Does anyone have any personal experience with Andrew Jackson University? I am interested in their MPA program. Let me clarify some things: I know they are NA - I'm fine with that. I want to know about their academic quality. I want to know the course load. How much work is involved? How much written material do you produce for a typical lesson and/or course? How many pages typed? (Single or double spaced?).
AJU First of all, welcome to the board. I can't speak for the MPA program - I'm currently enrolled in the MBA program. Although course content is different between the two programs (i.e. gov't v. business)...course delivery is the same. Expect to do a lot of writing. There are 12 courses that make up the program. Each course has 10 lessons with 2 or 3 proctored exams (1.5 hrs each). You write 1 paper per lesson (approximately 22 to 75 pages, doubled spaced). Some courses require more writing than others. The papers are comprised of discussion questions, case study analyses, Internet exercises, and video exercises. Your answers to questions need to be well thought out, arguments clearly made, and backed up with good examples. Be advised that you need to work for top marks. As far as the exams are concerned, I use the whole 1.5 hrs. AJU's method of delivery is quite simple and largely "textbook based." There are no fancy technologies like Blackboard. You basically do the work in Word format, e-mail your assignments to the University and the results are e-mailed back to you in Excel format. If you need help then you simply send an e-mail. AJU administration is a pleasure to deal with. They respond to questions in a timely manner and assignments are usually marked in about 2.5 weeks or so. I should point out that you are largely on your own. There are no online classes or chat sessions with other students. The study guides are well-written and provide you with the direction needed to successfully complete each course. Well...there you go...AJU in a nutshell. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck in your search!
