On my new favorite TV program, White Collar (we're about halfway through season two on Roku/Netflix), Neal is arrested (yet again) and his friend Mozzie shows up to represent him. "You're not a lawyer," someone says. "Yes I am," he replies, "I just got an on-line law degree from the University of Phoenix." I wonder if the Federal School of Art (the "Draw me" matchbook people) are pleased that they have been replaced as the butt of all those distance degree jokes
I can can just imagine the collective cringe of every UoP student and alumus/a who was watching that show.
The University of Phoenix doesn't even have a law school, either B&M or online. There is a for-profit B&M law school in Arizona known as the "Phoenix School of Law", but it has no connection to UoP. But perhaps it's safer to make jokes about non-existent programs. Suppose that the punch line was "I just got an on-line law degree from Kaplan University". That might have even greater potential to upset people, since Kaplan does, in fact, offer online law degrees.
That reminds me of a joke I saw on "Family Guy." "Hey, my son got into DeVry." "Oh good. What did he have to do, open the door?"
Will Ferrell from the Other Guys said this to Markie Mark while trying to negotiate a lawyer off a ledge, "I took an online class at University of Phoenix on negotiating, I'm gonna need a priest and a blow horn."