Thinking of getting my Masters degree from University of phoenix (for teaching). are they any good?

Question

I have a bachelors degree in History from Stony Brook University. I am interested in taking most of my Masters credits online. The university of Phoenix offers all of them online. is this a good idea? is it a crap school? Will NY schools frown upon it? Will NY schools accept it. I will , of course , get my certification from NY State. Let me know....I'm in a tough spot and I really need online classes. If U of P stinks can you recommend a suny school with a similar program.

Answer 1

UoP is regionally accredited and legitimate. There are programs with a better reputation though.

Some choices you might consider for master's degrees in education include:

Peru State College http://www.peru.edu/homepage/
Florida State University http://learningforlife.fsu.edu/online/prospective/graduateprograms/index.cfm
University Mass (UMass) http://www.umassonline.net/DegreeBrowse.cfm
Colorado State (adult ed) http://www.learn.colostate.edu/onlinedistance/graduate-degrees.dot
SUNY http://sln.suny.edu/sln/public/original.nsf/58f6ddfae8daaa10852567b00054e290/bdfaee3e96b7b4d28525675f0057a75d?OpenDocument

your options extend far further than the proprietary programs heavily advertised online. There are very many fine colleges teaching online now.

Your challenge will be gaining teacher certification this way, there are very few programs that are approved for new certs because of the student teaching requirement. Also know that very few graduate programs transfer credit like undergrads do. Most will max transfer credit at about 6-9 hours.

Since you already have a bachelor's - explore the NY alternative route to certification. Using that option, a master's in anything is beneficial to you.

American Military University has their Master of Arts in History online. http://www.apus.edu

Answer 2

U of Phoenix is a school that a lot of employers look down upon. Does that mean that it will hamper you in your education career? I'm not sure, but I would be wary.

There are lots of other options for online teaching degrees, so many that you really don't need U of Phoenix. Heck, SUNY offers them, via SUNY Albany and SUNY Buffalo (I'll link, below), as another poster said, and that would be an excellent option. Other schools that offer master's degrees in teaching or education, via distance, include:
- Penn State
- U Missouri
- U Wyoming
- U Illinois
- UMass Amherst
and I think U Maryland does as well, and there are others.

But I'd rather you stick local. That way, it will be less obvious that you got the degree via distance. And avoid U Phoenix, Walden, Strayer, and other schools known for being online, if only because so many employers dislike these schools.

I'd just hate for you to have a great degree from Stony Brook, and then mess it all up because your masters is from Phoenix. I'd rather you go with a reputable university, one with a good name.

Answer 3

I've asked a question like this before. I got my bachelors in mechanical engineering from a prestigious university. I now found a great job and am also now in a tough spot. I was wondering if I should get a masters degree from national university (similar to UoP). Some people told me to go for it. Some told me not to even bother. It's all really up to you. One of the biggest reasons why people look down upon UoP is that they don't require the standardized testing that other respected universities do (GRE). If you want to get into a better school, try taking the GREs and apply to other better programs. Harvard teaches online classes anywhere in the states. So does USC.

Answer 4

I'm currently enrolled at U of P working on my Bachelors (1 year left). The school is VERY expensive. To go to class for 5 weeks (once a week) costs $1200.00 per class. For online studies it's considerably more. I'm not sure how much more but it is more. I know that U of P doesn't accept many credits from other schools which puts people between a rock and a hard place. Also, many schools wont accept their credits either. Unfortunately, this is one you'll have to do a lot of research on. Contact a counselor and go over what credits you do have that will transfer. I hope for you, that it is all of them but this is highly unlikely.

The way I see it is a college is a college, if you go and you graduate, who cares what other schools think. You've accomplished much more than many others have or ever will.

Keep in mind too, that with online studies, you are required to be online quite a bit. I believe in some classes, you have to log in daily whereas in-school study only requires you to be in class once a week. There are no requirements to log in daily.

U of P is also team oriented, everything we do in class (or almost everything) involves teams which is often very frustrating. This might also be something you should look into. I don't know if they do the same for online study.

Good luck to you. Do keep your options open and look into different colleges. U of P is not the only one out there.

Answer 5

I have been with University of Phoenix Online for almost three years now. I have earned my Associates of the Arts in Business with them and am now working on my Bachelors in Human Service Management. It may take a little to get used to the online learning environment but once you do it is fairly simple if you know your way aroung the computer. You need to have Microsoft Office because all documents are prepared through Word and you also may have to do Powerpoint Presentations. The financial advisors and academic advisors have been very helpful as well. I started with them as a single mother of 3 and worked part time as well. All assignments are to be submitted before 12am (midnight) on the day they are due. Most of the time I do my school work in the evening when my children are in bed. A majority of your textbooks are also provided online in class...no buying textbooks...unless otherwise specified. It's all up to you. This is just my view of the school based on my experiences...others may feel differently. The school has had mixed reviews I guess.

Answer 6

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