American Public University/American Military University

Hi, I am part of the new Ambassador program for the American Public University/American Military University. The Ambassador program is comprised of current and former students who volunteer and share their experience individuals who want more information about University. I am currently taking my last class for my Master Degree program in Management.

I will regularly post updates here for discussion or informational purposes. I read the board regularly and there are some items I want to make the board aware of.

1) Undergraduate Degree Tuition per unit is $250.00 and the majority of the classes are three units which makes each course $750.00. However, the tuition also includes the Textbooks for each course. This probably will save a student about $100.00 per course.

2) The School of Business at American Public University System (APUS) (http://www.apus.edu) is now a candidate for accreditation by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs. The ACBSP specialty accreditation distinguishes a program as going above and beyond regional accreditation. Programs applying for ACBSP accreditation embrace teaching excellence and student learning focusing on continuous improvement, innovation, and scholarship. APUS will submit a preliminary report to ACBSP in early February and begin the formal self-study process of its Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration programs. There are currently more than 3,000 students enrolled in the MBA and BBA programs at APUS.

3) There has been a lot of talk of when the APUS will launch their Doctorate Programs. Most of us know that while the new Doctorate programs have to be reviewed by the Regional Accredit or, the University cannot disclose much information about the programs and launch date. However, I can tell you that based on some research APUS has already began to invest in the technology needed to handle the new program(s). I believe we might see some new activity for Doctorate in fall 2009. Tuition will probably be very competitive and I don't see the cost per unit to be more than $450.00 per unit. Again this is just my opinion based on public information.

Please let me know if you have any additional question, comments etc.

 

Wow sounds like a lot of good things are happening at AMU/APU. Is there any particular focus areas the proposed doctorate program is looking at? for example history, public admin or business?

 

I'll be down for a doctoral program at AMU. Love the MBA program I am in now at AMU. Great support, excellent prof's and enjoy the student mix. All in all its a good school for me and has been a good experience.

Cory

 

I sent this question to AMU the other day but I haven't heard back yet. (In their defense, it has only been a day or two.)

I was trying to get a list of schools that history graduates have been accepted to in order to pursue a PhD. Many schools have a list somewhere showing this information. I couldn't find one at AMU. I wanted to make sure that if I ever decided to pursue a PhD down the road that my AMU degree would be considered sufficient training for advanced study.

Actually, I emailed around this morning asking some universities if they would consider AMU as a sufficient degree for a PhD program. So far, I have one response from a lower ranked Tier 1 university (100+) in my state that said an AMU degree would be ok.

If AMU gets together a doctorate program, I hope they work in some sort of TA type training allowing those students to help teach online undergraduate courses offered at AMU. That would be awesome.

 

Thanks for the info

I've taken several classes at APU to finish up my 18 grad-level credits in Finance so I am qualified to teach. I chose APU because 1) I wanted to have all my extra credits at one school for ease (and low-cost) of ordering transcripts when applying for teaching jobs - APU has a lot of finance offerings; 2) Low tuition at $825 per 3-credit class; and 3) ease of registering and you can get a full refund anytime during the first week if you have to cancel.

I found the work moderately challenging but their was little feedback from the instructors and sharing of work/life experiences between classmates was minimal compared to my experience at Regis. I enjoy "talking" to my instructors and classmates and felt that I learned a lot that way at Regis. Just my observation - it might suit others really well for their MBA experience.

 

You are right on time. I'm currently looking at a few web design and IT associates degree programs. On paper, AMU looks real good. I'm also considering Baker College and a few other schools.

 

Hi There!

I was wondering if anyone had any further information on the question listed above regarding the acceptance of APUS graduates into PhD programs. I'm considering an MA in Ancient and Classical History there after I finish up with WNMU.

... Just trying to plan ahead

-Matt

 

Thanks for the update. I have been looking at APU for a while and am interested in the Intelligence Studies program. They seems to have a track on Competitive Intelligence.

 

I am up for AMU PhD whenever its available. That would be interesting.

 

Hi, I listened to their 4th quarter earning statement call a few months ago, and they have postponed their Doctorate Program til at least first quarter of 2010. They mentioned that there was not a significant market for Doctorate Degree at the moment. They are focusing on their Degrees in the Education Field.

 

I still cannot fathom that there is not.....

I still cannot fathom that there is still no 100% online PhD in History available; we are still in the educational dark ages.

So would my MBA allow me to enter the PhD in History program when it comes or do I need to get a second masters -- one in History?

His Peace to all.

 

If they are going to focus on education degrees, perhaps it would be wise for the university to be "in touch" with educators. When I inquired about the administration and supervision program, they told me it required a 40 week, 40 hour per week internship. What full time teacher could do that? Most programs, either B&M or distance, make the internship equal the amount of hours required by the state issuing the endorsement, and allow the internship to be flexible. It was this unrealistic internship that turned me away and eventually toward the University of South Dakota.

-Matt

 

My guess would be that the initial classes for any online PhD in History is going to be competitive to get admitted due to the pent up demand for it. I think you'd be at a disadvantage to those that do have advanced coursework in History.

 

This doesn't surprise me. The economy is horrible at the moment and the job market for traditionally educated PhDs is terrible. I think it's a smart business decision to wait until things recover somewhat.

 

You could always try but, personally, I'd rather get a master's in history (on top of my two MBAs) prior to getting a PhD in History.

 

That might also depend on your sub-specialty within history. If, for example, your prospective doctorate had to do with economic history or business history and if you could show how you will apply your MBA skills in designing your dissertation, that might be a plus.

 

I've been looking into this, and I like the discussion goign on here. Most other threads degenerate into misleading and confusing misconceptions.

I'm looking at pursuing a Masters in History. I've got excellent grades, finishing a BS in history and political science in December from a four year university.

My options for my masters are limited, as I live in Michigan, which is basically a dying state with no opportunities for non-necessity jobs and careers. So I'd love to get a history or military history Masters online.

I am, however, afraid of what it'll do to myc areer chances. I don't really have an interest in teaching, but I can't clearly define what I want to do because the job titles are so diverse. I could see myself working in a museum, but most likely for a government organization in the Virginia or DC area. Would an online only Masters make me....well....a joke to employers?

And also, has anyone got any more information on whether or not a Master's from AMU will hurt chances of getting into a Ph.D program at a brick and mortar school?

I understand that it's harder to get familiar with professors online, but surely it's not impossible? If one were to make the effort is it reasonable to assume I could a) have a shot at a letter of recommendation or b) gain assistance from a professor in networking and landing a job down the line?

Thanks, guys!

 

Let's take these one at time:

I would not think so. All of my degrees are "online" and they have been well accepted. If your goal is to teach online or at a B&M school, I can tell you my degrees have earned me a lot of "extra" cash teaching online. I am sure a few have landed full teaching positions with an online degree.

I am sure someone will jump in with some information. Are you looking at a hybrid PhD?

Yes and yes. I have given unoffical letters of recommendation to students (not on school letter head) and I would be open to building a relationship with students and help them land a job. I have had people on this forum point me to schools with online adjunct teaching positions.

I am sure others will jump in with more information.

 

Not a complaint but something should be done.

We are Canadian working overseas at an American curriculum based international school. My daughter is just finishing her B.A. from Charter Oak State College. She wanted to take a conventional looking M.Ed. with US teacher certification from a US university. After researching APU looked great. We were almost signed up when two problems arose.

First, The State of West Virginia insist that the student teaching take place in a public school. Second, a non US student doesn't get a teaching certificate. Instead they get a permit which needs to be renewed annually. These are both State of West Virginia problems but they made the APU degree not marketable. Instead we are looking at Grand Canyon University in Arizona, Liberty University in Virginia, and UCF (with Teacher Ready) in Florida. The state of West Virginia puts APU out of the running when we were sold on them. We can't be that unique. Perhaps some pressure could be put on the state to make their universities competitive in the marketplace? Too late for us though.

Sidney

 

I cannot say I have personally asked a professor from an online course to do a letter of recommendation, but I probably would have from my Walden program. I had most of those professors for 2 courses in a row, with the exception of one because I transferred in a course which would've been my second course with him. By the end of the second class he/she knew our work pretty well.

Now, in the WNMU program I'm doing, I've had two courses with my advisor, and will be taking a 3rd this summer. I would think he would know my work by that point. While it might be true I've never physically met these people, I have communicated with them, and they could base a recommendation off of my work. That is, to say, what I hope a B&M professor would do. Lord knows I had plenty of them at my undergrad university do that for me

-Matt