did not really interest me. I transferred to Cityu.edu which I really loved, but it was too expensive. Now I will be starting at CUNY's School of Professional studies which is CUNY's (City University of NY) online school. This semester I am taking 3 classes for the price of one at my last school. At this time they only have business and communication majors. With tuition and fees, it costs about $600 a class.

I would avoid University of Phoenix. Unfortunately the degree will have a stigma attached to it.

In my experience, online classes are a lot more work than attending on campus. They all require you to participate in discussions. I had to write a lot more papers and you really need to keep up with the work. But it is great that you can do these things on your own time. I cannot attend classes in person because my work schedule is not consistent.

 

[magik]

I agree with others - Phoenix is extremely expensive and not that well respected. If you want to go online, see what state schools might have online programs. I am getting my Master's completely online through a state school, and it's great, affordable, and a highly-ranked program.

I may have to take one class through Phoenix and transfer the credit in because my school doesn't offer it online, and I've only heard terrible things about it from classmates who have also taken this particular course through Phoenix.

 

[LoraJ]

I agree with others - Phoenix is extremely expensive and not that well respected. If you want to go online, see what state schools might have online programs. I am getting my Master's completely online through a state school, and it's great, affordable, and a highly-ranked program.

I may have to take one class through Phoenix and transfer the credit in because my school doesn't offer it online, and I've only heard terrible things about it from classmates who have also taken this particular course through Phoenix.

There are so many schools with online programs, so I think you would be able to find that class somewhere else and not at UoP.

 

[wvjules]

I am finishing my bachelors at Penn State's world campus. Its expensive! This semester I am taking 6 hours and my tuition was almost $3000. So far I like it. I do agree taht online seems to be a little more difficult than in the classroom. (Maybe not more difficult, more difficult that I imagined it would be.) I'm finding that managing my time is the hardest. I think I need to make a schedule, like M-W-F, 7-9pm classwork, almost like being in a real classroom.

I would not consider Phoenix or Strayer University. I'd fear getting laughed out the door with them on my resume. My resume from PSU will simply state "The Pennsylvania State University" - nothing about online on it at all. That is the best part.

 

[wvjules]

I agree with others - Phoenix is extremely expensive and not that well respected. If you want to go online, see what state schools might have online programs. I am getting my Master's completely online through a state school, and it's great, affordable, and a highly-ranked program.

I may have to take one class through Phoenix and transfer the credit in because my school doesn't offer it online, and I've only heard terrible things about it from classmates who have also taken this particular course through Phoenix.

I don't understand this? The school you are attending offers the degree you are seeking online but they don't offer all of the courses required to get said degree? Odd.

 

[jedijill]

Wow. I have my MBA from UofP and I have not once been laughed out the door. In fact I got a job at a Fortune 100 company with my MBA on my resume.

As with every school, your mileage may vary. I did not enjoy the teamwork aspect of my degree program since I had to carry 3 of my classmates but you know what? That's life in the corporate world.

I chose UofP because at the time they had the only program that I could attend on campus with my working hours. I did not want to do the online program when I was spending that much money. I feel that I got a lot out of my classwork and it has certainly proven itself in the job market.

Good luck!

Jill in CO

 

[ilovemonk]

Be careful with Phoenix. They paid a lot of fines so be sure to look into that part, too. Lots of industries do not recognize Phoenix degrees as highly as more reputable one's, like engineering and science.

Definitely do your research.

 

[midwestdee]

I think there is probably a difference in how a Bachelor's Degree is viewed versus a graduate degree from on line schools. If you have completed a Bachelor's Degree from a "regular" college or university, you (hopefully) have demonstrated you have half a brain and are capable of a certain level of competence and intelligence.

 

[disneymarie]

I need to finish my Bachelors degree! I have a whole year of classes to take on line. I work full time, 3 kids, etc... so looking to complete online. The cost is obviously an issue. I have also seem several school that have life experience credits. Has anyone completed online with Phoenix or any other. What is average cost. How about with the life experience credits, and do the degrees you earn equal that of other online schools. Any suggestions and inputs are welcome...

Current job is NOT good and need new job, but need Bachelors degree..

I was torn at 50 yrs old to finish the BA, between Phoenix and the local college, pt time, online and campus.
The cost was way to high Phoenix, so I went local, transferred all my credits, took most classes online. I could not use the life experiene as I already had 2 yr transfer in, that was the full amount.

I was able to use it toward required courses, and choose a second subject in my major. I could use life ex for the Police community relations, and took a women in law enforcement.
Make an appointment at the life long learning center in a local college to have them review and give you a cost break down.

There were online colleges ah hum...that told me they would take my life ex and give me a Masters.....and $700+
But the accreidation was not going to get me a job teaching college and I was not going back and pay for the MA.