Online college degrees

[mlbrowninwa]

Hi all. Over the last few days I have been thinking about returning to school to complete my degree. I have been looking at a couple online programs due to my wife having the possibility of being transferred soon and the fact that I may have to move to find employment. Does anyone have any experience with an online degree program or any thoughts.

BYU has a large amount of online classes that can transfer, but don't offer a complete online degree except for people that have attended one of their schools.

[Jenamarie]

My DH just finished his Bachelor's degree through Purdue University in Indiana. (we live in Washington) They worked in conjunction with Indiana State University.

It was great not having to commute an hour to the nearest University, and it broadened his options for colleges to "attend". (the degree he wanted wasn't offered at any of the near by colleges or universities).

That said, you do sometimes get "dud" professors, and depending on what college you go through you may have to deal with time-zones. Sometimes my husband would have to have an assignment in by 6pm WA time because it was due at 8pm in Indiana. If the class had a required chat-room session he'd have to make sure it didn't fall during a time when he was at work.

Also, you'll probably end up with some pretty idiotic "classmates". I don't know if they just hide better when attending classes in person, but the students we saw in some of his online courses seemed like they'd be better off taking a GED program. It's frustrating, and, depending on how the class and grading system is set up, it's not something you can just easily ignore.

But otherwise my DH was really happy with his education. It does require a LOT of self-motivation and self-control to make sure you get your reading and assignments done and don't get too distracted by what's going on at home while you're "in school".

[pam]

What about University of Phoenix?

[mlbrowninwa]

What about University of Phoenix?

I have been looking at them.

[Jenamarie]

Is U of P credited though? That's something to deffinately check out with whichever school you decide to go with, especially if you intend to go even further with your educational goals down the line, your "credits" at a non-accredited school very often won't be accepted to other schools.

[applepansy]

My sister finished her Bachelor's in Nursing at U of Phoenix years ago. It was a good program then and I'm sure they have improved it. They accomodate working adults well.

[hordak]

I've been doing it, one thing to know is don't get sucked into the idea "it's online it's easy".

I actually find it harder then brick and mortar because it is easier to put stuff off until the last minute when you don't have to be there.

Also be ready to pay a lot for the convenience. Most online schools are for profit so that $225 English class at the CC will cost $750 or more at an online school. And make sure they are regionally accredited

[pam]

Is U of P credited though? That's something to deffinately check out with whichever school you decide to go with, especially if you intend to go even further with your educational goals down the line, your "credits" at a non-accredited school very often won't be accepted to other schools.

Yes they are accredited.

[Jbs2763]

im looking at doing classes online, consideing the nearest campus is about 10,000 miles away

[Guest]

I'm taking a masters degree at U of Central Florida. Some of their programs can be taken completely online via a "FEEDS" program. All of the Industrial Engineering programs can be taken online.

The lectures are recorded and the class has an online board where you send and receive questions/discussions/assignments/tests/etc. I'm currently taking a project management class where the professor divided the class into groups and you have to work together in the group for the entire term. The groups can have "live" students or "feeds" students together. Some of the groups have students who are currently serving in Afghanistan. One of the groups even has a Japanese student living in Japan.

UCF is a pretty good college. Of course, if you're not a Florida resident you will have to pay out-of-state tuition.

[mnn727]

What about University of Phoenix?

They are very expensive compared to many other schools

[pyxiwulf]

What about University of Phoenix?

They are very expensive compared to many other schools

Not only is their tuition very steep, but they use all custom printed texts so the book cost is even more astronomical than usual

[mlbrowninwa]

Yes, it would appear that University of Phoenix is very expensive. I have taken some online classes before when I still lived in VA and they did seem harder than the ones I actually went to class for. Based on what I'm finding so far the best route may be to stick with community college for now and just jump schools again if I have to move.

[Cassiopeia]

What about University of Phoenix?

Absolutely not, no way, no how.

The cost is ridiculous. You can take 16 credit hours or more for the price of one UoP class and they're credits do not transfer to other universities.

How do I know? I took two of their classes. One on site and one online. Both were okay but compared to my traditional studies at SLCC and UVU, it's a joke.

Employers still make faces at UoP degrees as well. They are still considered a papermill.