I’m about 25, and I am thinking about going back to school. Due to 2 car payments, and a house payment (not to mention all other expenses) it really isn’t an option for me to stop working full-time in order to go back to college. I WANT to go back though. Right after high school, I went to a state university, but due to a lot of different circumstances, I ended up dropping out after about 3 semesters. I only really had oneGOOD semester.
Anyway, I was doing a little research, and I came up with University of Phoenix. That way I could do all my schooling after work, when I get home. It just means I’d have to use some of the student loans to buy a computer for home (I currently just use the one at work for e-mail, and for SDMB) and that I’d (of course) have to pay for internet each month. This really isn’t a big deal. I’ve been wanting a computer for a long time.
I’m sorry, I seem to be rambling. What I’m trying to ask, is if anyone has any experience with this school, and their online degrees (or any school that offers online degrees). I would major in business, probably business/marketing, or business/management. I think I want to be an insurance agent.
I think for a Bachelor’s degree, it would probably be acceptable to do an online or partially online course through them - a lot of people seem to be using them (and their stock has done pretty well, I think, for whatever that is worth).
I discussed the possibility of an MBA from them with my brother (a professor, PhD in accounting) and he wasn’t crazy about the idea - indicating that, currently, the online MBAs are about as useful and respected as Executive MBAs (which, to him, means not very much). I suppose at that level there is significant group work, interaction, and research that the online course can’t necessarily provide…
…but at the undergrad level, I’d not have much of an issue hiring someone with such a degree if their background supported the job at hand.
My coworker was taking classes through them for a while, until our company stopped paying for it. Our company is willing to pay for business degrees, but U. of Phoenix is too expensive.
Now she’s taking online classes through one of our local community college. I think she has to go to class for labs and to take tests, but the classes are otherwise entirely online.
So you might look at online degree programs for other colleges if U. of Phoenix is too expensive.
I am currently notiating with National University (a University of Phoenix knock off) to teach one of their classes. I myself have an MBA, but from University of Texas - an actual campus school.
When I was at my last employer, I knew a woman who did the U. of P. program and got her bachelor’s only to find that my employer (SAIC) wouldn’t pay her anything more with the degree than before. That said, I believe it did help her in getting her next job.
In other words, my only caution is, if you are planning to use it to get a pay raise from current employer, you might find it won’t get you what you want. Then again, getting a 4-year degree might not have helped this woman either since our company was very stingy
Associates = 2 year or trade school type of degree
Bachelor’s = 4 year degree (but in actuality typically takes 3-5 years of class time)
Master’s = typically a 2 year degree post Bachelor
Doctorate = another 2ish years beyond a Masters. Sometimes a Master’s degree is a requirement for a Doctorate, sometimes it isn’t.
Don’t know if that matters or not.