UofP Dilemma

So I have been taking classes at UoP for the last several years and am about 23 credits away from finishing and getting a degree in Business Mgmt. 8 of those credits are electives that I am going to take FEMA classes to satisfy. My Dilemma is that now I am second guessing how this degree is going to be perceived in the workplace. I did transfer about 70 credits from a Pennsylvania state school. Shouls I just finish out at UoP and then get an advanced degree from a school with a better reputation or should I consider switching shcools at this point. Most Schools require 30 credits to be completed if I were to transfer now, so that would delay my graduation. Just how bad is UoP reputation? I appreciate any feedback.

 

It really all comes down to what you want to do with the degree. Do you want to work for the government, in industry, or teach?

Even if you put aside the question of how U of P is perceived in the workplace, one important thing to consider is the cost of continuing with U of P. There are much more affordable schools out there. Peru State College is about 1/3 the price of U of P and is a state college. You could transfer to a school like PSC or even one of the Big 3 assessment schools and save a lot of $$$.

I know this doesn't really answer your original question but it might give you something else to think about.

 

In my opinion, it has a lot to do with where you are in life.

If you're a traditional student, your education has a LOT to do with your 1st job. Not so much your 2nd and 3rd...

If you're looking to make a major career shift, your graduate education has a LOT to do with that 1st job change. Not so much your 2nd and 3rd.

My advice. Pick what's right for you but don't assume that ye olde anonymous state school is going to have a measurable performance improvement when it comes to your resume.

Google UOPhx and there are a LOT of impressive graduates out there.

 

A lot of our teachers in Louisiana get certified through U O P. They seem to be widely excepted in the business and ed field. However, I bolted after three courses because of their lies. If I were you I would research my options before I made a decision. If you are a fast worker, maybe one of the Big 3 is a better option. Then again you have gotten this far with U O P, I t might be wise to really weigh out timeframes, money, and transferability.

 

In my opinion, you should wrap up your remaining courses (5 X 3-credit hours) plus the FEMA courses (8 credit hours). You are too close to finishing the degree and will soon be in a position to start a graduate degree.

How do you intend to make use of your business management degree? What is your present career or job and how will having the degree help your employment? People talk about what school they earned from degree, but human resources generally only care if the degree is legitimate.

 

You're that close to the finish line, I say stick with it and you can move on to a graduate program seamlessly. We have a member here (Russ Blahetka) who used his UoP degree to move on to a AACSB-accredited MBA and then a DBA at Argosy.

 

I agree with Bruce in this case. You should stay with UoP, the move on for an MS or MBA. Unless you want this degree is your terminal one. Just a little experience with what I discussed with my level two Manager. He said that if he see a resume across his desk with Strayer University, AIU, or University of Phoenix degree; which to him just a piece of paper.

 

Search Ripoff Report and you will find some horror stories:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/

 

Given how close you are to finishing, I say just wrap up your degree with U of P. If you're concerned about the utility of a U of P degree, you can also pursue a 2nd Bachelor's degree at another (more reputable) school. OR, you can just work on obtaining entry into a Graduate program at a tier 1 (or other high quality school. This is certainly doable, given a high enough GPA, GRE/GMAT and interview.

Good luck!

Tom

 

Wow! Those are some really bad comments on UoP.

 

When you read them though, some of them are just victim mentality whinings.

One person said "Oh no, I took the wrong degree and can't get certified as a teacher now."

Hey lady, if you can't research your own state's requirements, you shouldn't be a teacher.

Another person said "I had to stay up until 2AM some nights and comment on what other people do at their companies. I don't want that. I want the facts!"

What would those facts be (in business) if not contemporary practice?

Another person said "This stupid MBA isn't even AACSB!"

Most aren't.

Seriously, there's a reason UOP is successful and that's because they cater to adult learners. Those who are serious can get a lot out of it.

But then there are others who want the University to somehow be easy but have a great reputation, be cheap, allow them to do whatever assignments they'd like and have arrangements with every college in the world to accept all their credits in transfer. And allow Wikipedia as the only reference for college papers...and to do the student's career planning for them...and so on and so on...

Hard to take most of those folks seriously...they wouldn't do well anywhere.

 

I'm no fan of UoP, but I say finish it.

While not distinguished, a UoP degree is satisfactory to most organizations. We have UoP grads in managerial roles within my firm, a major manufacturer of hardware and software.

 

Exactly.

I think UoP has a reputation as being "easy" and therefore attracts people looking for shortcuts or are outright lazy. When they find out it isn't easy and they drop out, they become the "disgruntled graduate".

I teach for UoP, and can tell you; it isn't easy.

 

My last employer, a major aerospace cpmpany, paid for tuition and books for students attending UoP both at the undergrad and grad level. Most students attended classes at the local UoP campus although at least one class was held on site (a difficult elective on Cost Schedule Control Systems Criteria).

The big three do not have the 30 unit minimum so it might be economical to transfer to one of them. However you may need to complete more than 23 units to meet their requirements. You do have CLEP, portfolio, and other options to earn credit. Look at their requirements and see if transfer makes sense to you. With the Excelsior BS I had no problem getting into grad school.

I suspect more people know of UoP than the big three (perhaps because of the freeway exit signs I see around the country).

 

Finish it. As noted above, you can always cover it with another accredited degree. But don't sell UoP short. Most of the complaints about UoP regard their processes and costs, not the utility of their degrees.

 

I appreciate all of the feedback. The reason for my concern is that I have heard several comments from people at work about getting a degree from UoP. I am 35 years old and have worked at my company for 10 years and have basically been told that I need a degree to get promoted any further. My company pays the tuition for UoP, so as a company it is fine. I am just concerned about the perception of it being easy. Almost all of the classes I have taken have been considerably harder than the classes that I took at a traditional ground based state school. It seems that UoP has a really bad reputation that they can't get away from. I guess I will stick it out and finish ASAP.

I am interested in pursuing an MBA once I finish my undergrad degree. Any suggestion on an online MBA program?

 

Since you have 10 years experience with your organization and an accredited degree is necessary if you want to advance beyond your current position, UoP will certainly allow you to check the box. If your employer thought UoP was an easy way to earn a degree I doubt the tuition reimbursement would be authorized for that school by your employer.

I took a history of mathematics course with UoP in 2005 and found it sufficiently rigorous in terms of assignments and readings. The only aspect I did not enjoy was the learning team requirement.

 

...It looks to me like you've answered your own question. If the UoP reputation bothers you, then drop it like a ton of bricks and switch to another school. It's not too late. I would check into the Big 3 for maximum credit transfer.

 

I agree - I took some UoP classes (some easy - some hard) and I failed out of teacher training!

 

Ironically, UoP holds the second "best" (certainly open to interpretation) accreditation for business schools; ACBSP.

For other MBA programs;

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/dlmba.html