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!
Name: Byron
Post On: September 15, 2010
Grade: D-
I am in my 5th out of 12 classes in the program. I took one class in the classroom and the rest online.
Pros: You can start immediately for online and classroom is not much of a wait either. The online library has an extensive collection of journals, but no books (con). You can switch from online to classroom easily. Classroom is once a week and four hours in length. Class is 6 weeks long.
Cons: Online is close to 400 dollars more than campus per class, and there is nothing additional provided by the school. Actually their costs are less with you online, since there is no building cost. You will teach everything to yourself. What you put in through reading the material is what you get out. They do not have teachers, they have facilitators (school's term) and they are simply grade givers (mine at least). Facilitators have no say in course curriculum, all is decided by the wizard of oz. Finals are created by the university and the facilitators have no idea what is on them. So far, every test has had questions that were not in the subject material, but you can use google. Some facilitators do not know what book we are using. The QRB class is a complete waster of time and money. Be prepared to write a paper almost every week on a topic that often does not warrant a paper. In the online course you have log in 4 days a week and discuss twice on each of those days. Facilitators will post questions. Some post only 2 and do not count your first response as discussion. What? How is that not discussion? You will spend a ridiculous amount of time on the discussion board, whereas in the classroom you have 4 hrs/week. There are no partnerships with businesses to enhance and apply your learning. You will only look at fake companies where some of the information is grossly limited. The cost rose three times so far. No other school will want you to transfer credits from here. Good luck trying to determine how to drop a class and no verifiable way exists to know if your "adviser" accomplished the drop for you. Poorly run in every way is this school. Take the GMAT/GRE or not, but find something better.
Name: Dr. Ed - Not a Verified Student
Post On: September 2, 2010
Grade: A
The University of Phoenix online program to obtain a Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership was excellent. They started the program with you getting to know your coherts on campus which set the tone for the entire program. It was excellent and I would recommend to anyone looking to obtain a Doctorate online. The instructors were from throughout the country and varied from lawyers, successful businessmen, and plenty of university professors at other institutions. I grew exponentially as a result of this program. The dissertation process was just as rigorous as any ground doctorate and the process had all of the requirements of any other university in good standing. Excellent education!
Name: Happy Student
Post On: January 17, 2010
Grade: A
I just started my MBA with Phoenix and I'm also a mother of 2 and full time military member stationed overseas. After searching for many online degrees I decided to go with Phoenix for reasons such as: class schedule, program length and price. This is the only program that I found in which I could do a class on-ground with the option of going online for the next course if I have to deploy. So far I can honestly say that I am very satisfied with their customer service and the quality of the program. I have learned many skills I didn't possess 5 weeks ago, and I can't wait for what is to come. Thanks UoP!
Name: Litsa K
Post On: October 9, 2009
Grade: A
This school is designed for professional people who cannot afford to be in the classroom. The curriculum focuses on developing critical thinking skills and uses very valuable method of instruction.
Name: L. Walker
Post On: September 4, 2009
Grade: A-
As a full time worker, I attended several ground colleges in PA and TX and found the classes to be long and boring where teachers would often ramble about their personal life and students would have side bar conversations, taking up countless hours in class. I found UOP online to be the best for me, one has to be dedicated and disciplined to learn in an online environment. I do not agree with the negative rating this school receives, they are helping countless people to achieve their life long goals in a well structured environment with dedicated teachers and staff. I rate my experience with UOP online better than any of the brick and mortar colleges that I attended.
