Hi! First I want to thank all of you for your help. A few days ago I didn't know the first thing about online education. I have learned so much. I have narrowed it down to this list of schools, U Mass Online, Ashford,University of Maryland,Letourneau,Upper Iowa State,Liberty,Walden,Regent,Peru State, maybee Kaplan and Southren New Hampshire University. Well I said I narrowed it down, still have a ways to go. If anyone has any info. that would be helpful in picking a school, I would love the input. Thanks Ceaser

Ceaser,

 There isn't a bad school among them.  Of the ones you named you have some outstanding candidates with excellent reputations:

UMass = instant name recognition, excellent rep. terrific business school.

Liberty = instant name recognition, excellent rep. (one of my favorites from my research)

I really think Peru state is the overall best "bang for the buck" degre.  Inexpensive, RA, state school.  Hard to beat.

 Regent is a great school, a tad expensive but nothing compared to some.

Man, so many great schools I really think you've got some wonderful picks named.  It's like who do you want as your quarterback?  Joe Montana or John Elway....you can't lose. 

 Of course there are wonderful things about Ashford University as well, small school, personalized service, but then I'm a bit biased. 

 Walden and Kaplan may be okay, but last I checked the tuition was kind of high.  I had a bad experience at Kaplan, but that was in a branch of their university that is no longer in operation. 

Cajun,

I totally agree with your analysis 100% for all of those schools, other than not really knowing Ashford very well, and that's hardly disagreement.

-=Steve=- 

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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

Wow, I feel like I learned alot! I've spent so many hours on this, I want to make sure I get a quality education, and not just slide by. Kaplan called me to day, the advisor was very informative,but something about it made me nervous. I almost felt like she was selling me a car. Since I last wrote I have spoke to all the schools mentioned(cordless phone now dead) and I'm down to U Mass, Ashford, Southren New Hampshire, Letourneau, Liberty, Peru State, and Regent. I think Regent sounds a little to expensive. Peru State is more affordable by far. I guess I could put aside the money issue, I just want to learn the most I can and have a good experiance with the professors. I'm getting a little stuck now, I feel like the above schools are all good. I've asked them a million ?'s and they all were informative. I guess I'm wondering how you pick a school out of a list of great schools? Thanks Ceaser

Ceaser:

I guess I could put aside the money issue, I just want to learn the most I can and have a good experiance with the professors.

You're not wrong at all to consider how much debt you'll have on the far side of this. You're making one of the largest investments of your life, and you should be entirely aware of what the return on it will be.  One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when choosing a school is not considering how much it's really going to cost.

-=Steve=- 

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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

What are the most important factors for you when it comes to getting your degree? You've been asking a lot about "quality"...but what do you mean by that?  Are you asking if the reputation is good for these schools or how satisfied are students with the program?  The former is very different than the latter.  Ivy League U might have a great reputation, but their utilization of technology or student support might be horrid. 

Do you care if the classes are synchronous or asynchronous?  Is time a factor?  Are you looking to take an entire program or are you hoping to test out of some coursework?  How much interaction do you prefer to have with your professors or your classmates?  Do you like courses with a lot of team projects, or do you prefer to work on your own?  How much do these schools offer in the way of Tech Support?  What kind of financial aid do they offer?  I went to an expensive school but the grants and tuition assistance made it more affordable than some cheaper schools. 

Out of all the factors that you asked and were answered, which ones were the most important to you?  And how do each of these schools rate on these factors?

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Capt. Kangaroo
- fifty years, no promotions. *sigh*