Is university of phoenix online any good?

Hi everyone!

I am considefing a bachelors degree in e-business at the university of phoenix online. I wanted to know what you guys think of this intstitution.

Is is any good?
whats is the quality of instruction?
Whats is the quality/price ratio?
Is there any better online institusions out there?
Their tuition is 422 c/h. How good is that? (i will pay personally)

Thanks!!

 

UoP has been discussed at length here, just do a search and you will find a wealth of information.

Is it any good?
Too subjective to answer. According to what standard? It is regionally accredited if that is what you're asking.

What is the quality of instruction?
Some say poor, some say good, but none say excellent (that I know of).

What is the quality/price ratio?
In my opinion it is horrific, but others will surely disagree. Way too expensive IMO.

Any better online institutions out there?
I don't know. Maybe look at AIU, it seems to be competitive with UoP.

Their tuition is 422 c/h. How good is that?
Not good. This is my main problem with UoP. It is simply too expensive for what you get. UoP can compete with the Ivy League schools for tuition cost, but it is ranked nowhere near them.

UoP, I am sure, has served many people well. I am sure many people are happy with their decision and have benefited from it.

I have talked to a couple of their admissions advisors and found them to be worse than used car salesmen. Of the 15 or so schools I have spoken with, UoP was the worst. UoP never showed any effort to help me as a customer, only a lot of effort to take my money. Speak to them yourself and see what you think, it might be perfect for you - and it might not.

 

AdHoc,

I am a UoP graduate, so this is based out of my own experience:

I honestly think it is. UoP has regional accreditation and in my case, I enjoyed most of the classes and I had to work hard to maintain a high GPA. Group projects can be a nightmare, but it's easier with time, if you get to work with the same people class after class.

I took 23 classes with them, and I was satisfied with most of the instructors. IIRC, there were a few that were very bad, a few that were very good and the rest I would say were just good. See this link http://www.teacherreviews.com/myschool.asp?school_ID=106 to read thousands of teacher reviews. The site is not official, not all students are required to review their professors... but you'll get an idea.

Phoenix is very expensive, so I cannot say that the quality/price ratio is high. If the price was half of what it currently is, I would be a different story.

I don't know. People here mention AIU and Touro a lot. I have no experience with those institutions, so I can't comment.

$422/ch is very expensive, IMO. I wouldn't do it if I was paying all for myself... look at Excelsior, TESC or COSC.

The degree I earned has served me well. A former employer paid for most of it and my current employer does not have an issue with it. Also, I did not experience any "used car salesman" tactics when I enrolled (Dec/99). I called in 6/99 and requested informational materials and an application, told them what my timeline was, called them back in Nov/99 when I was ready to enroll. Phoenix has grown a lot since then; things may be quite different now. Remember, they are a for-profit institution.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Dave is exactly right. There are many programs available. I've never quite understand why people choose UOP so often. Good marketing, I suppose.

They are far too expensive and the reputation is not very desirable. Many people do find them convenient and some have mentioned that the academic rigor for undergraduate courses is not particularly challenging (which is not to say that there isn't a lot of work, but that is a different sort of thing).



Tom Nixon

 

There are many RA schools that offer bachelor degrees in business for around $100 per credit. Often a local school is the best choice. Among national schools I would look at Troy State University, Univ. of Mass. Lowell, Washington State University, etc. If you already have quite a bit of experience I would look at Excelsior College and COSC.

 

Thanks!

Thanks for the replies guys!


After doing some reseach, i found that UMass and Athabasca universities were the best for my needs. Odds are very high i will try Athabasca as it seems to be quality studies, low tuition with a good reputation.

Cheers!

NB: cmt, you were right, i spoke with a UOP advisor and he was really 'aggressive' in terms of me signing up. The signing bonus must be very high for them...

 

Ha, sounds like my job! Cheap jerks...

 

Re: Re: Thanks!

Officially, North Central does not allow schools to have comissioned sales rep. Effectively, however, that is what many school (espeically, for-profits, but also some non-profits) have.

It is a sad state of affair.

Regards - Andy

 

I think a Public school is the way to go.

 

Re: Thanks!

Interesting that you bring up admission advisor enrollment bonuses. You would have thought that these new, for-profit schools would have some kind of bonus structure for their advisors/sales reps. I can't speak for UoP, but my wife was an admissions advisor at Baker College in Port Huron, MI for a while and was absolutely disgusted at the pressure that was put on her to enroll students. She took the job on the understanding that she would be advising students through the admissions process and in choosing classes. She very soon found out that enrollment numbers were ALL that counted, and that pressure came directly from the top, through her boss - head of admissions - to her, to meet targets and lie, if necessary, about transferability of credits, salary scales upon graduation, financial aid, etc.

She was placed under tremendous pressure to meet these targets and for the six months she worked there - before she quit - she was miserable and very upset that this kind of atmosphere existed in what, essentially, is meant to be a service that meets the needs of the public good - or at least that is the way we see higher education.

Incidentally, she was promised all kinds of incentives to meet enrollment goals - which she met. Her bonus? A pair of Baker College running pants!