Difficulty of admissions

So here the situation,

I am currently stationed in the UK with the USAF and also an undergrad student at the University of Phoenix online finishing up my electives for a Bachelors of Science in Management. I am taking all my upper level electives in accounting to try and fill some of the CPA exam requirmements if I want to go that route in the future. I will graduate in December and want to move onto my MBA shortly after. I am looking at ASU, Penn state, Mississippi State, UMASS or any other AACSB school that offers a decent online program. I would like to know if anyone else has experiences applying for admissions into this school with a Phoenix degree and what they found. I have not taken the GMAT yet either, but I do know that will be a big factor. Thanks for any advice!

 

The University of Phoenix has managed to acquire a less-than-stellar reputation in the eyes of employers and many others due to its aggressive recruiting practices and advertising. I'm not saying it's a bad school at all or that its degree programs are somehow inferior to other schools. All I'm saying is that there are many who do view a University of Phoenix degree with quite a bit of skepticism. It is what it is.

Even though you are on track to graduate in December, it's still not too late to transfer to another school. I would recommend either Thomas Edison State College, Excelsior College, or Charter Oak State College. These schools will (most likely) accept all of the credits you've accumulated to date. You can then wrap up your degree and move on to a more prestigious school. Thomas Edison and Charter Oak are both non-profit state colleges and Excelsior is a private non-profit school.

Oh, and if you transfer to one of these three schools, you'll probably save quite a bit of money, too.

 

Yup, I concur with AV8R - in today's world where many are already skeptical of online educaiton, UoP is often not much more than a punchline; change to one of the big three if you can.

However, in regards to gaining admission to grad school, I'm pretty sure all they will care about is UoP's accreditation (fully regionally accredited), your undergrad GPA, and your GMAT. So, to answer your question (and those of you in the academic community may have more insight), I don't think UoP will hurt your chances of admission in the slightest. If you were applying to Harvard or UPenn, maybe, but most decently-ranked schools aren't going to factor it into the admissions decision. Just my take.

 

No personal experience re University of Phoenix; nevertheless, UOP is an accredited university and should not be an obstacle as regards graduate admissions. Of course as you’re already aware, GMAT /GRE scores as well as additional measures (e.g., experience level/s, GPA, letters of recommendation, etc.) are too assessed by graduate school admission offices during their decision process.

P.S. Veteran status could likely be a bonus factor for you also.

 

I agree with Major - the GMAT, experience, etc will all play in.

I'd finish the UOP degree - work on getting a good GMAT. Good luck.

 

Look at it another way... Just by asking about how your UoP degree will be perceived reveals that you are already somewhat skeptical about what admissions committees will think. I say trust your instincts and transfer.

 

There's also Colorado State University-Global Campus; they'll transfer in 90 credits, only require you to take 10 classes (they also offer a BS in Business Management with a very liberal credit transfer policy), and each class only takes 8 weeks. If you take two classes per term, you'll finish in ten months. If you take three classes per term, you'll finish in around six months - and meet your current December graduation date, only this time with a degree from a state school. Food for thought.

If Dr. Ambrose recommends sticking with UoP, I'd definitely hear him out; he obviously know more about academics than I do - I just think having UoP on your resume from here until the afterlife would be a hard pill to swallow (unless any of you already completed a UoP degree and can attest otherwise - I may be wrong, and completing any RA/NA degree is a worthy accomplishment, regardless of school perception).

Back to your original question though - UoP itself shouldn't hurt your admissions chances for grad school.

 

I agree! Finish your UOP degree! I work for a Fortune 500 company and the executives that interviewed me were all prior service, officers/academy grads, etc. Their attitudes toward enlisted folks that earned a degree while in the military was nothing but positive! If anything, they displayed a sense of "paternal pride" that their troops, sailors, marines, airmen, etc., were able to obtain their bachelors degree regardless of the name of the school!

 

I realize that UOP does not have the best reputation - but in the grand scheme of things, if the GMAT score is good, and there is appropriate work experience, etc., you should be able to be admitted to a good AACSB institution.

As far as a career goes, if the OP has an MBA from a reputable school, then I don't believe the UOP degree matters one way or the other.

Thought I would post a link to a listing of AACSB accredited schools sorted by price. Good luck!

Online Degree Search Results: 374 Accredited Online MBA Degree Programs | GetEducated.com

 

I agree with all of you that UoP does not have a negative bearing academically, and should not have a negative bearing vocationally. However, I currently work in security/HR for a government agency (we do all the job interviews/background stuff & work closely with HR to accomplish full-spectrum recruiting) and I must say, the empirical fact is (whether fair or not), a UoP degree on any resume, whether undergrad or otherwise, casts a shadow of doubt on the judgment/sound decision-making of the applicant; it doesn't factor into our hiring decision because we are government, but I know in the business world these doubts can and will translate into resume discardment. I know this sucks and isn't necessarily fair, but it is factual.

This is only my understanding and experience and I am only one person, so I'll defer to other perspectives here. However, finishing a UoP undergrad is a decision which shouldn't be made lightly regardless of higher academic plans.

 

I would finish at UofP. Even if you complete the degree elsewhere you'll still have to submit transcripts from the University of Phoenix with your grad school apps. The ad comm is going to know you completed most of your credits there regardless of what you decide to do. I think you'll be at a disadvantage compared to if you earned your degree at a school with a better reputation, but nothing that can't be overcome with good letters of rec, work experience and a solid GMAT.

 

That's funny! I'ld take the UOP graduate over a civil servant any day! Being sarcastic as usual.uttahere:

Sorry to hear that UOP has such a poor reputation.

 

Probably too late for you, but if you have any colleagues you could point them to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. ERAU has on-site facilities at many USAF bases plus on-line campuses. Many of these sites also have MBA programs.

Find a Location | Embry-Riddle Worldwide

 

Yup - their programs are regionally accredited and probably just as difficult/rigorous as many online programs offered by various well known public institutions. I talked with my boss about UoP over lunch and he said his mom received her degree through UoP and he seemed to think their bad reputation was evolving and isn't as bad as it had been in the past. Who knows - I'd still never advocate for finishing undergrad at UoP but at the same time, there are differing perspectives. Especially since the OP will move on to achieve higher education at a reputable institution. Best of luck.

 

I attended Axia College when it was under Western International University, a school that's also owned by the Apollo Group. Axia was later moved to University of Phoenix and then dissolved. I was actually signed up by a UoP admissions salesperson. At least at the time I attended, WIU and UoP had very similar formats. The last thing I would call the coursework is rigorous. If you followed APA guidelines and your submitted work met length requirements, you were almost guaranteed an A. The e-books they used were awful and I don't recall learning much of anything. Oftentimes, I noticed that people seem to equate the amount of work with rigor. Busy work is not intellectually rigorous; it's just tedious and time consuming.

 

I appreciate all of the input! I really want to finish my degree by December at the latest as I want to start and finish most of my masters before leaving active duty. I would like the option to qualify for the CPA exam as well and with my electives all filled up with accounting courses through Phoenix I only need two more courses to make 24 credits. I am looking at Mississippi State University for their MBA program, which allows two electives so I can fill the accounting course requirement.

I appreciate all of your guys opinions, do you guys have anything good to say about Mississippi State University's MBA?

 

It's a reputable school with a recognizable name (more for football than academics) but most any hiring manager is at least going to be aware of the school, especially if you're looking to live in the Southeast (just hope that hiring manager isn't an Ole Miss grad). I'm not sure on MSU's cost. I believe Oklahoma State has some nice benefits in terms of tuition breaks for active duty military, there MBA program might be worth looking at. You might also want to consider the University of Mississippi, Auburn and the University of Alabama. All four of them have more highly regarded business schools than MSU.