Hello. My name is Gabriele. I work a full-time job and have about 35 college credits from the past couple years. I was looking at the Kaplan website and liked their Information Technology bachelor's program. I have read many mixed opinions on different degree review websites, some very good and some people claiming they were ripped off with financial aid problems. Has anyone here gone to Kaplan and had a good experience? The way classes are set up and the seminars are appealing to me. I would just like some honest opinions before I sign an agreement.

I have been a student at Kaplan since January 2006 and will be graduating with my bachelors degree next month. Like every school out there, Kaplan has its pros and cons.

 Pros:

Regional Accreditation (the best type of accrediation a school can have)

Very useful and comprehensive online library

Large varietty of courses to choose from

Easy to tranfer credits into

Cons:

Expensive

Academic advisors can be hard to contact and frequently change

Thanks for your reply. How did you find the workload at Kaplan in a typical undergraduate course? Did it leave you feeling prepared for working in your field?

I have not worked in my field yet, so I don't really know.  However, I will say that the program I am taking (paralegal studies) is very comprehensive. 

I was one of their professional studies students back when they had that program still in place.  I studied criminal justice and then worked in criminal justice.  Overally I thought the coursework was adequate to prepare you for the field, not anything overwhelmingly special but just "okay".  Honestly there are much less expensive options available but as pointed out earlier, Kaplan as a school has some pretty good strengths.  What are you looking to major in?  At what level?  What do you want to do with the degree?  What factors are important to you, price?  Time spent on the program?  etc...

donald11:

Very useful and comprehensive online library

Did you actually make a lot of use of their library?  I ask because many schools don't do this well, so if Kaplan does it's a real feather in their cap.

-=Steve=-

---

B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

I'm looking to major in Information Technology, preferably with an emphasis in Networking or Security. I am planning on getting a bachelor's then moving on to a master's degree. I'd like to work in a company, large or small, and possibly start my own someday. Price, the school's reputation, and regional accreditation are important to me. I would like to finish within the next 2 and a half years.

Actually, I do Steve.  Since I'm in the paralegal program, I use Lexis Nexis pretty much on a daily basis.  And back when I was still taking my general education courses, I used Ebsco for my research.  Also, the Kaplan library is affiliated with the one at the University of Alabama, so they will even mail you books directly to your house for you to borrow.  However, I have never used this option as I did not know how it works at the time.  So in all, it is a great library.

gabrielesturmer:

I'm looking to major in Information Technology, preferably with an emphasis in Networking or Security. I am planning on getting a bachelor's then moving on to a master's degree. I'd like to work in a company, large or small, and possibly start my own someday. Price, the school's reputation, and regional accreditation are important to me. I would like to finish within the next 2 and a half years.

 If you plan on going to graduate school, then definitely go with a regionally accredited program, as many graduate schools will not accept degrees from nationally accredited schools. 

donald11:

gabrielesturmer:

I'm looking to major in Information Technology, preferably with an emphasis in Networking or Security. I am planning on getting a bachelor's then moving on to a master's degree. I'd like to work in a company, large or small, and possibly start my own someday. Price, the school's reputation, and regional accreditation are important to me. I would like to finish within the next 2 and a half years.

 If you plan on going to graduate school, then definitely go with a regionally accredited program, as many graduate schools will not accept degrees from nationally accredited schools. 

I'll have to second that.  Fortunately for you Kaplan is regionally accredited

donald11:

gabrielesturmer:

I'm looking to major in Information Technology, preferably with an emphasis in Networking or Security. I am planning on getting a bachelor's then moving on to a master's degree. I'd like to work in a company, large or small, and possibly start my own someday. Price, the school's reputation, and regional accreditation are important to me. I would like to finish within the next 2 and a half years.

 If you plan on going to graduate school, then definitely go with a regionally accredited program, as many graduate schools will not accept degrees from nationally accredited schools. 

I'll have to second that.  Fortunately for you Kaplan is regionally accredited

After seeing the price Kaplan charges (about $1750 per course!) I have been looking online and found Liberty University. It's only $250 per credit and they have an Information Systems degree. It's also regionally accredited. Does anyone have any feedback on how Liberty's IT courses are? I prefer courses that have many projects in which you can apply what you learn, rather than just read and take tests. I learn best by doing.

Take in mind that Liberty is a relgious college, so, unlike Kaplan, you are going to have to take religion classes.  If you want a cheap degree, have you tried looking into any public colleges?  I know that SUNY (State University of New York), Colorado State, Colorado Tech, and the University of Texas all offer tons of online degrees. 

donald11:

Take in mind that Liberty is a relgious college, so, unlike Kaplan, you are going to have to take religion classes.

That may be, but Liberty University's approach toward religion courses may not be the same for distance learning students as it is for those students on campus, and they've earned a reputation for doing distance learning well.  I wouldn't dismiss them without a close look.

-=Steve=-

---

B.S., Info Sys, Charter Oak State College
M.A., Educational Tech Leadership, George Washington University
Doctor of Health Education, A.T. Still University, in progress

SteveFoerster:

donald11:

Take in mind that Liberty is a relgious college, so, unlike Kaplan, you are going to have to take religion classes.

That may be, but Liberty University's approach toward religion courses may not be the same for distance learning students as it is for those students on campus, and they've earned a reputation for doing distance learning well.  I wouldn't dismiss them without a close look.

-=Steve=-

I'll second that.  Besides, you'll never get the "who is that" question with Liberty as you would some others, which regardless of what anyone thinks of them, they are well known.