University Of Phoenix
 Program CatalogTuition | Starting Dates Admissions & Application |
Highlights
- Largest private university system in North America with over 400,000 undergraduate and graduate students
- Over 100 onsite locations worldwide and online university
- Students are working adults and most receive financial aid
- Named one of the country's top 20 colleges favorable to military personnel (source: Military Advanced Education)
- University-wide accreditation by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association; individual programs have programmatic accreditations
About the School
The University of Phoenix (UOP) was founded in 1976 with the mission of giving working adults access to higher education opportunities. The university is structured to enable students to earn degrees while continuing to be employed full-time. The school offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, technology, health care, psychology, criminal justice, human services and education.
Perspectives from a UOP Faculty Member
A Promotional Video from the School
Profiles a UOP business professor and his perspectives on the school's programs. He describes the interactions between him and his students and offers reasons why an employer would consider a UOP grad. Created by UOP.
Academic Programs
The University of Phoenix's colleges and divisions offer a range of programs for students pursuing careers in such fields as: business, communication, criminal justice, education, health care, management, nursing, and information technology. The University's colleges and divisions include:
- Axia College of University of Phoenix (Associate's Degrees) – An online school for employed students seeking an academic base line for continued studies and/or career advancement. The college offers concentrations across all the program areas served by Phoenix, including business, communication, criminal justice, education, health care, hospitality, human services, information technology, psychology and sports management.
- College of Arts and Sciences – Designed to give students a core educational foundation with emphasis on understanding the interrelationships that exist across disciplines. The college's goal is to help develop essential skills, such as analysis, writing, oral communication, and team work, that will enhance a student's capabilities across many different career areas. Programs cover liberal arts subjects including humanities, communications, sciences, mathematics, and social sciences.
- Colleges of Business and Management (Bachelor's and Master's Degrees) – Programs focus on imparting the expertise and skills that are important for being effective professionals and managers in today's complex and fast-paced business environment. Available degree programs include those for accounting and finance, communications, international business, hospitality, human resources, information systems, supply chain and operations, marketing, retail, entrepreneurship, and management.
- College of Education – This college's goal is to help teachers and educators achieve success. Undergraduate courses are designed to ready students for teacher licensure. Graduate and doctorate programs are built to prepare students for taking on leadership roles in their careers as educators, administrators and educational specialists.
- College of Health and Human Services – Programs are structured to foster the underlying expertise and skills that are vital to the success of students as their careers move forward in the health and human service fields. Available degree programs include nursing, health care, criminal justice and security, counseling, and human services.
- College of Information Systems and Technology – The college's undergraduate programs focus on basic technologies while its graduate programs underscore management topics. All programs aim at teaching in environments that are similar to the way that professionals work. The programs are designed to integrate management of both business and technology, involve teamwork, and take advantage of digital resources such as electronic libraries and system simulations. Topic areas include business system design and analysis, networks, security, software design, databases, Websites, project planning, IT application life cycles, and communications.
- School of Advanced Studies (Doctoral Degrees) – The school's doctoral programs cover business and management, education, health care, and psychology. The programs are built to provide candidates with capabilities for creating original research in their respective fields.
- Military (U.S. only) – The University of Phoenix's military division is organized to meet the demanding schedules of military professionals. Students have a wide variety of the university's programs available to them.
The University of Phoenix designs all of its degree programs using a four-step process that identifies measurable learning outcomes for each course. These outcomes are intended to reflect the needs and context of the related field. Input for these outcomes comes from several sources, including leaders from education, business, industry, and the communities around each campus.
Learning Options
Since its founding the University of Phoenix has offered classes at times such as evenings and locations convenient for busy, working adults. Some campuses provide day classes. The option of online classes further adds to the flexibility of working students to study towards degrees.
The school further helps working adults through a flexible scheduling system that allows enrollments year-round, unlike many other institutions that require a student to wait until the start of a semester or quarter. Since the University's year-round scheduling does not have extended breaks during the year or summer, students can compress the time it takes to complete their degrees.
Most students take one course at a time that meet one time per week. UOP reports that class sizes are kept small. Axia College students, who are pursuing online associate degrees, take two courses at a time.
The University notes that students can save time and money by applying relevant learning, work and life experiences toward college credits.
Faculty
The University considers its faculty as critical to the integration of theory and practice in its classes. It strives to appoint faculty members with the appropriate levels of academic preparation and professional experience and skills. Faculty typically have master's or doctoral degrees in addition to practitioner time in their fields. For example the school has faculty members that work at some of the world's most known corporations. The school also encourages its faculty to keep current in their fields and participate in scholarly activities.
Student Life
The University of Phoenix student body represents a wide diversity of backgrounds. Students are from the United States, Mexico, the Netherlands, Europe, and other regions of the world. Some are just starting a degree program for the first time and others are pursuing degrees in addition to ones they already have. Some are expanding expertise in their current field while others are seeking to move careers to new fields.
For bachelor and graduate degree programs the University organizes students into teams to emulate real working conditions. These teams facilitate interactivity and learning between classmates.
The University's Student Services work with each student from enrollment to graduation. Services include a “Personal Graduation Team” that helps with enrollment, financing, and academics. A student's administrative activities can all be completed online, including registration, downloading books and educational materials, and reviewing schedules and grades.
University of Phoenix students find that technology is an integral part of their academic lives. The school's technology resources include an electronic book collection, virtual organizations that simulate realistic business problems, simulations of systems, centers of excellence for math and writing, an electronic feedback system for their written assignments, a faculty review service for papers, and online tutorials and guides.
Graduates are all automatically members of the University of Phoenix Alumni Association and can take advantage of various benefits and services including financial and insurance resources, and the ability to purchase software, travel, and computers. Registered members also can receive job postings and an alumni directory.
Admissions and Financial Aid
Admission requirements vary by degree and program. All at least require a high school diploma or equivalent. Instead of essays or college entrance examinations, the University requires that students be employed or at least have access to an organizational situation for which class concepts can be applied. International, non-native English-speaking students must also pass a suitable test of English, such as TOEFL.
Admission into graduate programs also require an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum grade point average.
The University offers several options for financing school costs and has financial representatives that assist in reviewing these. Options include various payment plans, tuition reimbursement plans from employers, U.S. government financial aid plans, private loans, and a military plan. The school also has several scholarship programs. Most University of Phoenix students receive some type of financial assistance.
| Program CatalogTuition | Starting Dates Admissions & Application |
Highest Rated Characteristics of This School
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Student/Alumni Reviews of This School
To help students evaluate their options, BrainTrack has asked hundreds of students to profile their schools with a review and ratings. See below for a summary of this school and for detailed reviews.
| Category | Average for This School |
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| Overall Satisfaction | |
| Schedule Flexibility | |
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| Alumni Network | |
University of Phoenix • Columbia, MD
Studying MBA (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 8/27/2011
"It was a degree mill. I could have challenged myself harder by doing problems at the end of chapters in a text book."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Unless you are simply looking to check a box to get a higher pay grade I would not recommend this school. There are so many traditional schools that offer the flexibility that people are seeking, that there is no reason to enroll in this school. |
| School Reputation | 1 | I was actually embarrassed to tell my employer where I was attending. So much so in fact that one of the reasons I quit UoP was because of this. I ended up switching to a more traditional school. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 2 | I thought the program was too general. I felt like it only covered the basics without diving too deeply into the core functions of an MBA. |
| Instruction | 4 | The instructors were unimpressive. Some were OK, but most were inexperienced and provided little enhancement to the program. |
| Cost | 4 | It was overpriced considering the quality of instruction and the quality of the resources. I would think that they could offer more services based on what they charge. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | This is one of the areas in which the school did a good job. No matter what your schedule was like, they had a class that could fit into it. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | Everything was online. I was unimpressed with all of the above. Most of the resources they offered were generic. |
| Social Life | 2 | People were there for one reason... to get a degree... fast. There was little pride in the school. I would say that most people tried to avoid telling others where they went to school. |
| Placement Services | 3 | They did not provide much in terms of career services, or at least they did not let it be known to the students. Everything this school did was "mass produced, boiler plate" stuff and if you searched around on the internet, you could find far superior resources. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | The school did not really have an alumni association or at least they didn't make it known. The quality of the alumni association is proportional to the quality of the students... and most of the students were interested in just running through the program without much effort. |
University of Phoenix • I Attended Both The On Ground MBA/HRM Program In Atlanta (Dunwoody), GA And The Educational Leadership (Curriculum & Instruction) Ed.D. Online Program.
Studying MBA/HRM Degree Program And The Ed.D. (Educational Leadership With A Concentration In Curriculum & Instruction) Program. (completion in: 2005)
• 8/25/2011
"I am satisfied with the level of education I received from the institution. I do wish that the University of Phoenix was perceived better by the business community."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend the University of Phoenix to most potential students. I would not recommend the institution to those students pursuing specific education certifications, such as a licensed classroom teacher. |
| School Reputation | 6 | Each year seems to get better with employer perception of the University of Phoenix. When I first began at the institution, the level of perception was extremely low but it has since increased. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 8 | I was highly satisfied with the level of instruction provided by faculty along with the robust curriculum in both the master's and doctoral level courses. I am very frustrated with how the University of Phoenix is perceived by the public instead of being complimented for the its level of excellence. |
| Instruction | 9 | The faculty selected to instruct University of Phoenix students are professionals within their chosen fields and truly know their content. My encounters with the faculty were positive and they encouraged everyone's pursuit of higher education. |
| Cost | 6 | Although I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at both degree levels, I did find the tuition fees extremely high. I believe that the institution can still offer the same level of education at a lower cost. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The level of flexibility in scheduling was extremely high, which is one of the benefits of applying to an online program. One is able to attend at any time of the day or night with minimal weekly posts for university attendance purposes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The University of Phoenix has extensive library resources. At any given time, I was able to locate any peer-to-peer document, manuscript, dissertation, or other periodical I needed. |
| Social Life | 6 | When I attended the Atlanta, Georgia location the administration made an initial attempt to foster school spirit. However, the level of participation was low and therefore they did not continue activities. |
| Placement Services | 5 | The institution provides career services assistance but I did not see many opportunities for job placement when I attended the Atlanta, Georgia location. As far as the level of job placement and career services assistance through the online program is concerned, I did not see a presence. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The University of Phoenix does a great job sending email communication regarding the Alumni network, but that's the extent of its involvement. I have not been involved in this network and I don't see a lot of activity at the local level. |
University of Phoenix • Augusta, GA
Studying Bachelors Of Science In Business (completion in: 2013)
• 8/22/2011
"I will graduate in 2013 and plan to pursue an MBA at UOP. It will be expensive, however I know it will be worth it. I have always enjoyed working in the business world and now I understand what type of skills are required to be successful in that field. I am confident that UOP can and will provide me with that knowledge as long as I am willing to work hard."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The University of Phoenix is not for those who are lax in their career goals. I would only suggest this school to those who are serious about their pursuit of a degree. The schedule is flexible , but the work is hard. You must be committed to learning and success, otherwise, it will not work. UOP is not giving you a degree; you have to earn it. You must commit to studying to produce quality work. You must take advantage of all the school's resources. Yes, there is much work that you must do. However, it is all in place to make you successful. If you do not know how to manage your time, UOP makes sure to teach you that in your very first class. This is not a school for slackers and good grades only come with hard work. Unlike some traditional schools, you cannot get any easy A's or B's at UOP. |
| School Reputation | 7 | I think that UOP is just recently coming into its own. Some people may believe that because UOP is online,the education is sub par. They are wrong. UOP students have twice the workload of traditional students. If the work is incomplete, you fail. UOP has high standards of excellence. Your grade is based on several factors, including originality. If a student cuts corners, he or she will not succeed. Only the best students succeed. I feel that employers are just now learning this fact. UOP graduates are serious, hardworking individuals that know their fields. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 10 | I am learning more than I ever expected to learn. I have a very heavy workload, as do all of the students, but the schedule is more flexible than that of a traditional school. |
| Instruction | 9 | All of the instructors are active in the fields they teach. I just completed an economics course taught by an MBA in economics who has twenty years of experience working for a global business. All of the instructors have real world experience. They do more than explain the textbook; they demonstrate how the facts we learn apply to the real world. |
| Cost | 9 | The school is very expensive, however the trade-off is the flexible schedule. I cannot spend three to four nights a week in a traditional class setting because I have a disabled child. Thanks to UOP, I can take care of my child and earn my degree at the same time. For me, that is priceless. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | UOP has a schedule that can fit anyone. Many students have full time jobs or children living at home. The schedule allows each student to maintain their lives and study at the same time. As a matter of fact, If you are not good at time management, Phoenix teaches you how to develop that skill in the very first class. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The online library has access to thousands of books, journals, academic papers and periodicals. It is always open and available. Research papers are required every week and students can access the information they need without time constraints. |
| Social Life | 9 | All students are required to complete individual assignment and learning team assignments. Learning teams consist of three to six members. All must collaborate each week to complete assignments on time. In this way, UOP students learn the importance of collaboration in their careers. We learn to produce an excellent end product and minimize personality conflicts. UOP students are required to gain the skills it takes to work well with others. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Because all courses are taught by those actively in the workforce, career networking can begin right in the classroom. The instructors are very helpful and have information on career strategies that average teachers do not have. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | My advisors are readily available and attentive. I am not just a number to them. They are informative and supportive in helping me reach my goals. |
University of Phoenix • Lone Tree, CO
Studying Human Services (completion in: 2011)
• 8/23/2011
"I really wish I would have had a better, more diverse slate of classes. I attended community college before UOP and I feel that I was exposed to more academic learning there then while getting my Bachelor's."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend this school to someone who is unable to find a program in their desired field of interest anywhere else. I have not encountered problems applying for a Master's degree from a more respected college, so it is a great stepping stone. |
| School Reputation | 3 | Many people understand that UOP is a bricks-and-mortar school with classes aimed at professional development. I do get a lot of people who are biased against UOP and believe it is a degree mill. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 3 | I had the same professor for many of my classes, as he was the head of the program and filled in when there were no other instructors available. I feel this limited my exposure to a variety of opinions and values. Also, there were a number of classes this professor was obviously unqualified to teach, such as computer science. |
| Instruction | 3 | |
| Cost | 2 | UOP is a fairly expensive college, especially since all classes are 5 weeks long. The limited number of educators, the poor availability of text books, and the short classes led me to expect a much less expensive experience. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | UOP does offer classes in the evenings, on weekends, and online. Several programs are only held at certain onsite campuses, and this causes some students to settle for a path they are not terribly interested in. |
| Academic Facilities | 2 | Professors had very limited availability for the most part. Study groups were required, but there was often several members of the group who did not do their part but were able to get good grades regardless. |
| Social Life | 2 | There were no athletic, social, or school spirit events that I know of. Generally people would show up for class and then leave. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I was unaware that there is job placement or career services assistance. I did not seek out these services. |
| Alumni Network | I feel that if UOP had a better situation with the community I would not have ended up having the same professor for most of my classes, or ended up doing field service at wildly inappropriate placements. The structure of class work was essentially "do some research on your own and present it as a group project." |
University of Phoenix • Tucson, AZ
Studying BSBA/BSBM, MBA, E-Commerce, HRM Certification (completion in: 2003)
• 8/21/2011
"The majority of classes provided useful information. However, some of the information was outdated."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | My career field generally requires a degree. However, if the person already has experience, I would not recommend this school. |
| School Reputation | 5 | Some employers are impressed that I took these courses. However, some believe that the degrees are "bought." |
| Satisfaction With Major | 7 | Some of the coursework was not applicable to real-world situations. However, the majority of it was. |
| Instruction | 5 | Some of the instructors were not accessible after class hours and some did not adequately explain the assignments. But, there were many very good instructors. |
| Cost | 2 | U of P is very expensive. I have over $100,000 in student loans and have been unable to find work. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | The program's classes are on set nights unless you are attending online. In addition, study groups are required. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Facilities were clean and easily accessible from work and home. The computer lab was a little small, however. |
| Social Life | 5 | There were no organized parties, social events, or athletics. However, there was camaraderie in study groups. |
| Placement Services | 2 | The information is not clearly provided. In addition, people I spoke with at the school were not helpful. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I have used the alumni network website and I've joined the mailing list for the newsletter. I have not received the newsletter (it's been over a year since I signed up). The website is not useful for finding employment. |
University of Phoenix • Columbus, GA
Studying BS - Psychology
• 8/24/2011
"I was not satisfied with the education that I paid for. In addition, I am not pleased with the school's policies."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | The classes are held in an unprofessional manner. The staff needs more training. |
| School Reputation | 1 | UOP Does not have a good reputation with employers in this state. The degrees are not recognized. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 5 | The classes were very unprofessional. The students take the course work seriously and when asked for help the instructors stated that they were just facilitators. However, it was still mandatory that we attended class. |
| Instruction | 2 | As I stated in the first essay section the facilitators were not helpful. The class lectures did not contain more than 50% of the actual class information. |
| Cost | 1 | The classes were too expensive for the type of class setting. The amount of information taught was not substantive given the tuition that was paid. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | The classes were small. There was no flexibility in the event that you had to miss a class. |
| Academic Facilities | 2 | The resources were limited. There wasn't adequate help with research procedures or obtaining study rooms for non traditional students. |
| Social Life | 1 | The campus I attended did not have any of the functions listed. There was no type of enthusiasm from the employees either. |
| Placement Services | 1 | The school did not offer this type of support. I have also observed many other students whose degrees were not acknowledged. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | Upon my departure from the school I did not receive any support from the Alumni or other staff. I tried contacting the school to obtain my personal records and was given the run around on several occasions. |
University of Phoenix • Boise, ID
Studying The Program I Pursued Was Business Management To Add To A Hospitality Management Degree I Earned At A Previous School. (completion in: 2014)
• 8/23/2011
"I was not satisfied because of the high cost, lack of support, and odd classroom learning structure. I would not recommend this school to others."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would not recommend this school to anyone. Students would be able to take more classes and have more interaction with instructors at other schools. |
| School Reputation | 5 | I have only heard that students, myself included, do not like the cost of attending this school. We also agree that the learning team concept is not an effective way to learn. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 2 | The learning teams required by the school were unfair more often than not. In every class we had to do group projects and without fail there was always someone who would not do anything, forcing the others to do more than their share. Of course, everyone in the group would get the same grade. |
| Instruction | 5 | The teachers at the school were difficult to get in contact with because the class sizes were very large. It was frustrating to ask questions because it took awhile for a response. |
| Cost | 1 | For the cost of tuition I could have gone to another college and paid for an entire semester of classes rather than paying for only one class. I do not recommend this school. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The class would meet once a week for three hours. Then the learning groups met once or twice a week depending on the project requirements for that week. The online portion was the most flexible because I could independently complete my portion of work at anytime. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | The campus building was not very big when I went there. The classes were over crowded and the professors were always overwhelmed. |
| Social Life | 1 | The school did not have additional activities. The campus was just one very small building. |
| Placement Services | 1 | The school does not seem to care about students or their placement in their chosen career fields. There are not any recommended inter programs offered to enhance the learning experience. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | The only alumni support I have received was a final bill. It seems that the school does not care about their students unless there is money to be made. |
University of Phoenix • West Michigan Campus And Online
Studying Bachelors Of Science In Business Administration And Masters Of Business Administration (completion in: 2008)
• 8/24/2011
"I have not procured employment in line with my educational degrees. The cost per credit hour is higher than most traditional universities offering similar programs. Many employers see an online degree as second rate in comparison to a brick and mortar school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It would depend on which program they are pursuing. The cost would be another factor. The type of work they are seeking after college would also be a factor because some businesses in some industries will have more of a negative bias against online universities than others. |
| School Reputation | 3 | Employers are still under the impression that a traditional college campus is the best means for an education. There is a distrust and misunderstanding among many businesses about the quality of online education. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 8 | The course work was informative and in tune with the current business trends of the corporate organizational structure. There was minimal assistance with procuring employment once graduation commenced, though. |
| Instruction | 8 | The course work was informative and relative to the business industry. Too much emphasis was placed on writing papers and not as much on applications and real life examples. |
| Cost | 3 | Classes were expensive in comparison to other universities in the region. Flexibility of class schedules was much better and somewhat offset the higher cost per credit hour. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The night classes worked well since I worked during the day. Online classes also worked well and I was able to do coursework any time of the day or night when I had time to do it. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | There was a lot of support available. Tutors were available for every class. The technology was up to date and relevant to what is expected in the corporate environment. |
| Social Life | 5 | This campus did not provide the typical college atmosphere. The college had mostly non traditional students who were away from school for many years and have gone back to complete a degree. |
| Placement Services | 3 | Job placement was not that helpful in contacting possible employers looking to hire college graduates. The career services network had information but left the students on their own to make contacts and seek employment. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The network and support is not very helpful in procuring job leads and employment opportunities after graduation. There was a lack of relevant job fairs for graduating students to pursue employment with companies interested in recent college graduates. |
University of Phoenix • Atlanta, GA
Studying Business Administration/Bachelors Degree (completion in: 2014)
• 12/17/2011
"I am happy with the school and its reputation because I'm still attending. However, the cost is a bit high."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I will recommend my school to anyone who wants to major in business. UoP offers a structured program that allows people to do assignment together. |
| School Reputation | I have not heard any students announce their status about their professional career yet. | |
| Satisfaction With Major | 8 | Overall, it has been a great experience to be here at the University of Phoenix. As students we always have complaints about the cost of classes, but the knowledge I've gain helps me see past the cost. |
| Instruction | 10 | I come from a country that doesn't offer the classes that UoP does. I would have to say that I'm satisfied. The curriculum is well organized and helps me keep pace. |
| Cost | 1 | The cost is entirely too high, but it's still worth it. The only issue is if I will get a job to pay off all the loans I needed to take out to complete school. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | UoP allows their students flexible schedules that won't conflict with their other responsibilities. You can either take online or on-campus classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Being able to access the portal gives me the opportunity to get what I need when I need it. Also, the resources are easily available to all students. |
| Social Life | 10 | I've had the opportunity to present my assignments and work with great students. They showed me things that I really didn't know existed. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Phoenix offers many job placement programs and career planning services and assistance that students can take advantage of. When signed up to receive alerts and updates, a student can always stay up-to-date. |
University of Phoenix • Tukwila, WA
Studying Business Management (completion in: 2012)
• 12/25/2011
"I put my rating as average. The good and bad balance each other out."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It depends on the person. If they want to just buy a degree I wouldn't recommend it, but if they want to learn and do the work I would. |
| School Reputation | 4 | Some employers look down on a UoP degree as less than a degree from a traditional university. But others see a working adult having taken the initiative and extra work to continue their education as a positive thing and they respect the degree for it. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 5 | You get from the education what you put into it. A student at UoP has the opportunity to get a quality education if they work and study, but it seems like a lot of people just skate through it and somehow pass. It is a really good option for working adults to get their degrees in a reasonable amount of time. It would take five times as long at a traditional university. |
| Instruction | 4 | Some teachers are very good, others are not. Some are excited and good at teaching, while others follow the text book and seem to be talking to the walls instead of the students. |
| Cost | 6 | It's very expensive to go to UoP. But with the loans I won't feel any of that cost until after I graduate. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The university has been extremely flexible with my schedule. If I can't go on-campus they let me go on-line, and when I've had life events that made it difficult to go to school they scheduled me for breaks that kept me on track with my loans and my program. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | The on-line materials are okay. I have been, and continue to be, irritated that my course textbooks can not be read on a Kindle. I usually have to read them on my computer, which is uncomfortable and awkward. In every course evaluation I've complained about it, and I've contacted the UoP staff repeatedly about it, but nothing has been done to make course materials e-reader compatible. |
| Social Life | 3 | There aren't any sports teams or social events that I am aware of. This doesn't bother me though, as I'm not interested in them. |
| Placement Services | I am still in school, so I haven't needed to use any placement services yet. I also haven't looked into what assistance is available, so I can't really comment. | |
| Alumni Network | 6 | They try to be really supportive. I haven't needed it much, so I've not taken advantage of it, but they do have a lot of support for the students. |
University of Phoenix • San Bernardino, CA
Studying Psychology (completion in: 2012)
• 3/18/2012
"I was not very satisfied. It was a difficult and disappointing experience. For graduate school, I am going to a local non profit university instead."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | This school is too expensive, the instructors do not teach they just assign work, and the workload is too much. Students are depressed when leaving the school to find student loans piled up and no employment opportunities or support available. |
| School Reputation | 1 | Employers do not feel that UoP is a reputable school. They view it as a school where you pay for grades and do little work in return. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 2 | I found this process to be impersonal. In addition, the teams that I was on were consistently lazy and I had to carry the team throughout the entire semester. Teachers did not help me when I brought this issue to them, and team issues were often pushed to the side. I was told to act like a grown up and deal with it. |
| Instruction | 2 | These classes were all based on the books and there was little to no effort on the teachers' part to make the classes interesting. |
| Cost | 1 | This is a very expensive school. It was twice the price as the university I went to formerly. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The class schedule was flexible. However, the class load was often overwhelming and I had to sacrifice more time with family than I had at a traditional university. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | I appreciated the free database of studies and peer reviewed data. They helped me very much to finish my work. |
| Social Life | I didn't attend any social gatherings while attending the University of Phoenix. I did not have the time to do so, and the campus was located far away from my home. | |
| Placement Services | 1 | I have had no help with job placement. I am simply given resume workshops and such, but no real job leads. |
| Alumni Network | I do not participate with the alumni. I find it to be useless as most of those who I have talked to have had difficulty getting employment and many are still working at the same jobs that they had before they finished school. |
University of Phoenix • Baltimore, MD
Studying Small Business (completion in: 2013)
• 3/19/2012
"I am satisfied with what I am learning and the staff is always helpful. I only worry that my education is going to be seen as sub par."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend it, especially to people who have started elsewhere. They accepted all of my credits from the state university I went to so I have saved time and money. |
| School Reputation | 5 | Many disregard Phoenix because it is also an online learning institution. Hopefully soon they will realize it is just as demanding scholastically. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 7 | I enjoy taking classes here because it is convenient. I worry when I graduate I will not get the respect I deserve because Phoenix is also an online school. |
| Instruction | 8 | Professors are always available and helpful. Some classes are irrelevant to my major. |
| Cost | 7 | Very affordable and the financial aid people really help make it work. Compared to the last college I went to, this is a steal. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | The best part of Phoenix is their flexibility. They really do understand that I have other things in my life besides school. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Facilities are good, but small. Resources are plentiful in the library and their online catalog is fantastic. |
| Social Life | 3 | Very little socialization. The students here are all busy and have work and home lives as well. |
| Placement Services | I hear good things about them. I have never personally experienced job placement because I have not graduated yet. | |
| Alumni Network | Not familiar with any alumni. I do see mentions of them on posters and such, though. |
University of Phoenix • Tempe, AZ
Studying Bachelors In Nursing (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 3/19/2012
"Again, I wish there were more weekend classes. I wanted more teacher support."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If someone wanted to attend this school, I would not discourage them. I want everyone to have his/her own experience. |
| School Reputation | 5 | Only two of my employers have had experience with this university. One employer did graduate from this university and had a positive experience. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 1 | I transferred schools. I felt that I could have had a better college experience elsewhere. |
| Instruction | 5 | I felt teachers should have wanted to be more involved with the classed. The curriculum was tough, but the teachers could have fostered more class participation. |
| Cost | 1 | For what the program offered, I felt the price should have been reduced especially since books, etc. were extra. I think that there should be flexible payment options. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Class flexibility was ok. I wish there were more night classes and weekend classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Resources were available. Libraries were helpful and online support was reliable. |
| Social Life | I did not get to participate in many social organizations. I had 2 jobs as an LPN. | |
| Placement Services | Did not complete the program. I transferred schools. | |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Alumni and support were good. There was not enough time to really take advantage of the support system offered. |
University of Phoenix • Mesa, AZ
Studying ASL (American Sign Language)
• 3/18/2012
"The school was ok. The only problem was that I really should have done this in a classroom. I could have received much more out of my experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | This isn't where you go to study ASL. Get your experience and learning in a classroom. Yes, there are virtual classrooms, but it's not the same. |
| School Reputation | 7 | UOP has the best reputation for online schools. The only downside is that it's an online school. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 7 | I didn't feel like I got everything I could out of schooling. It was online, but I should have attended in the classroom for this type of degree. |
| Instruction | 8 | The instructors were great. Very personable. It's tough online, though. |
| Cost | 3 | Super expensive. Value was decent, not bad, but way too expensive. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Since the school is online it was on my time, so I was able to work on my own time. It was really flexible. Helped out a lot. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | They had an extensive online library and tons of available options for online learning. There was no facility, so it was kinda tough. |
| Social Life | 1 | I never socialized with anyone. It was all online. Don't attend this school for a social life. |
| Placement Services | 10 | This is what UOP does best. They are very good at helping people find jobs. No one does it better. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Again, UOP is an online school, so the alumni support and things like that are lacking. There isn't much spirit either. |
University of Phoenix • Phoenix, AZ
Studying Education (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 3/17/2012
"I received the services I expected, but it was nothing different than I would have expected from another school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It depends on the individual. I know of lower cost, higher quality online schools that could work as well. |
| School Reputation | 5 | I have no feedback that UOP is any more or less respected than other school. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 8 | Classes repeated a lot of information. |
| Instruction | 9 | Instructors were supportive and knowledgeable. |
| Cost | 4 | No different from other schools. I did not see any justification for the higher costs, though some other campus schools in Arizona are more expensive. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Many options were available, and everything worked well with my work schedule. Teachers were understanding about students who used public transit. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Adequate, but I rarely used anything. |
| Social Life | I did not socialize much. I worked while I went to school. I live in a suburb of Phoenix so I did not have much time after night classes. | |
| Placement Services | I did not use these services. | |
| Alumni Network | I'm not involved. |
University of Phoenix • Pleasanton, CA
Studying Accounting (completion in: 2005)
• 3/18/2012
"The school helped me finish my degree. I am happy to have completed it, but I wish the school had a better reputation in the working environment."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | The fact that the school's reputation is not well respected when I speak to higher professionals makes me hesitant. However, having my degree is better than not having it at all. |
| School Reputation | 3 | I'm embarrassed to say I went to University of Phoenix. When I speak with VP level people at my current employer, they make fun of people who have attended this type of program. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 8 | The courses required were an excellent array for developing my foundation. I especially enjoyed all the accounting classes. |
| Instruction | 7 | I really enjoyed the practical experience I received from the instructors. I especially enjoyed when I was able to challenge them and prove them incorrect. |
| Cost | 3 | The cost was pretty high. I am still paying off my student loans years later. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I attended the evening classes. Having the evening classes available, helped with with my current job and family responsibilities. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | There were very little resources at the campus I attended. I do not believe there was a library. |
| Social Life | During my time at the school, there were not any organized school events other than graduation. We students would get together after each classes finished to celebrate another class completed in our endeavor. | |
| Placement Services | I did not use the job placement program. | |
| Alumni Network | I have not used the alumni network. |
University of Phoenix • Springfield, MO
Studying Criminal Justice (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 3/22/2012
"I think all schools have their pros and cons, and Phoenix is no exception. But for what it's worth, they are a top choice for me when I go resume my goals. Different students learn in different ways, and presenting my knowledge via Power Point is more my forte than a five page test."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Again, I don't think the degree is respected enough to take a person too far in life. But it's a great springboard to that future. I plan to finish my bachelors with them, but get my masters from a more reputable school. Employers will pay more attention to that last degree than the steps you took to get there... |
| School Reputation | 7 | I it depends on the employer. For many jobs, just having that degree is more important than what it was in or where you got it. But a degree from the University of Phoenix is probably not going to land you a spot as CEO of a Fortune 500 company. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 7 | I love the flexibility that University of Phoenix offers; as a working adult, traditional college class times don't allow for work and family time. I do, however, question the relevance of some of the courses. I didn't always feel "educated." |
| Instruction | 7 | Most of the instructors had real-world experience in their fields (i.e. a political science teacher who was also a judge in a small rural community nearby). They were usually quite knowledgeable in their fields. But several of the courses I took were based more on making sure the students were cut out for returning to school, which felt pretty juvenile. |
| Cost | 5 | For their classification of "private school," the price seemed to be about average. I looked into several others at the same time and they were all comparable. It is definitely more expensive than going to a community college, and the degree isn't respected much more than community college, but convenience always has a higher price tag. That's just life. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | Most of the campus courses at the time all fell on one of just a few days: Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. But I believe they have increased the number of campus students since then and increased the options. It's still a more convenient option to many students though, as it was usually only one day per week and late enough in the evening to not conflict with most jobs. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The online library at Phoenix was incredible. Millions of articles at your fingertips. It was an academic Google search. So much more convenient that scanning countless books and magazines at a library, even assuming that you had a library with such an impressive collection... And their tech support was top notch. |
| Social Life | 10 | My Phoenix experience was several years ago, but because they emphasize group learning projects and team work, I built many relationships within my classes. I still, years later, have several friends that I have maintained contact with who I met at school. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They still say that they assist, but there just aren't many jobs available right now. It's not fair to judge a school's ability to make the impossible happen. They did offer career fairs quite often before the recession, though. They definitely tried. |
| Alumni Network | I never met with any alumni. Nor did I hear of any support programs regarding alumni. The Springfield, MO campus is relatively new. |
University of Phoenix • Houston, TX
Studying Psychology (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 3/23/2012
"I withdrew when they wanted me to take that online coursework prep class. My roommate also withdrew, but they still tried to charge her several hundred dollars even though it was during the second week."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | During my initial enrollment process my so-called admissions adviser was way overboard and too pushy, as was my roommate's adviser too. Until you "sign on the dotted line" it's like you "can't" get them to stop calling you. However, once you have changed your mind and have questions about how to withdraw, all of a sudden you can't get them to return your calls or emails. Not to mention any credits earned at Univ of Phoenix won't be accepted at most other Universities if you decide to transfer. On top of all that, what they charge for one single class can equal one or two full semesters at other major "accredited" universities. |
| School Reputation | 5 | Anybody else I know that has dealt with University of Phoenix all share a negative feeling and anyone that hasn't will more than likely complain about the amount of email spam they get. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 1 | I had campus based and online classes. Prior, I already had about 20-30 hours of online classes from my previous school. University of Phoenix still required me to take some kind of online course designed for me to acclimate myself to online classes and they wanted $1200 for the class. Nearly 30 hrs of previous online coursework never making less than a B, I think I am already acclimated. |
| Instruction | 5 | For the ridiculous amount in regards to tuition, I expected some kind of classroom experience that "isn't" found at any other school costing half as much. As a matter of fact, I feel that I received less. |
| Cost | 1 | Two semesters at my current school is just about equal to what they wanted to charge for one class, a class to get you prepared for future online classes. Didn't matter that I already had nearly 30 hrs in online classes. Nor did the course have any relevancy to my major. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They did offer a lot of classes and a lot online. The "only" schools that do not offer online classes would fall second though. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Nothing that isn't found at any other school not trying to rip you off and is affordable. If they are charging more than most other schools you would expect for them to offer what can't be found at other, more affordable schools. |
| Social Life | Didn't attend any events. | |
| Placement Services | Did not complete, transferred out. | |
| Alumni Network | Not part of the alumni network. |
University of Phoenix • Tucson, AZ
Studying Bachelors Science In Information Technology (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 3/22/2012
"I enjoyed most of my classes and my teachers, but the biggest problem I had with the University of Phoenix was their group assignments. I often found myself doing all or most of the work on our group assignments and then my classmates would take credit for it. That was the major reason I left the University of Phoenix."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I might recommend the University of Phoenix for someone who is looking into a management degree. I would warn them, however, about the group assignments. |
| School Reputation | 7 | I have never had the University of Phoenix come up in a job interview, and it has been my experience that the University of Phoenix is pretty well respected in the job industry. I would say it is more respected in management degrees. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 5 | After attending school at the University of Phoenix I thought that they were more geared towards those who are pursuing a management degree. I didn't feel like I would be very prepared for the industry I was going to be entering if I continued to pursue my degree at the University of Phoenix. |
| Instruction | 8 | I had one of the best instructors I have ever had when I attended the University of Phoenix. It was for a critical thinking class and I still find myself using things I learned in that class to this day. Most of the instructors were very good teachers and they all worked in the field in which they taught. This meant that they had real world experience to offer. |
| Cost | 10 | For me personally it was a great value. I worked for the University of Phoenix and they gave me free school as a benefit. I am not sure I would have attended the University of Phoenix otherwise because I probably would have found the costs prohibitive. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I found the class schedules to be very flexible. I was able to work full time and still be able to attend class at night. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | I don't know of any physical libraries or facilities like labs that the University of Phoenix had. They did have some very good resources online which worked perfectly for me because I preferred not to spend any more time away from home then I had to. |
| Social Life | 4 | I think when one attends the University of Phoenix they have an understanding that they are not attending a traditional university. There are no sports teams, pep rallies, or anything like that. You pretty much know that you're going to school to get your degree and nothing else. Everyone who attends the school is working and most have families. |
| Placement Services | Since I did not graduate from the University of Phoenix I did not participate in any job placement. I do not know if the job placement was beneficial at all. | |
| Alumni Network | I did not graduate from the University of Phoenix, so I never really had any exposure to the alumni network. I attended the university for about a year. |