How good is the University of Phoenix as far as their bachelors and masters degrees goes with employers?

I am considering enrolling, but I want to find out all I can before I do.

Thanks.

Employers tend to look at a variety of factors.  For those with work experience who have been out of school for a while, often the work experience can mean more than the school they attended.  This is especially true for people who earn their masters degrees online, because employers recognize that these individuals were likely working full time while they went to school online, and couldn't necessarily attend the 'ideal' school for them from an academic or selectivity perspective.

Undergraduate is a slightly different story, but again, realize that if your attending college online while you are working, any respectable employer should be able to recognize the effort that you are undertaking and should give you some credit for that.

Either way, you need to make sure you end up at a school that is accredited, either Nationally or Regionally (see http://www.elearners.com/resources/accreditation.asp  for more).  Regional accreditation is considered more prestigious, and you'll have less trouble applying undergraduate credits earned from a regionally accredited school to another regionally accredited school, and as well less trouble having your undergraduate degree recognized by a regionally accredited graduate school.  So if you're thinking about graduate school after undergrad, be safe and make sure you attend a regionally accredited undergraduate program. 

University of Phoenix Online has regional accreditation, which is a good starting point. If you're considering earning a bachelors degree online, and will need a job afterwards, then it might make sense to contact them (you can find them listed on this website), request information, and when they call you, ask them to provide you with graduate placement information.

Good luck!

I have met many people with degrees from UoP. There seems to be no discrepancies as to how employers view Univ of Phoenix or any other online program. The school is accredited. Otherwise, I love the program. No driving, no gas usage. No parking or permits. The class is not virtual so you can log on at your convenience. Band-aids

Hi Lynn - I don't know how "employers" feel about the U of P and I'm not sure that anyone can give you an authoritative answer to that question.  There are so many employers and you haven't even said which specific degrees have caught your eye.  Anyway, here's my point:  Let's assume that employers feel neither positively nor negatively.  It's basically a neutral rating.  I'd say that U of P charges an awful lot of money for just a neutral rating.  Depending on what subject area interests you, there are other schools (with at least a neutral rating) that are substantially less expensive.  You may end up at Phoenix, but don't pay the money just because they have an ad in your local newspaper.  There are other choices.  Make an informed consumer decision.

The answer - it depends.  I happened to run into a high ranking govt official from Bermuda who earned a Masters Degree online from the University of Phoenix.  He asked me my assessment and I told him "it depends" and it does depend.  If you have a solid track record within your career or organization and you are looking to obtain your degree while working, then Phoenix will meet your educational needs.  If you are changing careers or new to the job market, then the University of Phoenix may not be right for you.  It really depends upon where you want to ultimately land in your organization.

All the best.

 

I'd like to further the original poster's question by asking another:

I'm currently enrolled in UoP, and would like to obtain my MBA (Business) at a top business school (Harvard, Babson, etc). Does having a UoP degree put me at a disadvantage? Hypothetically, if I have a 3.8 GPA, 700+ GMAT scores, and plenty of work experience, will I be any less of a candidate than someone graduating from a traditional 4-year college?

pinion247:

I'd like to further the original poster's question by asking another:

I'm currently enrolled in UoP, and would like to obtain my MBA (Business) at a top business school (Harvard, Babson, etc). Does having a UoP degree put me at a disadvantage? Hypothetically, if I have a 3.8 GPA, 700+ GMAT scores, and plenty of work experience, will I be any less of a candidate than someone graduating from a traditional 4-year college?

I wouldn't think that your degree from UoP is a liability (-- I assume you're enrolled in a business program?) Remember, you are being considered and judged as an entire package. Your degree is only one facet. From what I understand, a high GPA can outweigh a school's reputation. Meaning that a 4.0 GPA from "State U." is often more impressive than a 3.0 GPA from "More Prestigious U." -- it speaks to a student's determination and efforts over the long term. Anyway, I'd definitely shoot for a 4.0 GPA! Plus a 725 on the GMAT, plenty of leadership experience in current position, a compelling and well-written personal statement, top-notch recommendations ... no pressure, right?

You want to get into a top, highly competitive grad school for business with an undergrad from UofP?  You need a 4.0 my friend.  It probably wouldn't hurt to have a barrel or two full of money laying about either.  Lastly some schools, like Harvard, work off of a Legacy system (so I hear) whereby children of alumni and referenced students from alumni (and donors) are accepted first.  Hey this could be an unsubstantiated conspiracy (likely not) theory but what the heck, it's Friday at 1:00AM and I need a break from homework so there it is.

Something you could really consider is the Duke University Global MBA.  It's $93,000+ but it is a "first rate, all the way, no apologies, no questions asked" MBA. 

Also you could put in for a first rate top 10 tier 1 school like the University of Texas McCombs School of Business MBA program.  It is competitive, but it ain’t Harvard and it doesn't cost 93,000 clams.  Here in Texas we consider UT to be just like Harvard, except with friendly people, a decent football team, outgoing personalities, beautiful girls, fewer hippies and more BBQ.

Some other first rate programs are Penn State, Southern Methodist University, Tulane University, Notre Dame, UCLA, Stanford, Berkeley (if you like nuts) and of course Michigan State among others.

There are also Columbia, Yale, Chicago, MIT, etc. etc.  But if you are wanting an online Tier 1 MBA from a top ranked school?   Then get your GPA up there, kill the GMAT and apply to http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/iMBA.shtml and be a Nittany Lion, first rate education with a second rate football team. 

 

 

 

Okay, it's fiercely competitive and outrageously expensive.  Perhaps worse is the dirty little 'secret' that is easily overlooked, and that is you're no longer a big fish because everyone else got in with equally high GPA and GMAT score, equally glowing letters of recommendation, yada-yada-yada ;-) So the real question is whether that situation is going to be stimulating to you or oppressive!  And going brick-and-mortar necessarily means you're going to have to live there for the better part of two years or longer.  Can you survive that alien often hostile environment, culture, and mindset?  Besides, what are you really getting at say Harvard that you cannot get elsewhere?  How much of the alleged prestige is hype and how much of it is purely to subsidize their already atronomical endownment?  And as far as 'networking' or 'connections', rest assured that they are still the exclusive province of preppies and the hereditary oligarchy - with a few token preferred minorities du jour to salve their conscience ;-)

I'm afraid I have to go along with Cajun - UT would be closer to the top of my list than Harvard, but then again so would Arizona State and several of the other B schools farther down the Top 100 list ;-) 

As it happens, the faculty at most of these top schools are academically productive - meaning simply that they continue to publish peer-reviewed articles and books; and generally they are actively involved with consulting.  I would remind you that you do NOT have to be enrolled at Harvard to benefit from either, and further suggest that with such an enormous workload they aren't going to have much time to work with students who aren't directly connected as TA, RA, or  thesis/dissertation committee.  There just aren't enough hours in a day.

If you have anything on the ball and expect to keep up with the latest research, you're going to read their articles and books anyhow!  And those of a lot of other brilliant professors and grad students from second-tier schools you've never heard of at this tender stage of your academic career.

Sidebar: it seems there are a good many professionals and academics who are increasingly concerned about the validity of 'book learning' with zero experience in the real world.  If you read them  carefully, you can see their concern is also about the proliferation of B schools and the quality of instruction - in particular the professional qualifications as well as the academic qualifications of faculty.  Many of them want incoming students to have a minimum of three years experience in the trenches - to better allocate limited time/resources to those who are most likely to benefit (as opposed to those who going to graduate school to avoid looking for a job and severing the financial umbilical cord to dear old mom and dad).  That very well may become a hard and fast requirement in the near future; I wouldn't bet against it.

 What impresses future employers more than the name of the diploma or GPA  are the skills you bring in effective communications - being able to write a cohorent memo, report, proposal, and being able to make a presentation to a couple of  hundred  stockholders equally as well as a few dozen executives. And in most companies, you may be expected to mentor supervisors and lower-level management  to improve their skills - sort of a trickle-down effect so others can benefit from your  education - whether it's officially in your job description or not ;-)  

 

 

Well said henryw!  A lot of what I have read here is that you cannot be successful if you do not go to a top school and that is a lot of BS. Whatever your profession is, master it!  Keep up to date on the latest developments and study as much as you can. DEVELOP DRIVE!! GIVE YOUR EMPLOYER YOUR BEST!

Skills will get you the job and keep you progressing up the ladder. Think about it! If you have someone who is making you lots of money who is a Capella Graduate, and someone who is just bearly getting by and is an Ivy League graduate, Who would you promote!!

 

 

 

 

Cajun:

Something you could really consider is the Duke University Global MBA.  It's $93,000+ but it is a "first rate, all the way, no apologies, no questions asked" MBA. 

Cajun,

Did you hear about this? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18472476/

Hi,

 I am from Pennsylvania. I am currently going to a traditional university and will be graduating with a B.S. in Social work in December. I have recently began researching online schools to start on a Masters Degree. I think I may be considereing University of Phoenix for a Masters in Psychology, however I am still very apprehenive. I am just worried about how employers will look at me having a degree from an online university and if it will have a negative effect on my career in the future. I have been talking to a rep from the school who seems very personable, but lets face it he's basically a salesman. There is a program that I can attend at the traditional school, but I am not sure I want to attend since it is a 60 credit program and I think a little more expensive than UOP. I also obtained an Associate Degree in Accounting before going for my 4 year degree so I have been in school for a long time and I am tired of going. Bless my husband for being so supportive. I am also working in my field currently and just looking to make myself more marketable. Does anyone know anything about UOP's reputation, and/or about there M.S. in Psychology program. Thanks would greatly appreciate the feedback.

Helen, Yes I did, I also noticed that Rutgers did the study. Hopefully it's not "status" envy. ;-p....just kidding. Yes I read the article and it will give Duke a black eye in the business world for all of 2.2 seconds according no research whatsoever. But I think cheating happens quite a bit at more competetive schools.

Wow...maybe Ned Flanders was wrong about Arizona State

http://www.amazon.com/Arizona-State-University-College-Prowler/dp/product-description/1427400148 

Product Description
Introduction from the Author

When I tell people I go to Arizona State University, the most common response is a raised eyebrow of wonder and a smile of approval. One of the primary reasons for the rapid development of ASU is its overwhelmingly high 85 percent acceptance rate.

In a particularly memorable episode of The Simpsons, Ned Flanders, mistaken that God has flooded Springfield, drowning the wicked and sparing the righteous, exclaims upon sighting Homer rowing a boat, Looks like heaven is easier to get into than Arizona State. This is perhaps the impression that many prospective students and parents have of ASU. Frankly, this is not so far from the truth. Many institutions are often praised or criticized on the laurels of acceptance ratings. However, over three years at Arizona State have made clear for me the long underappreciated aspects of an academic experience that I can only hope this humble book will illuminate for you.

The atmosphere surrounding ASU is youthful, liberal, sometimes distracting, but refreshing nonetheless. The University embraces diversity, and is international in scope, welcoming students from all 50 states as well as nations across the globe. Its incredible after spending only one semester here how many faces will become familiar to you.

Recent and controversial tuition hikes are being used, in part, to fund a statewide initiative to increase specificity, both in curriculum and in admissions, at each of the states three major Universities: Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University. What does this mean? Well, hopefully it means that the value of a degree from ASU, the cost of which is quickly rising, will only increase in value as days go by.

So without further ado, the College Prowler take on Arizona State University. Read, laugh, cry, maybe even enjoy, and take from it what you will. Just remember, the decision to attend ASU, or any other institution for that matter, is an important one, and its yours. I hope that the following pages are insightful to you, and paint you a picture of what life is really like at ASU.

Christopher Yen and Lauren J. Kennedy, Authors
Arizona State University

Keep in mind good business sense and obtaining your goals.  My experiences with Uof P was not pleseant due to the high cost or overcharged classes.  Indeed this is a very business minded University and tends to treat their working students in the same demeanor.  If you do enroll watch out for there Automatic Disenrollment feature. 

It is your positive application and fortitude of your creditentials that any respectful employer will determine to be of any worth to their company, not just a over rated and costly University of Phoenix label.