Thoughts on SNHU?

Hey everyone,

I'm thinking of transferring to SNHU from a different online school. Does anyone have any reviews of the school? I haven't seen any since 2009.

TIA!

 

I did not enroll with them and decided to go a different route. One which they did not offer degrees for, I must say they were above average in how they run their operation. Non profit and ra so no problems there. I would advise you to also look at Belluvue and Liberty.

 

Please consider the instructional delivery process. It will likely be the most important factor in your learning and your engagement with the university you choose. This is universally true; it isn't just about SNHU. Unless you choose to pursue a degree from a school with a national reputation, it only matters that you select the school that meets your learning needs, accepts your transfer credits, delivers in a way that fits your style and life, etc., provided it is properly accredited.

 

I just graduated and completed my master's from SNHU this last month. Overall, I believe my time at SNHU was well spent. They certainly are non-traditional student friendly.
I also graduated from Liberty with my undergrad and I have to say that I enjoyed their format more. I feel that SNHU’s 10-week classes for graduate programs were pretty long for me. However, if you’re considering their undergraduate program, they also perform under an 8-week format. I would go with 8-week classes from now on for my doctoral program.
I’m not sure if this helps, but PM me if you have additional questions.

 

Wow. You're a real DL Warrior! Congratulations, and please keep offering up your perspectives so that others may gain from them.

 

My only criticism of SNHU, as an outsider, is the price.

However, they do have a few programs that are not very well represented, overall, in the DL world. So if the choice is earn the degree from SNHU or don't earn the degree I would pick SNHU (assuming that I assessed my situation and earning that degree with whatever debt I would need to take on was in my best interests).

That said, I don't think there is anything wrong with SNHU. But I just don't feel that SNHU has such an amazing reputation that it justifies paying significantly more tuition than another program. Were I in the market for an MA in History (as I once was), I think AMU/APU provides an excellent program at a fraction of the cost. It's true that AMU/APU is for-profit and SNHU is not. But would that be worth paying twice or three times as much for a program?

If you're pursuing an undergraduate degree, there are many degree completion programs out there at schools with some pretty solid reputations. And, I would wager, the prices are comparable. If I had to choose between SNHU and, say, the degree completion programs at Pace University, Loyola, Fairleigh Dickinson or Boston University, I would be hard pressed to find a reason to pick SNHU.

 

I have a longtime friend, an engineer who received his BS from a top tier university, who later got an MBA through SNHU, employer funded. He enjoyed his experience and had no problem with his education there, and of course, he had experience with a very good undergraduate school as a point of reference.

 

Assuming they are all priced roughly the same I'd pick BU because it's kind of a big deal around here. We get a lot of advertising of SNHU here and so that bothers some people but the school itself is just a middle of the pack university. Nothing to brag about but also nothing to hide. If it works for you then I'd say you could do far worse in other places. If money is important you could probably find a cheaper alternative without trying too hard.

 

I've heard some great things about SNHU. Of course $320 per credit is a bit pricey considering alternatives out there, but it's still considered affordable in the overall scheme of things. A friend of mine just finished her BA in Psychology - Mental Health from there and has raved about it nearly non stop. She's continuing on to get her MS in Psychology - Child & Developmental from there, as well. They helped her set up an internship with her bachelor's degree, helped her with her resume, and she's currently got 3 interviews lined up within the next 2 weeks. She's been thrilled. She said it's 2 classes every 10 weeks (classes are 9 weeks long with a 1 week break before the next 2 start). They're regionally accredited, well respected, and I think a great choice.

 

SNHU, formerly New Hampshire College, is one of those situations that is clearly a better option than the for profit schools but doesn't stand out in reputation or value. SNHU has a lot going for it: long track record, physical campus, D2 athletics,etc. They offer tons of academic and career focused programs, this can be a good thing and a not so good thing. The more programs you offer, the more you begin to look like a UOP structure (my opinion). State schools can get away with offering 100 plus programs, but when private not for profit schools don't have a focus they begin to look a bit generic (more of my opinion).

Growing up (well in to my 20s) in the area (close to the Mass/NH boarder) I wouldn't say that anyone was overly impressed with a SNHU diploma. It certainly satisfied the undergraduate degree requirement and I wouldn't say it was frowned upon it. I just don't know that it provides alot over and above an undergraduate degree from the big 3.

There are scores of schools in the same camp from a reputation and program offering standpoint, this discussion board is jam packed with examples.

Also, a big concern I have is that SNHU advertises nationally via TV commercial. I feel that doesn't help the brand.

There are too many other programs in the same "pool" as SNHU to pay that much. I'd keep looking around before deciding.

Maybe if you gave us an idea of what you are looking to accomplish we could make recommendations of specific programs. Without knowing the details, Fort Hayes State probably has a program that would fit the bill at a fraction of the price. And don't forget the Big 3.

Good luck!

 

It has never ceased to amaze me how little research people do on what is likely to be a pretty important decision in their lives. Especially now, in the age of google, it seems that there's no real reason to settle for the first place that runs an ad on TV. Obviously we have a huge number of members and just as obviously most of them are inactive. They showed up, registered, read some threads, asked a few questions and then disappeared back into their lives, hopefully a little more informed about their choices. Simple. But so many people don't do even that. They just pay top dollar to the first school that runs an ad, whether it's Phoenix or SNHU or some other place.

 

The extreme examples would UOP with close to 100 different degree programs and Brown with one (technically, students design their own program. I believe everyone earns a BA in of individualized studies with a concentration).

On the other side of this argument would be the well respected DePaul University in Chicago. DePaul offers 100+ programs, has a good rep, strong alumni and everything else you would want from a school.

I guess where I was going with the comment "...but when private not for profit schools don't have a focus they begin to look a bit generic" was that if you add a large menu of programs on top the other observations of SNHU (TV Marketing Campaign, higher pricing, not overly exciting reputation/name recognition, etc.) it really waters down the end product.

 

I'll try to explain the thought process (or lack of thought process behind my SNHU experience.
I started my MS from SNHU in early 2014. I got impressed by not for profit structure, a wonderful site with lots of degree options, like I initially opted for MBA in Quantitative Analysis as an alternative to MBA finance. Later on I started with MS - Data Analytics. After completing one semester I realize that is too database intensive, so I switched to MS-Information Technology(with some fancy specialization that i even forgot the name now) After another 2 courses I realized it is way too easy for me. Approximately 1800 per course with getting A's without much effort so I left that for a local B&M school (Bellevue). I recently graduated with a full time job, kids and not much effort either, so its hard to choose if i only compare online only options. I think for online only schools, compare the prices, may be compare the timelines (8 weeks vs 10 weeks vs 12 weeks) , number of courses, may be if you are living in same state, check a local option (even though you are going for online only option). quality will be more or less same.