University of Phoenix is a very large for-profit institution with mostly online students. They invest heavily in advertising, and some prospective students complaint that they call constantly during the recruiting process. Compare to other other online universities and check to make sure that your credential will meet accreditation standards for your individual state.
This degree alone will not get you a job. In fact, it may hinder your job search with some companies. However, in many cases, it can be a good complement to an already strong resume.
If you are working in government or education, this degree may be a good option to meet the requirements for a raise or promotion.
If you are working in a corporate setting and hope to move beyond middle-management, there are cheaper and better options available to you. Your best option is likely a distance or in-person MBA from a recognized state or non-profit school.
The degree is not a fluff degree by any means, and it requires a significant amount of work. But for the amount of money and the amount of work required, there are many other schools that will give you a better return on your education investment.
I would never pursue an education at the University of Phoenix. This school has a terrible reputation and some employers do not consider an education earned at the University of Phoenix to be of any worth. I must say that I agree. There are far better non-profit, respected, AACSB-accredited business programs.
When I started to look around at online degree programs the first one I saw was the U of P. (Mainly due to there massive internet and TV ads.) Once I researched them and their programs I found that they were not what I wanted on my resume. The reputation of this school is lacking in all areas. Also, after searching the internet I found that they (or their owners) have had several lawsuits filed against them. One lawsuit I found was even filed by the Federal Government! Between the lawsuits and the bad reputation, I decided to look elsewhere.
University of Phoenix online was one of the original online schools for MBA programs. It was expensive, but the professors I had (Marketing VP's from DuPont, GMAC; Lawyers and Law Professors from the US Gov't, Harvard and Yale; Accounting Professors from NYU) ALL had real world experience and were able to put things into a language that someone not in their field would understand and actually be able to use in day to day business. Everything I learned in this program prepared me to excel upward into senior management at large organizations. The support staff at the university - library, financial aid, registrars - ALL made the process of working and taking classes seamless and almost pain-free (except for the homework and papers! ;-) It was A LOT of work - MUCH more than what colleagues had to do with other schools BUT I am actually able to use what I learned...them? well lets just say that they haven't moved up the 'food chain' as far or as quickly as I have. I owe much of my career success to University of Phoenix!
