Hi everyone I am new here and would just like to tell everyone about my positive experience at Axia. I have 2 classes left until I am finished with my associates in business at Axia and it has been great. My GPA is a 3.98 and have found most of the coursework very challenging. This is coming from someone who graduated from high school in 1985 with fair grades. I was looking at possibly going to another school after my associates for either my bachelor of science in business administration or business management just because of cost and nothing else. I have however decided to stay and enroll in the new BSB/SEM program at UOP. From what I understand the bachelor of science in business with an emphasis on green and sustainable management online format is the first in the world. I work for the power industry and green and sustainable energy is the future. I don't care what business you are in, everything is trending towards this. I just do not see how anyone could go wrong with this type of degree because of the trend towards renewables and going "green". I have done some extensive searching for this type of online degree and UOP is the only online school that I can find that offers it.

I am a little weary of the online learning teams but I figure if I can do this well now I should be able to pull it off no problem. It might take some adjusting to, but I am OK with that. The trick to doing well at Axia is to read the material, and there is a lot of reading material. There are also some very lengthy and indepth writing assignments (1750-2400) words in APA format, and lengthy PowerPoint presentations (12-15 slides). Another trick is to print out all of the reading assignments, that way you can highlight what you need to know and you can read them anytime.

I was also curious to see if anyone else had signed up for the BSB/SEM program at UOP and what their experience has been. I know they started this program last year and I am not even sure if the students have gotten through their core classes yet because of how new the program is. I am just sick of people bashing Axia and UOP. With some effort I have managed to excell their with no problems whatsoever. I do have some more tricks and pointers to any of you who have just started the associates program at Axia.They sure have made it easier for me anyway and I would like to pass them on to others just starting out. By the way I welcome all questions and comments; positive, negative or otherwise.

                                                                                        -Steve-         

 

Hi Steve welcome to the forums.  Congrats on wrapping up your AS degree with such a high GPA.  I think you've obviously put a lot of thought into getting your BS degree, is your employer paying for all or part of it?

I ask because UofP can get pretty expensive.  Also have you looked into any other schools?  Just curious.

Hi Cajun, Thank you for asking and yes I do get tuition reimburesment. My employer pays $5,200 yearly for my tuition which is a lifesaver because UOP is so darn expensive. Tuition rates went up again in July - $345.00 - per credit hour for the associates program and more for thye bachelors, YIKES!!!!!!!. I can't complain though because it is really working out quite well and  I like it.

My initial plan was to maybe tranfer for my bachelors just because of cost, and get my BS in business admin or management. I just started looking at Ashford, Capella, Colorado Tech,  WGU, and some others. I was also looking at  UOP and just moving forward there because  they have a lot of  different BS business programs to choose from. The BSB/SEM - bachelor of science in business with an emphasis on green and sustainable enterprise management - program caught my eye, and I decided that would be an excellent degree to have because I think, (let me rephrase that) I know it is the future! So I then decided to look at some of the other online schools that I previously mentioned to see if any of them have a similiar program, and I can't find it anywhere.

I am still sometimes second guess myself about making the right decision: Do I tranfer to a cheaper school and get the BS in admin or management, or do I stay at UOP and get the BSB/SEM degree?  If I stay at UOP I can just move right on in with all of my 60 credits. If I tranfer I have to deal with changing schools, and  tranfering my credits. I guess I could be also little weary about changing schools  because so far UOP has worked out well for me. I already work in the power industry and I think that BSB/SEM degree could really go a long way so I am staying at UOP. If I could find a program similiar to this I would at possibly tranfering because of cost, but I have done some looking and I can't find another school that offers it. If you or anyone knows of a program similiar to the BSB/SEM program at UOP I am listening. Do you think I have presented a strong enough case for myself to stay at UOP? I do.

                     -Steven-

 

 

Honestly, I think you could do better.  I'm not saying that the choice you made is wrong or right, only that I would suggest you at least weigh all options.  What I would do if I were in your shoes is contact and apply at Peru State College, Fort Hays State University, American Public University and a few others out there that are relatively low cost providers and have transcripts forwarded over for evaluation.  I would then pick whichever one had the degree program I like who will transfer the most credits and/or have the lowest overall cost.  Your employer does not really pay enough back to cover a full BS degree from UofP unless you take the better part of a decade getting it.  Last I checked their undergrad classes were between $1,200 to $1,600 a class not including books and software.  Compare that to American Public University (with books included) at $750 a class and it becomes a no brainer.  There's even less expensive schools like Amberton who are $675 a class...

If you're majoring in business, there are a lot of really, really good deals out there.

Steven:

I was also looking at  UOP and just moving forward there because  they have a lot of  different BS business programs to choose from. The BSB/SEM - bachelor of science in business with an emphasis on green and sustainable enterprise management - program caught my eye, and I decided that would be an excellent degree to have because I think, (let me rephrase that) I know it is the future! So I then decided to look at some of the other online schools that I previously mentioned to see if any of them have a similiar program, and I can't find it anywhere.

You're right -- Sustainable Management is a surprisingly difficult specialization to find, and I agree with you that it's a worthwhile field to enter, such that paying a little more now for that specialization might be worth it in the long run.  However, there are a few alternatives out there you could consider:

The University of Wisconsin has a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management.  They require you to have an Associate's to enter, so you could finish the Associate's you're doing now and then transfer there.  I know you're concerned about the hassle, but as a degree completion program, I expect they'd offer minimal friction to getting transferred in.

The University of Massachusetts has a Bachelor's degreee program in Sustainable Entrepreneurship.  Even if you want to work for other people rather than yourself, many business employers like to see the sort of leadership skills that a program in entrepreneurship would provide.  And if you ever think you might want to start your own business, this might be worth a very close look.

The tuition for either program is $350 per credit, so they'd be a little cheaper than Phoenix at the Bachelor's level, but not much.

-=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

Thank you for the input, both of you. I am going to check some thing out.

 

                          -Steven-

Is the sustainable specialization a deal breaker?  I guess that's the first question you should ask yourself.

Yeah its gonna be for me!!!!!! I just think that it would be an awesome degree to have and there are not many choices when it comes to the online format. This is where I think Phoenix does a good job on offering so many different choices. With so many businesses trending towards "green" especially energy companies and the one that  work for, I believe this would give me a leg up on the competition and make me more marketable if and when I decide to either move up and change jobs in the company that I work for now or relocate and change companies alltogether later on. I like it also because it is different, will look very good on a resume, and give me more choices. Isnt that what it is all about besides just knowledge, getting a degree that makes you more marketable than the next person?

Well the important thing is you know what you want which already sets you apart.  I personally don't think you can go wrong here either way I just felt you should weigh all options and pick what fits you best.  That's what it's all about, and for my .02, it seems like you've done just that.  Good luck and let us know how everything goes.

Thanks Cajun!!!!!!!!! I will keep whomever is interested updated on my experiences as I finish up my associates and move into the bachelor program at Phoenix.  Its going to be a few months but it should be quite interesting. Just might help answer some questions to anyone who is new here and wondering what it is like at UOP, ya know.