I have a question about online colleges.?

Question

is the univerisity of phoenix a legit school, by taking their online courses will I be able to get a decent education compared to a traditional univeristy and how do employers feel about people with degrees from online schools?

Answer 1

In general, employers are becoming happier about accepting degrees from online schools, especially if you have work experience.

I have never attended University of Phoenix but I have heard stories from those who have. Firstly, it is very intense - the courses last five weeks so you can only do one at a time. Secondly, there is a lot of group work, ie, the group submits one project. So you either have to pick up the slack from others (which inevitably happens) or you accept a lesser grade.

With all that in mind, they are a legit school. Having said that, they have had high-profile issues with enrolling students who did not deserve to be there. They are by no means the most egregious offender but the fact that it has been so high-profile may diminish the degree in some employers' eyes.

There are lots of good online schools. Ask around in your preferred line of work and find out where people with the degree you want are going. In a sense, that is no different to a brick-and-mortar school.

Answer 2

Phoenix is regionally accredited, so their degrees are "legit." However, some people feel that their courses are overpriced and you can get an equal or better education -- along with that RA degree -- from another institution at less cost to yourself.

Acceptance of degrees from regionally accredited distance schools is high. It decrease to about 60% with DETC schools, and an unaccredited degree is (IMHO) almost worthless. (There are a few unaccredited schools that are recognized as authorities in their field with a solid history, but not many.) I'm only aware of one study that compared the utility of regionally, nationally, and unaccredited degrees; the gentleman who did it posts on DegreeInfo.com, and you can probably get more help there.

In some fields, regional accreditation is not enough. For instance, in almost all cases a potential attorney would need to attend an ABA-accredited school. A psychologist who wishes to counsel patients would need an APA-accredited program, but one who just does research would not. AACSB accreditation adds weight to a business degree, but many business schools do not have such accreditation.