Sponsored Description: Respected for its flagship online programs in criminal justice, corrections, counterterrorism, and emergency and disaster management, the curriculum for the School of Public Service and Health is designed and taught by faculty with top academic and professional qualifications. By combining real-world knowledge with academic credentials, students can learn firsthand from practicing attorneys, public health experts, emergency managers who respond to major disasters worldwide, criminal justice professionals, and security managers. Many instructors are authorities in their area of study and also serve as international and national governmental and military consultants and practitioners. The courses offered by the School of Public Service and Health are continuously assessed and updated to ensure students have access to relevant information and practices currently used in the field. Many students are also active in professional associations outside the classroom such as the Golden Key Honor Society, International Association of Emergency Managers, and Student Veterans of America (SVA).
Accreditation:
Regional Board - North Central Association of Colleges & Schools
The master of arts degree in criminal justice allowed me to complete my MA degree online with one hundred percent confidence, something my family and career obligations would not have otherwise allowed at a more traditional brick and mortar school. The quality of the education was just as good or better than that I received during my undergraduate program which was completed on campus.
I don't know what's happened to this school. It was great when I started a year ago. Now most of the professors can barely be bothered. There are remnants of 2 or 3 different professors' work/schedules/requirements left in a hodge podge in each class so it's difficult to see deadlines etc. Professors do not monitor the required forums except a few occasionally make a few comments, but things like racist and bigoted discussions and comments are left to run on.
Many of the professors now have a big "attitude" towards working students and before you even start a class there are rants about how you're life is not going to be tolerated intruding on class to the point of insult and ridiculousness. A recent class had an entire 300 page book assigned and the teacher wanted it read and forum post made in less than three days. Professors do not communicate and take actions without asking questions.
Most professors think they are teaching classes in name only. They do not lead or manage discussions. They feel no responsibility for information being up to date. They make little contribution other than maybe a one or half page set of lecture notes, and, even then, the notes could be left over from another professor. Many of them clearly do not know what Academic writing is and make assertions based on military or journal writing, including not knowing what correct Turabian citation is. In fact I had one mark off for following a University issued template for a research proposal!
Worse yet, you can't get a simple answer to a simple question from Admin. Emails go unanswered and then they claim they didn't get them. Questions aren't read and formulaic answers are spit out. Phone calls are not returned. And if they are called out on anything, then they are rude and confrontational. Customer service has gone out the window.
I really like every aspect of earning an online Masters Degree in Public Health from American Public University. While a few other universities offering this degree program at a lower overall tuition cost, American Public University program cost are reasonably, close. What’s more, their site is very easy to navigate age, an extremely important component, for online students. I also like how they have included their programs general information on one page including a breakdown of the program completion and tuition cost. They have embedded hyperlinks on their page that provides up- to –date statistical information on the jobs related to this program including type of work involved as well as expected growth rate through 2018. They have made applying to the graduate school easy as their application process is free and the admission requirements is a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. They also give students an option for completion with a comprehensive final examination, thesis option, or capstone/applied research project to fulfill each individual students needs. What I disliked is the lack of information regarding an internship and the experience a student would gain.
In the APU MPA program you can you will be studying outdated information: The assigned reading on technology was published in 1980. One of the assignments said we could submit it on bond paper. That sounds like something written in 1980 too.
So instead of learning about SAAS, cloud computing and other issues relevant TODAY, you will learn about not enough memory or hard disk space and floppy disks.
You will be thrown questions in a midterm exam that were not a part of the information studied; be presented with questions that do not correspond to the assigned readings; get Yes/No questions on Essay exams, and you will be asked to answer vaguely worded questions asking for absolutes.
If you are a working student, you will find no compassion or flexibility at APU. They made major changes to the MPA program recently without directly notifying grad students. No matter where you are at in the course of the program you cannot even change your concentration (2 classes) without meeting the new requirements. The new program no longer includes any electives so there is no flexibility. They put the burden on you to find these things even though they can easily push this information out. I had a job opportunity that was dependent on switching my concentration and the response from APU complete refusal. I’m stuck getting a degree in an area that is experiencing massive layoffs. With APU you can expect mediocrity and indifference. No matter what they say, there is no partnership. They are not there to help you. They will take your money, erect obstacles, move the goal posts, strictly apply self-serving policies, and provide a bare minimum effort towards your education. Good luck.
