Athabasca University

Jeanne April 24, 2007 at 6 p.m.

This is a real buyer-beware situation. There are a lot of incredibly good things about Athabasca University. The tutors are pretty nice, the material is challenging, there are accomodations for disabled persons and you can get a degree from home!

The bad part is that AU is very, very inflexible in terms of policies, the learning centers are a bit disorganized in terms of exams and have limited knowledge about the school's graduate programs, the policies are not explicitly clear and change from program to program without much notice, there is little to no communication with students about changes in advisors, etc... and they are extremely defensive. They are also understaffed. I would strongly advise those who need student loans to NOT enroll at this school but if you are paying for the courses yourself, it's a good option. Also, regardless of how you pay for school get someone, anyone, to write down the policies and print them out. In fact, print out every email you get from and send to someone at AU and keep it safe.

If anything changes - your program, for example - have someone give you the policies in writing again because they are different and no one is going to tell you that or help you.

Frank August 22, 2007 at 9:04 p.m.

Jeanne.

My experience was that the school was pretty flexible when I required it. I will agree that the school is understaffed (as it is a public, non-profit) and that the graduate schools operate also separately from the undergraduate units.

I never had a concern about policies during my stay there. The program policies were spelled out on the school's web site and any changes to them were posted well ahead of time. My letter of admission into my program also specifically stated what courses I required to complete my degree. A full review of my time at AU will hopefully be posted by the web master soon.

I just wanted to let others know that others have had a good experience at the school (despite some its shortcomings).

Jenna November 14, 2007 at 11:51 p.m.

Athabasca is a great option for those pursuing a flexible education. I would highly recommend AU if you are motivated enough to set your own timtable. I only had concerns with getting information on graduate programs when I was an undergraduate and I wasn't quite sure of the admission requirements from an AU undergraduate course. The communication between some of the staff also posed some difficulties because everyone worked in a different department. Otherwise, this was an excellent program for me.

MAHE March 15, 2008 at 6:56 a.m.

Does a undergrad degree from Athabasca full fills the requirements of applying to Masters Program of ANY other university? i.e do Other universities in canada consider Athabasca's undergrad degree same as other brick and mortar university? Is there any one here who has Undergrad from Athabasca and pursued Master degree from other university?

Al April 17, 2008 at 3:10 a.m.

Great university for business if you live and plan to work in Canada. Really flexible if you work full time. If you take the correct courses, you can easily transfer them into different designations, CMA, CGA, CA etc.
You just have to be patient and disciplined. Its a marathon.. not a race.

Will May 5, 2008 at 1:54 p.m.

Are degrees gained through the university seen as equally prestigious as every other university? I'm thinking of taking the Masters of Science in Information Systems. Does anyone know if this will fully prepare me for the IT world?

Dante May 14, 2008 at 5:57 p.m.

For those wondering if this degree is useful for pursuing further studies, be aware that it not only has full accreditation in Canada, but it also has been accredited by one of the 5 major (and legitimate) accrediting bodies in the USA, making in the only Canadian university to have attained this. I graduated last spring from the program, and have been accepted to a number of US Law Schools to pursue my studies in this direction. Never once did any question arise, nor will it ever, as this program, like the school, is the real deal with the proper accreditation backing it up. Study with confidence!

Great program too, BTW.

Eric May 20, 2008 at 2:14 p.m.

I am considering to take the online accounting bachler degree from AU, but I wonder if this degree will be accepted if someday I want to be an American CPA, bec I just relocated to USA. Hope someone can answer my question, thx!

frank May 21, 2008 at 7:07 p.m.

Eric:

I can't comment on the accounting degree's utility in the US. What I will say is that the school is accredited by the highest level possible in the USA. I believe it is the Middle States one. (one of five or six regional accreditation bodies there). Unlike Canada, the US has competing accreditation bodies. For the US you want a degree from a regionally accredited school (which AU is). Depending on the profession, you may desire a program that is accredited by a specific professional body. I don't know enough about accounting to know if that is relevant or what body that may be.

frank June 11, 2008 at 6:06 a.m.

Mike:

Yes I did apply to more than one school. The Ontario school that accepted me is one of the g13 that you refer to. (Interesting that you mention the g13 because I didn't know anything about it until I tried to find some way to compare the programs). I also applied to another smaller school but have not received an answer yet.

For those that are curious, the g13 is a group of Canadian universities which look to collaborate for research purposes. There is no official requirement for membership, but in general its members are known to be the most research intensive schools in the country.

Your concerns are understandable. I didn't know how the degree would be accepted either. From my impressions of the doctoral admissions process though, your grad degree is only one of many factors which determine your acceptance. I have industry experience and an undergrad degree from another g13 institution which probably helped my cause. Either getting a prof's attention with your application or meeting with them directly seems to be key. In my opinion, any concerns about the degree can diffused with a good statement of intent, a solid GRE score and a good final publication.

My supervisor-to-be didn't question the authenticity/value of the AU degree during my meeting with him. In fairness though, I cannot speak of how profs in general view it though.

frank June 14, 2008 at 5:08 a.m.

John.

Most of my peers at AU were looking for professional (as opposed to academic) advancement while pursuing this degree. They are already entrenched in the IT field and are "looking to get ahead" or are trying to find a means of getting into a different area of IT.

I still work in industry and my intent when entering the program was marching up the career ladder as well. For the most part, the degree served its purpose as the courses I took were instrumental in getting me to where I am. (as oppose to the degree letters)

I'm sure that my peers had similar aspirations. It is too early to determine gage how successful they were. I know a couple of people who moved into consulting type roles from purely technical ones during their study. One has gone to do MBA work to complement the degree. In general though, the grad class is still "green," happy to graduate and is taking a bit of time to reflect.

The program itself is very new and thus has very few graduates. The concept of a practical master's degree for IT professionals is new to the Canadian marketplace. It remains to be seen how it will be received relative to more research-oriented, theoretical graduate degrees and advanced industry credentials.

bill June 17, 2008 at 7:39 p.m.

Ashley:

A: AU is a provincially accredited school just like any other one in Canada so I would expect that it would be treated no differently than the Laurentian one. The schools are both part of the Association of Univerisities of Colleges of Canada.

Check this site.

www.aucc.ca/can_uni/our_universities/ind...

In general, most schools have wording something like "a bachelor degree from a Canadian univerisity" or equivalent. I would contact the admissions folks at Dalhousie to get a definite confirmation to make sure.

Laura July 29, 2008 at 3:46 a.m.

Hi Tammy,

I have been doing courses in the MAIS program without officially being registered in the program (you can take up to 5). It has been a great way to test out the program and get a feel for online learning without fully committing to it. I am now in the process of officially applying. I have absolutely LOVED my experience so far. It has been exceptionally rewarding and challenging. And I've been pleasantly surprised with the number of 'friends' that I have developed online. I have also been amazed at how supportive the profs have been and how well we are able to get to know them - certainly nothing like my undergrad in lecture halls of 300! As I have children and a full time job, I can't imagine a better way to get a graduate degree.

Frank August 13, 2008 at 2:45 p.m.

Hi Kira.

It appears like the BPA program is limited to people with prior college experiance. Also there are a fixed number of majors that you can select from.

There are so many specialized degrees out there now that I doubt it matters whether a BA or BPA is selected. BPA maybe a slight advantage in that it appears like you have specialized in a certain area.

If I were you, I would select the program that includes the most courses you are interested in. Look at the program's content as oppose to the name and your decision should be easier.

Good luck.

KB September 29, 2008 at 9:27 p.m.

Terrible! Exams were not sent on time! Tutor responded to questions incompetently! Course instructor does not respond at all! Grading takes months! Tutor grades are not done fairly! I have a 4 year degree from a real college and needed 1 last class before grad school.. I definitely picked the wrong online school to take it through!

GG October 22, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.

I am thinking about enrrolling in AU's Executive MBA program but i am apprehensive about the perception that employers and the academia community may have about the program. Has anyone had a positive or negative experience while on a job interview or applying for admission into a university for doctoral pursuits.

Ray October 30, 2008 at 10:03 p.m.

I have similar thoughts to what Pat said. But my views reflect their BPA in Communications Program.

I am almost done three of my classes. However two of my classes, one is the ENGL255 and the other PHIL252 seem to be very confusing. From my experience, both classes ask students to summarize and write critical essays - which is fine. The PHIL252 class asks students to summarize and criticize arguments by analyzing their form and provide additions reasons or counterexamples. This is reasonable. However, in the ENGL255 class (I am not sure whether the department's tutors mark similar for all ENGL classes), it seems summarizing can easily be misinterpreted as a critical analysis. Therefore, as soon as you start to sound like you are criticizing a piece of writing, you get penalized heavily for it. This becomes very irritating. According to the ENGL marking standards, if you're content for example, does not suit the proper style, it affects all the categories (i.e. structure, organization, mechanics, grammar.) It is not a few marks either, it results in severe chunks of you're mark which will either result in a C, D or F. I personally believe this is BS.

One thing I found interesting is that the ways I summarized articles in my Philosophy classes seemed commendable according to my tutors. However, for the ENGL class, it was garbage to them. Thus, I feel sorry for anyone enrolled in this class or who have to take this class. I warn you, be wary of how tutors mark in the ENGL department. If you're planning on taking their BPA Communications degree, ENGL255 or some other ENGL class is mandatory. It is funny too, because a student who has either a diploma or certificate from another college with credentials such as public relations or journalism is asked to do an ENGL class. However, students in those field of study should already have a proper grasp of writing; therefore, they should not be obliged to take an ENGL class because their skills in writing should be acceptable. Moreover, this is the only way to enter the BPA degree - with a previous diploma or certificate in the fields of communications, journalism, PR or other practices of technical writing.

Ray October 30, 2008 at 10:04 p.m.

Continued...

Moreover, you have to take a bunch of option courses which seem completely irrelevant to communications. Although this can be said about other universities, AU's idea of mandatory classes is a joke especially if you're majoring in the Communications degree.

If you really want to specialize in Communications, it might be wiser attending an actual on-campus university or another accredited university such as Royal Roads. I for one am really considering withdrawing and going to another school. From my experience, I really felt like I have not learned anything from their coursework. It is cool learning on you're own while working. However, that seems to be the only acceptable reason to attend AU. If you're in you're early 20s, consider attending an actual on-campus class. At least you'll make friends and develop contacts. In addition, you can meet interesting profs who you can actually communicate in person with regarding assignments or other concerns. You don't have to wait a week just for one question to be answered.

So really consider you're option before attending AU's BPA in Communications Program. This is based on my experience as a student who has almost completed three courses for this program. My reflections in this comment may not necessarily reflect other students' view who are enrolled in the BPA of Communications program.

Hope this helps. I know its rather long, but it is a good analysis of my experience in AU's BPA of Communications program.

Ray October 31, 2008 at 2:50 a.m.

Wow I was just reading my posts and realized I named myself Pat. Sorry real Pat I was thinking about your comments while I was filling out the name box and must've placed your name in it. Very stupid of me.

Anyways, for anyone considering the BPA of Communication at AU , please consider other options.

Frank November 7, 2008 at 4:33 a.m.

GG:

AU's MBA program is the one program there that you may not have to worry about perception as much.

The EMBA program is cited in the Canadian business magazine and other major papers. Many people in that program are already managers at their corporations.

Having said that, the business world is all about perception. If you are in a major centre and can go to a "prestigous" school, I would do it.

In the greater toronto, S/W Ontario area where I am, if you can get into Schlich, Rotman, Ivey or Queen's...they are seen as superior to Odette or Guelph.....mid of the road would be deGoote, Laurier or Rogers. Other areas in Canada have there own biases.

if you don't live close to a major centre, or your schedule doesn't allow you to attend a campus, AU is a good option though.

You asked about AU reputation in academic/industry...I think I mentioned that in my earlier posts on this page.

Ashton November 15, 2008 at 7:29 p.m.

This comment is to emphasize the previous post. I agree with what he says because I too had the same experience when I was enrolled in some of the anthropology courses at AU. Some tutors were just plain awful. I think AU takes any professor they can get. It is more about quantity rather than quality. A couple of my tutors were never available during "tutor support hours." When I filed a complaint with the course coordinator, she did nothing to help me. I barely passed the course and wasted a lot of money at the time. I also like how final exams are a pass or fail the course style. It is complete BS. You have to pay to redo the exam. It is funny too because one of my final exams was only worth 20 per cent. If you failed that, you don't pass the course. The funny part is that one term paper was worth 40 per cent. So I do not really see the logic in a 20 per cent final that decides if you pass or fail the course. Regardless, I withdrawed from AU and went to an actual on-campus university. The students and professors ARE MUCH MORE HELPFUL than AU. Like Johnny said, think twice before going to this "university." It is a complete ripoff for the quality of learning you actually get from it.