Argosy University

I finished in 2015, well before all of the financial issues occurred that caused the shutdown this year. I felt like the program for the DBA was as rigorous and good as I would have received at a public university (I felt the poorest education I received was at the public one where I received my BS, BTW). I do think the school was pretty expensive, and really had no problems except for a couple of instances. First, an instructor in one class hinted that I committed plagiarism (I taught as a consultant for many years at the grad level, plus work for the government, so doing something underhanded is not even a consideration) and talked down to me and many other students. He was a total jerk. I also had some difficulty getting timely reviews from my dissertation chair, but other than that he and the rest of the committee was easy to work with. Other than that, the instructors were great and I had cutting-edge education that has helped me progress in my career way beyond my undergrad or master's ever did. It is a pity that the school wound up getting the shaft from the Department of Education instead of the department working with them to clear up the serious financial problems, but look who is running it and I'm not surprised.

Run. Do yourself a favor. Easy to get into hard to get out. My dissertation chair and committee member which is the business program chair are incompetent and did not do their jobs. No one I know graduated on time and this cost students more money and time. The chair had my dissertation for a couple of months but policy is two week turn around she made four simple comments which would only take 30 mind. Lazy. If you do not like students or do not like to work then don't become a professor idiots!

In general, I had a good experience earning a DBA at Argosy/Phoenix (distance). Some of the classes were not written at a doctoral scholarly lee, and a few teachers were weak. The comp exams and dissertation process were comparable with middle tier state programs. Unless you are prepared to be a superstar and do a superior job wit your dissertation, this degree will not help you find a "young professor" traditional tenure track publishing job. I was an experienced full time college teacher with an MBA that needed a SACS regionally accredited doctorate for my career so it was fine for me. I also teach at a community college and by chair was pleased with my Argosy DBA.

Investigate before enrolling Argosy University, The Art Institutes, Brown Mackie College, Western State College of Law at Argosy University and South University. These programs are EDMC schools offer online and campus-based programs at the doctorate, master's, bachelor's, associate and certificate level and may not be everything the enrollment counselors is saying about their program. If I had researched Argosy’s ranking, I would have found in 2009 it ranked: 16th in Online Educational Data source's list of "The Best Online Universities"; 30th in Guide to Online School's "2012 Online College Rankings”, and #272 in U.S. News & World Report's Best High School Counselor Rankings. Although I had completed all the required course of the DBA program, after three years of course work, GPA of 3.52 and approximately $25,000.00 later, because, according to the evaluators of the comprehensive exam. I lack the necessary writing skills to receive credit for the comprehensive exam. I continued the entire program, but unable to get credit for the final comprehensive examination, because of my writing skills. How can one maintain a 3.8 GPA and cannot produce? During the course of the program, I had only one instructor comment about my writing skills, which was an Academic Writing course, which I requested. This program is the BIGGEST waste of money and time. During the course of three, yes, three years, I have ten academic counselors and 12 financial counselors. None of them had a clue what was going on with my program or situation. The enrollment counselors are out of work "used car salesman" or a military recruiter who want to fulfill a quote. Nothing she told me about the program was correct. I thought I enrolled in one major (Human Resources and Leadership), later to find out (Business Administration), I was in another. The final submission is to be at least 15 pages per sub question since anything less indicates one’s lack of knowledge about the subject (statement made by an exam evaluator. This means that one question equals 30 to 40 pages this does not include references, charts, etc. and submitted in 7 days. So for 7 days, everything else takes a back seat to this testing progress. I have talked with other online programs like the University of Phoenix, Liberty and Walden, just to name a few, who either do not have this requirement or allows a long time-span to complete, i.e. 4 weeks. Bottom-line – investigate before you invest.

This university is not for everyone! This university is for people who are willing to DO THE WORK. Check the websites of some of the other accredited universities in the US and you will find a whole lot of professors who obtained their doctorate degrees from Argosy. Also check the record of school principals and educational superintendents in the US and you will find the same. Some people think that they can enroll in for-profit institutions and receive a free degree; wrong answer! I received my DBA from Argosy Sarasota in 2004 after 5 years of hard work, and I have nothing but praises for this school. If you did fail classes or the comprehensive exam, did not advance to candidacy, ran out of money, etc., this not the place to vent your anger. Remember there are hundreds and hundreds of satisfied students and graduates (like myself) who are proud of this institution. This university enjoys full Regional accreditation as well as some programmatic accreditaion. There are standards to comply with, and if you cannot comply with those standards, then, this institution, or any other accredited higher institution offering a doctoral program, is not for you. By the way, I do not work for Argosy university - I am an accomplished college professor elsewhere!

I was a student at Argosy for more than six years. I went through the program with virtually straight A's. I was in my final two semesters when the student loans ran out and I began to pay out of pocket. It was then that Argosy failed me and never even gave me an explanation as to how I did not meet the requirements. I was dismissed from the program and after six years I was never even called by an advisor or member of their staff. I've invested more than $100,000 with nothing to show for it...please do not attend this school.

I would not encourage ANYONE to attend this pitiful University. Their renovated classrooms and SOME of their technology makes them look the part, but they are totally screwed up from the financial aid office to the admissions department. Their staff members are very incompetent. Their instructors? RUDE and UNPROFESSIONAL. Don't waste your time, money, and mental health dealing with this institution...attend a real college. The majority rules!

I was student at argosy for 6 years. When the financial aid ran out..they kicked me out. I was in the dissertataion process. I owe $150K in loans and now I have to start all over. If I had it to do again, I would not choose this school.

I would not recommend Argosy University (online) program to ANYONE, not even my worst enemy. During the course of this experience, I have had approximately six academic counselors and just as many finance counselors. Moreover, each change resulted in them being clueless as to what had occurred prior. I initially transferred from the University of Phoenix since I had obtained two degrees from them; I thought a change was needed. Therefore, when Argosy's representative called and called, the picture she presented was worst the change. WRONG!!!! Changing universities did expand my educational insight, but selecting Argosy was the worst. Having dental work would have been less painful and confusing. A residency is a JOKE, a very expensive joke. Waste of time and money. Anyone interesting in Argosy should really, really does their research. TELL THEM NO THANKS, HANG UP AND PUT THE NUMBER ON YOU “NO CALL LIST”.

I attended and completed the DBA program at Argosy Chicago. I earned the Emerging Scholar Award for Best Dissertation. I am now an Assistant Professor of the MBA Program in a respected 2nd Tier national university. The Argosy faculty and the Argosy institution did not do this for me. I did this on my own. Many of my classmates entered the program just to "get the degree" and get out. They are the ones who have tough interviews and are not being taken seriously as academic scholars. It took me 2.5 years to complete my dissertation -- following the built-in rigor of the process. Some of classmates "completed" their dissertation in one year -- how??? By doing just the minimum. The faculty are educating doctoral students-- not undergrads or grad students. If you are expecting hand-holding, a handout for a hand up....doctoral work is not for you.

Unfortunately, this is not a good school is you wish to succeed in both you academic and professional tenures. I am EXTREMLY disappointed with this college, especially this term. Team assignments can only be conducted if students work as a TEAM! The instructor does NOT hold students accountable to ensure that team activities are completed. I am not use to this, so this is very difficult for me. Emails and calls from instructor does not get answered timely. Seems like the in residence weekend was only to show up, complete work that had been missed, then go home! WHAT A WASTE OF MY FREAKING TIME! I am a VA student, so I cannot drop my courses at this time. Looks like the light bulb finally turned on after add/drop. Oh, by the way, even if you take one three-hour course during a semester, you will be charged for six? Really? Might as well take two courses- but wait- I guess this college does not realize by the time someone begins their doctorate degree they are WORKING PROFESSIONALS! I am so done. And I just may file a complaint to the Veterans Administration about this as well.......... I just want to pass with the minimum. This college is so discouraging, it is making me sick to my stomach. Please do not waste you precious time, nor money on this college- no matter what payor source. Lastly, during my first semester, there was another student having issues and trying to warn me, but I just did not listen........... I got it now though.

Originally, they had a great program. However in the three years I've been going there, they've gone through two business chairs, two university presidents, and had a turnover of roughly 90% of the support staff. The chairs who were passionate about helping students are gone. The customer service of the administrative staff is poor at best. When walking done the hallway, I overheard them belittling students. I was sick a week and didn't login to a class. Afterwards I was administratively dropped and have to retake a course. If you don't like the departmental chair, you're mostly out of luck. You can transfer to another division at Argosy to get a new chair, but then you have to reapply to the school and they claim the classes may not transfer. An odd thought, since the same online courses are available throughout the nation. The program was originally around 45k when I started. Now the program is 57k and rising. They have no technology support for the weekend classes and their instructors are poorly trained on technology. Recently they've implemented new policies mandating fees on online textbooks, even though half the instructors require you to purchase regular textbooks. New fees include a minimum of 6 credit hour enrollment per semester. So if you have unexpected expenses, you can't drop a course to save money. The instructors are usually good, unless they're working full time at Argosy. A few have questionable credentials, as in they graduated from a university that's not regionally accredited to hand out doctorates. However, it's what you personally take out of the class that matters. A few exhibit non-verbal bias toward business students. I used to think, I was the only one who had negative thoughts about the university. However, other students experienced similar circumstances. I've actually had to use external support mechanisms such as therapists due to the lack of support from the university. Overall, I'd recommend avoiding Argosy.

I have been attending AU at Denver since 2009 and to be quite honest it started out fantastic with awesome teachers who really have helped me succeed and grow because they knew how to teach their subject matter. In an attempt to move forward I am faced now with a graduate teacher who does not know the material nor how to teach the topic matter. Therefore, I suffer with incompetence and my GPA is dropping severely because of AU's ethical doing. I keep trying to improve but it is difficult when no one even administration will listen to your reaching out for help. I am at my wit's end and no one seems to care, this to me is far from the college I once knew. As a student that is nearing Senior status it is very disconcerting. As a customer who is paying to be taught a class it is totally unethical and highly unprofessional.

The tuition rates at Argosy are some of the highest of all for-profit institutions. The repuation of an Argosy degree is questionable, especially after the negative reports from the Federal Government's investigation last year. Before pursuing a degree with Argosy, well research alternatives as there are other degree programs available in online or F2F format that are regionally-accredited, have good reputations, and cost a fraction of what your degree at Argosy will cost. I started at Argosy, but will finish at a state university that is regionally-accredited and its online program graduate degree cost is $250 per credit hour, while Argosy's is almost $1,000 per credit hour. Why go into massive debt for a questionable degree when you can acquire a better quality degree for much, much less?

Finishing up my last class and preparing to take the comp exam. My journey has been a rough one, but the faculty and staff are so helpful and supportive. Argosy University is the Best!

I have my DBA from Argosy. I was a full time contract faculty at a private university and adjuct for several other universities. Each had told me - just get your doctorate - with your corporate experience and a doctorate, you'll have a job - no issue. There are lot's of issues with going the non-traditional route. Yes, most people say your education is what you put into it - but that's not entirely true. In the cloistered world of academia, it's all about a pecking order in which part of your own "brand" is built on where your degrees are from. The books, the articles are all the same as any other traditional school. In fact - I had more of my discipline's core theory types of courses than "typical" traditional schools - along with the research and stats, etc. But traditional universities discredit non-traditional programs - rightly or wrongly. You can be published (I am), have incredible teaching evaluations (I do) have stayed current in the profession (I am)and done all kinds of service to support the community (I do) -- and yet, if a traditional school has the choice between hiring you - with all your experience - and a freshly minted PhD with no experience but from a "traditional" program for a tenure track position - the non-traditional graduate will lose out every time. Note the word TENURE TRACK. If all you want to be is an adjunct - don't waste your time. Your MS will be just fine. I don't regret what I learned; and I met alot of really great people; I grew as a teacher and a researcher. But "growing" doesn't pay the student loans. Just be very careful - know what you are doing. Will the schools you want to teach for really accept your degree? Or are you going back to Corporate America? Or will you be consulting? Whatever you choose to do - really know who your target employers are, and what they will accept. I did - and even I still lost out in the end.

I completed my DBA in Management in 2005 from Argosy University, Sarasota Campus. Overall, it was a great experience. The professors were well qualified and all had real life experience. They were very approachable and passionate about their profession. Most importantly, classes were small (10-15 students) and the personal attention was superb! Currently, I teach for 12 different online schools (two are from state universities) and I also hold two full-time teaching positions (in a traditional and a remote university setting- most fulltime teaching positions account for 7-12 per week each). Did Argosy University degree made a difference? Yes, it did! I left corporate america to pursue a teaching career and it has been an amazing experience. Moreover, not only did I get a satisfaction from a personal perspective, but it has improved my quality of life. My average yearly earnings have been mid 300K per year, which is a lot from previous management position held (80k per year and dealing with office politics “extremely unhappy”). Not all will have the same success, but it surely made difference in my personal and professional life settings (at times, I work 7 days a week, but I am in control of my workload) The Argosy degree has a made huge difference and I highly recommend it. Good luck!!!

Doing my DBA and Loving it. I am doing my DBA Program at Argosy University online, and I am enjoying every bit of it. All my Instructors are holders of PhDs and Doctoral degrees. I would certainly recommend this program to those busy professionals out there who want to go back to school to better their life. The program is pretty tough and rigorous; it is certainly not for everybody. It does not matter where one goes to school, tutors can only do so much for you, they can not open your brain and put something in there, you must work hard to get it in there. I understand that people will complain no matter what. I guess it is a human nature to do so. I would definitely recommend Argosy University to family and friends

Doing my DBA and Loving it. I am doing my DBA Program at Argosy University online, and I am enjoying every bit of it. All my Instructors are holders of PhDs and Doctoral degrees. I would certainly recommend this program to those busy professionals out there who want to go back to school to better their life. The program is pretty tough and rigorous; it is certainly not for everybody. It does not matter where one goes to school, tutor will open your brain and put something in there, you must work hard to get it in there. I understand that people will complain no matter what. I guess it is a human nature to do so. I would definitely recommend Argosy University to family and friends

AFTER COMPLETING THE DBA AT THE HONOLULU CAMPUS, I WENT ON SEVERAL INTERVIEWS AND PRESENTED MYSELF AS DR. PALMER. ONE OF THE INTERVIEWERS LAUGHED AT ME WHEN HE LEARNED THAT MY DOCTORATES WAS RECEIVED AT ARGOSY UNIVERSITY. HE REFERRED TO ARGOSY AS A DEGREE MILL, AND TOLD ME THAT MY DEGREE WAS'NT WORTH THE PAPER IT WAS PRINTED ON. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I DID'NT GET THE JOB. I HAVE OWNED THIS DBA FOR 1.5 YEARS, AND HAVE YET TO BE HIRED. I WAS TOLD BY THE ADMISSIONS REP, THAT WITH A DBA FROM ARGOSY, I WOULD HAVE HEAD HUNTERS COMPETING FOR MY HIRE. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT GOLDMAN SACHS WOULD STAND BEHIND SUCH A FRAUD. IF ANYONE...ANYONE IS CONSIDERING ARGOSY UNIVERSITY, PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE GO THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE. IF YOU STILL CHOSE AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL, DO NOT CHOSE ARGOSY....YOU WILL HAVE REGRETS UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE. DR.PALMER, HAWAII

I enrolled in the DBA program with a concentration in accounting. The Argosy I attended was located in Sarasota Florida. I found the program to be excellent. I met accounting professors from all over the country and learned how to research. I am trying to have one of my articles published right now. This program allowed me to keep my job as an adjunct professor of accounting and still go to school. I have three children and it was just the program I was looking for. I would highly recommend it!

My experience with Argosy (Atlanta Campus) has been great, I admit that some professor are less desirable, but overall it ranks at the top of my list. I would recommend the DBA program to other seeking a terminal degree.

AU in DC has NO library to speak of. The "bookstore" is MBS direct- a TOTAL ripoff. My "instructors" were graduates themselves who couldn't find jobs and had NO teaching experience. The facilities where classes were held were run down and gross. Meanwhile, tuition was outrageous! Get ripped off for yourself and see.

The experience was terrible, program inflexible, some professors were okay, and student support was terrible as well. It may work for some people. I am out.