Capella University Reviews

Great School

By: poneil (Graduate) on June 18, 2008

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I dont know what school the other reviewers were in that said the program was too easy. I know that in the school of psychology, the program was indeed very rigorous and challenging. This was by far the best college experience I have had. I can only speak for the Harold Abel School of Psychology. Therefore I suspect the other reviewers are talking about either of grad level business or technical offerings. In that case the negative comments are typical for those fields in most colleges. I would expect however the MBA program at a prestigious school would be an exception to those negative comments.

The school is outstanding.

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on June 13, 2008

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I graduated from a very good private B&M college. After doing extensive study, weighing family and work options, and looking at pertinent factors, Capella was a great choice. I am a Human Services grad student. Hard classes, fantastic instructors, very good staff. I am trying to determine what the source of contention is. 
I theorize that with some, it is the stigma of an online degree. Fair enough, I can't change that perspective. However, a lot of these reviews have dripped with the frustration of having been unable to fulfill their goals. This can produce alot of resentment that is best moved on from. I am not overly concerned with my comparative cognition and Capella has helped me immensely.

Online PHD

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on May 19, 2008

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I did undergraduate work online with the University of Maryland for my BS and MS. I started my PhD work a few years ago with Capella. I'm just going into my dissertation phase. Overall the program started off a little unformatted but for the last year or two I have seen a dramatic increase in quality, especially being that most of the class work is now focused of scholarly journals, research studies and book readings. The formatted writeup and understanding for each lesson objective has improved as well and keeps the readers in sync with where they should be when going through the course. It's definitely working out to be one of the best programs. It would be nice to incorporate webinars as well.

Learning Capella style

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on April 17, 2008

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I am in the process of earning my MBA from Capella University and am very impressed with the program!  Even though textbooks are used, real life experiences are applied to each class.  Not only do you learn online but you also have the opportunity to learn more about the organziation you work for.  
You have to work hard to earn that A in class.  I feel that I'm getting a good quality education.
I sincerely believe that the folks leaving bad reviews of Capella have not tried hard enough and are disgruntled students who haven't made the grade.  I just don't see anything wrong with Capella.  The professors I have had so far have been very helpful and my advisor and other staff members I have contacted so far have been very nice and supportive.

Would not recommend

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on April 7, 2008

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I was enrolled in a graduate program for over a year and dropped out due to financial issues. The classes were decent, but a bit on the easy side. I was very disappointed by the level of work in some of my classmates.

I received the GI Bill for assistance which I used for books, tuition and the residency expenses. I rarely heard from my academic counselor and when I did contact her, it took on average of a week for a response. The financial department was TERRIBLE!!!!!!! In addition to my GI Bill I was also receiving aid – according to the invoices they gave me, I had enough to cover all of my expenses. Then after a year and a half I received a bill for $7,000. I talked to several people and after weeks of investigating I still to this day have NO idea where all of my aid and payments were going and how I could still have $7,000 to owe. The support was terrible and they didn’t seem to care about having me as a student. I finally said that I would just get a student loan to cover my outstanding balance. I was approved and it was sent to Capella for verification. After 3 WEEKS of not hearing anything I finally track down someone from support and they say that they denied it because I receive GI benefits so I didn’t need the loan – and then again reminded me how I had to pay the $7,000 before my next class. They claimed that I legally could not receive a private school loan due to the funds I was receiving from the VA. 

I dropped out and switched school. My new university not only approved me for enough financial aid to cover my costs, but they also said that they can approve a loan for me if for some reason I need one. I am very happy to have switched and now love my new school. But, the story doesn’t end there……

After dropping out I spoke with the financial department and business office about my outstanding loan. BOTH confirmed that they did not have payment plans but as long as I made consistent payments, I would be fine. I then proceeded to pay $250 a month towards my balance thinking that everything was fine. Then 3 months later (after continues payments) I receive a letter from a collection agency. Capella sent me to collections for nonpayment! Capella never responded to voicemails or emails. Whenever I would call they would send me to a generic voicemail box which never was returned. I ended up have to quickly secure a personal loan to pay off collections before it reached my credit report. To this day none of my messages, complaints, or concerns have been addresses and I still have no idea where all of my money went.

I cannot recommend this university to anyone unless you are paying cash at each class and can see exactly where your funds are being applied.

IDOL

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on March 21, 2008

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The biggest mistake I made was doing this online degree.  I have never been so upset about the lack of professionalism with the place.  I don't want to get into it now, but not only do they lie (especially in IDOL), they expect you to be dishonest too. They are there for the handout of $$, you are worthless to them otherwise. Good luck trying to get a person on the phone who knows something.  You only get through to a call center, and when on hold you are reminded to be sure you renew your FAFSA.  Absolutely WORTHLESS.  

RUN LIKE THE WIND!

Positive and negative points

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on March 18, 2008

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I am in my second year at Capella pursuing a MS in Human Services. I have found the program to be quite easy, which is cause for some concern. Sometimes it seems a little too easy and I feel that I have received outstanding grades for substandard work. As an undergrad at a regular college, I struggled just to earn C's & B's. At Capella, I have a straight A average, which is not something I am used to. Then again, maybe I am overly critical of myself. Most of the instructors are excellent, although I have encountered a few who were absent from the courseroom too much, as in weeks would go by without any work being graded or questions being addressed. I am also hearing conflicting reports regarding the accreditation legitimacy of Capella. In New York state, a degree from Capella will not be considered for licensure. The degree basically means nothing, but then, New York is a ridiculous state that few people can actually make a decent living in. I just hope the Capella degree will pull more weight down south which is where I plan to move in the near future. Until then, my options seem to be very limited  in NY and there are very few decent jobs for someone with my credentials. The online learning experience, for me, is infinitely better and more effective than sitting in a regular classroom. The input and experience from adult classmates is valuable and I have learned much from the work I have read from fellow students. The Capella library I find to be mediocre. It seems to have many limitations and repeated searches will frequently turn up irrelevant information or none at all. Overall, I am pleased with my progress but don't trust it. I feel that if I was criticized  
more often, it would feel more appropriate and more like college. I am just not used to being told that I have done great work. I hope it's really true and the instructors are not just being too nice. I want to earn my degree, not have it given to me.

MBA

By: pattismokefan20 (In Progress) on March 17, 2008

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I am just finishing up my MBA with Capella and I could not have enjoyed it more.  This is by far the best way to get a quality education without having to be somewhere at a specified time.  This allows working individuals the flexibility to learn and grow without sacrificing work or family time.  I also appreciate that the program is very writing extensive.  This makes the learner to develop opinions and interpret the information more thoroughly than if this were in a typical campus setting.  I enjoyed this experience very much and it was worth the cost involved to complete the program.

Garbage In Garbage Out

By: Anonymous (Graduate) on March 16, 2008

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After going through all of the reviews, all I can say is that you get out of something, that which you put into it.  Garbage in, garbage out, as they used to say.

I spent 3.5 years obtaining my PhD and used a Purdue PhD alumnus as one of my dissertation committee members, just to add an element of insurance to the credibility of my program, and I can honestly say that i think I got a quality education.  A bit pricey, but quality nonetheless.

The only problem I had with Capella was right at the end (December 2007), when they changed over their LMS and IGuide changed format.  I understand that the staff is still learning their new system, but it has become quite a challenge to say the least.

To those other naysayers who have imparted their little pearls of wisdom, via this conduit, I can only say this:  either you went into the experience with your eyes shut, or the product you produced (all of you ABD'ers) just wasn't good enough.  You cannot just fly through the coursework of any institution of higher learning and think you can throw some words on a piece of paper and pass your Comps.  Its just not going to happen.  And as far as the quality of instructors at Capella, most of them have obtained their PhD's from other institutions, like Notre Dame, USC, UCLA, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pitt, and the list goes on and on.  Is that to say that those schools suck, too?  Are these faculty really the dregs of those other schools?  I think not.

Capella is a good school that needs to get there act together from a support standpoint, only.  It was great from 2004-2007, and has only recently gone sour.  I am confident that they will get it together quickly, though, as it seems that a lot of students are already enrolled and having a good experience.

Masters in Curriculum and Instruction

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on March 4, 2008

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Resources were current and research based. Our county is moving forward with adopting and implementing the new standards for the 21st Century and I am a leader due to my recent coursework.  My entire practicum and portfolio are based on evidences of work I completed during my coursework for the masters of Cuirriculum and Instruction.  All my documents require an understanding of these standards and the ability to implement them within an instructional model.  I have a high regard for the resources and expected assignments from this program.

MS - System Design and Programming

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on January 22, 2008

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I'm in my 5th class in the Systems Design and Programming curriculum.  I find the course work emphasizes individual research with properly referenced papers.  The programming classes are challenging and also encourage a high level of motiviation and research.  My project this semester is to implement a client-server architecture using Java-RMI interacting with a MYSQL database.  Need I say more?

Good School

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on January 14, 2008

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Overall, I am very happy with the program, the professors, and the technology.  They have a good blend and I believe it is like any other program, you get what you put into it.  If you don't put in effort, you WILL NOT complete the program.

Excellent Experience

By: Anonymous (Graduate) on December 24, 2007

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I graduated in 2003 from Capella University's Clinical Psychology program. I am now licensed in one state as a psychologist and currently trying for licensure in another state. My overall experience was excellent. I can honestly say that I worked harder in this program than in my two traditional programs, mostly due to the extensive writing requirements. The faculty I worked with both online and in residencies were excellent and gave tremendous support. I do know of other students that had professors who were less than stellar, but I personally never had one. 

I currently work in a private practice with psychologists, LPCs, and LCSWs. My doctorate degree has qualified me on numerous times to see patients with insurance that only pays for "PhD level" clinicians, for higher reimbursement from insurance companies, and to do work such as psychological and educational evaluations that LPCs and LCSWs cannot do. I also teach adjunctly in a local master's degree counseling program, a position that I could not have gained without a doctorate degree. (As an aside, I recently discovered another Capella PhD alum is teaching at a different local college's counseling program).

I have found that my degree has been approached by others mostly in a positive fashion. Many colleagues, both clinical and academic, are curious and a few of my patients ask questions, but it seems that more and more online/distributed learning for professional programs are becoming accepted. Several recent academic colleagues have asked if the program I teach in should start offering courses online.

Good Program

By: pam (In Progress) on December 14, 2007

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I have been with this school for one year and I am happy with the rigors of the program thus far.  Most of the student and teacher interaction is valuable.  Those that do cast a negative shadow on the program likely have not been a part of the program or one like it.  I have a Bachelor degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the University of Minnesota (both Tier I schools) and I am, at this point, to family oriented to pursue a B&M version of the Ph.D.  However, from discussions with friends and evaluating the criteria, I assure you, the program is much the same as it would be at either of these two schools.

Poor Teaching Quality and Poor Student Support

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on December 13, 2007

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Capella will ask you to take OM8004 during the first quarter you are admitted.  That course is probably designed to pay for the commissions of the enrollment advisors as it charges a flat fee of over $4,000 per quarter.  Give yourself a break by going to other schools that charges by credit hours.  

Since I started with Capella, I received little to no support from their "academic advisors", many of whom do no even have a Ph.D. themselves.  Their job is to make sure you continue to enroll and pay the quarterly dues.  

In terms of quality of their faculty members, few can be called decent, most of them consider online teaching as an extra income source.  Course assignments are mostly busy work to keep you busy with a lot of nonsense assignments.  Weekly discussions are waste of time if your classmates are a bunch of morons.  Overall, don't waste your hard earned money with this Capella.

Wonderful School

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on December 6, 2007

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What a great school!  I have been attending for one year now and I have no complaints.  The professors are helpful, the classes are great, and the students to well together because of the practical experiences.  I have attended B&M schools and the online environment and I will tell you that the rigor of this program is not far removed from the rigor of a B&M campus program.

So far so good

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on December 4, 2007

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Overall, the school has done a fine job.  The expectations are actually not that much different from B&M expectations.  

Those that cast doubts do so with no knowledge and are being subjective only.  If you want to know what it is like, you should talk to both current students as well as those who have graduated.  

The degree may not carry the same weight as Harvard, but few do.  This school has never claimed to be Harvard, MIT, or any school like it and the education is not geared towards that anyway.  It is also a fallacy to say that "most" HR directors do not respect the school.  That actually is not true and some of the largest companies in country pay for the school 100% and are promoted within the organization and receive offers from other organizations.  Further, while you may not teach at Harvard, you can teach in community colleges and some DII and DIII schools as well.  Teaching should be for the love, not the money.

Great experience!

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on November 23, 2007

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I graduated from Capella University in June 2003 with my Master of Science degree in Educational Psychology. Overall, my experience with Capella was outstanding! I do not understand the negative reviews of this school. This school was perfect in every regard. Additionally, I have reaped the rewards of my Master's degree. I have since secured a professorship at a local community college in Tennessee and my degree has been respected by my colleagues and administrators. Capella was truly a rewarding and worthwhile academic experience. I highly recommend this school to anyone considering it. I am now pursuing my PhD at another online school (Northcentral University) and it too has been a wonderful experience thus far. The reason why I chose to attend NCU is because of the non-residential component. I wish that Capella's PhD residency requirement was not so stringent. Nevertheless, I would still recommend Capella's degree programs to anyone.

Big Technology GAP & bigger Administration Egos

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on October 30, 2007

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Any University that claims to be a big supporter of it’s students and that dares to offer “Technology” related courses, needs to back that up with clear and proven infrastructures, not just stop at misleading web page tools.  After two masters, this PhD folly with Capella had been a complete mess!  First, I am an Apple computer user and started my PhD program with an Apple computer system that exceeded the Capella computer requirements for Apple Users.

The problems:  
1.	From the first class I experienced, “courseroom” freezes and issues that would keep me in a delayed mode for posting assignments.  Since Capella uses WebCT (Vista 4.0 currently), there remains a WebCT published “incompatibility” with Apple’s Safari Browser and all other Browsers that are updated in support of Apple’s OS 10.4.X.  The Capella program for checking a student’s computer will flag an Apple computer as not being compliant although the Capella system requirements are exceeded.  Once assignments are missed and the IT department has been “working on the problem”, Capella will not be flexible enough to ensure student courseroom success vs. telling me to get a PC. 
2.	Most of the “Professors” seemed concern for the first few weeks of technical problems.  However, the inability to perform weekly posts was soon met with notices of failing to meet University “participation” requirements.
3.	There is certain hype about the three required Colloquiums and how informational they are.  Only after attending the second one was there enough understanding regarding how to best manage the numerous sessions.   Track 1 learners are typically at a complete loss and may waste many hours/days attempting to take advantage of a few good sessions.  
4.	The learners are continually kept in the dark about the real process of dissertation expectations unless they are able to quickly network with students from Track 2 or 3.  Some students get the feeling that Capella intentionally keeps a shroud of vagueness around the dissertation process with student elimination as the goal.
5.	The mass of students will be and still are forever attempting to determine if Qualitative, Quantitative, or Mixed Method research analysis is what they should focus their main efforts on.  Capella offers very little real help in this area and will only discuss related software (i.e., SPSS, etc.) if asked.  However, do not expect to see this type of support software offered/mentioned in the Capella Bookstore!

It is hard to see any advanced technology or thinking where the student is left with old or backward focused support technology and individuals that are lead by revenue focused administrators.  Capella will drill you on following APA format and ding you hard if you screw it up.  However, Capella will not prepare you for how to be a good researcher and how to be prepared to defend your dissertation successfully.  If research and or education is inclusive in the basis of your PhD goal(s), look elsewhere.

An overall assessment

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on October 9, 2007

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The biggest drawback for most onlookers is the fact that it is a for profit university.  The only issue I have with this is that the students who are looking to better themselves are victims of this viewpoint and stereotyped as something of a sub par learner.  

The school does a slightly above average job and I contribute this to the good use of materials and an excellent library system.  I would also say that the students in many cases help enrich the learning experience through their own real world experiences, thus helping students apply theory to practical use.

The teachers and support are slightly above average.  I have taken both online and campus courses and completed degrees in both formats.  I will attest to the fact that you will have average support in either scenario.  It will all depend upon the teacher and the student’s perception of what support constitutes.  My concern is that I am being taught by those that understand the scholar and research point of view, as well as the practitioner point of view.

The value goes beyond simple dollar figures.  Value is how you feel about the education and what you take away.  In terms of the monetary perspective, Capella falls short.  They are expensive and offer nothing in the way of research assist positions to defray the cost of tuition.  Value from a non-monetary perspective is average.  The interaction with students is enriching and facilitates the learning process.  

Overall, the institution is slightly above average.  It has its ups and downs, as does any school.  The real issue is the stigma in the term "for profit."  Gone are the days that online education is sub par.  Academia is now more concerned about schools that become enthralled with the bottom line (and rightfully so).  Overcoming this can only be done with more stringent admissions requirements and schools will change only if students place pressure on them to do so.  

My conclusion is that Capella is okay and offers you an accredited degree.  Understand though that the degree comes with roadblocks.  I think as students graduate, the degree will offer you a broadened knowledge of whatever your degree concentration was, but it is not the end.  Your work, not your degree, will dictate how far you go.  It is up to the graduates to prove to the academic world, and to a lesser degree the business world, that Capella offers a solid education.  You, as a student, are presented with these roadblocks because of the name, unlike a Harvard, Penn State, etc.  The graduates from B&M campuses via online programs do not have to focus energy (minimal if any) on the defense of the school and can focus most (if not all) of their energy on their work.  The key is this though, neither do Capella graduates.  Do not get wrapped up in what others think and stay focused.  Your work will provide the proof as long you care, make the concerted effort, and have the intellect to move forward.

Pleased with my choice!

By: egrosenfeld (In Progress) on October 6, 2007

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As with most things in life, you get out of the experience what you put into it. For the almost 3 years that I have been working on my degree, I know I am putting IN a tremendous amount AND I am certaining getting BACK, both from an educational experience. I also believe that the attitude with which you approach your journey makes a big difference. As one of the other posts mentioned, and it is often repeated at Colloquia, you are becoming a PhD - it is not a piece of paper I am given. At this point I have completed my coursework, passed my comps, and I am almost ready to submit my dissertation proposal. The overall experience that I have had has been a very positive one. As I read through the other reviews I find it quite interesting. On one end are individuals claiming Capella is a "diploma mill" and to watch out because the university will fail you for no apparent reason. It sounds as if it is being done TO you. As another learner indicated, if YOU are not able to perform at the required level, then I am pleased to hear that the university will not allow students to continue. I have worked exceptionally hard to reach this point in my studies and as others have said, I feel that I am EARNING my degree. 

In my program, many of the learners at Capella are adults who have extensive experience in the business world. I am also at the point in my accademic and professional career that I would not expect an educational institution to hold my hand every step of the way. If I need additional support, I need to stand up and ask for it.  When I have done so, I have immediately be assisted. In looking back at the other educational institutions that I went to, I find Capella a refreshing change. Some posts mentioned Capella's focus on money - I hate to break it to you, but this is a business. I'm not sure many institutions that aren't concerned about money? Is the degree I am persuing a good "value"?  I can not compare the cost at Capella to other schools, but I imagine that they are quite comparable. The personal and professional satisfaction and opportunities that I am capitalizing on are absolutely worth it!

In life you always have choices. I believe that I made the right choice in selecting Capella.

Not worth it

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on October 2, 2007

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I'm almost done with all my coursework toward a Ph.D. degree at Capella.  Compared to other online schools, Capella's web site is well structured, but that's the best you can get out of the school.  Few of the instructors at Capella are great, and most of them are losers who cannot find a job anywhere else except doing online teaching at many other online schools.  They don't even call themselves "professors", but course producers or classroom facilitators.  Most of them did not any values to my learning process.  I feel I've been in a Ph.D. program doing mostly MBA-level coursework.  If you are serious about getting a Ph.D., go somewhere else that would help you build up solid research skills.

Indolents need not apply

By: jbaugh (In Progress) on September 28, 2007

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I am ABD in the School of Business and Technology, but am in the data analysis phase now and I hope to be completed with my dissertation by Thanksgiving. After earning an MBA at the Eller College of Management (a nationally ranked business school) at the University of Arizona, I freely admit that I was a little concerned about the value of an online PhD. However, working full-time and teaching part-time at the University level did not leave time to attend a traditional brick&mortar institution. I did a lot of research into different online programs and evaluated Capella as the best of the lot (I used Saaty's (1980) Analytic Hierarchy Process to do this evaluation, so I am confident in the validity of my procedures). Although expensive, the cost of the program is comparable to other institutions. While I would have liked for the SOBT to hold the AASCB accreditation, that was not a kill-point for me, as I was unable to locate any online school (in 2004) that had that accreditation. 

The Capella staff was very helpful in the enrollment process and transferred in the maximum 48 credit hours from my MBA program, which helped me immensely. Once enrolled in the program, I found that, the instructors were always available to me, and the rigor is definitely there. As one of the previous reviewers phrased it, you get out of any program what you put into it. I spent 20-25 hours a week throughout my coursework and maintained a 4.00 GPA in the program. I feel that I earned those marks and did not feel that they were given to me.

I would not classify Capella as a diploma mill by any stretch of the imagination and feel that the argument above that addressed the attrition rate belies this charge. Diploma mills do not reject anyone. I believe the disgruntled reviewers above failed to achieve their goals because they were not fully committed to the rigor required by any credible PhD program. I found the program difficult, but feasible, given good time management skills. The comps process is all about completing a very difficult task in a timed manner. I felt that the Leadership program prepared me adequately for this challenge and I got through it on the expedited plan in 8 weeks. If certain people feel that they were unfairly weeded out at the comps stage, perhaps they should examine their own culpability and lack of commmitment to producing a quality product under strenuous conditions. 

My dissertation is taking longer than I orginally projected, but that is due to work and other life pressures that interfered with my educational schedule rather than any lack on the part of Capella itself. The staff, my mentor, and my committee have been very supportive during my dissertation. In fact, other instructors, who are not on my committee, gave freely of their own time to help me locate a suitable study organization. I can't say enough about the value of that support and I hope to carry that model into my own doctoral praxis.

Great School!

By: drjcotter (Graduate) on September 28, 2007

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My Ph.D. was conferred June, 2007, and I must say the process to complete was as strenuous as it was satisfying. This is no diploma mill - one must earn the degree. My paper has been accepted for presentation at the IABE Conference next month in Las Vegas, and for publishing in the International Journal of Business Research. Double-blind peer reviewed and accepted without modification. I also enjoyed the professional help of my Ph.D. committee as we progressed through the work. 

I have no regrets in choosing Capella, and recommend it heartily to others.

A Great Phd Journey

By: gbecker (In Progress) on September 28, 2007

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Capella University should be praised for its standards of excellence, quality of teaching professionals, and commitment to learner support. I have over thirty years of professional experience in business, received my bachelors and masters at standard universities at night while working, and became a Phd at Capella. Make no mistake; Capella expects high standards of learner involvement, but nothing worth pursuing should be easy. In fact, online education is more challenging and required hard work. I am appalled when I see critiques of the university because someone failed; maybe they weren't ready for the challenge? I am proud to be associated with a university with such high standards, quality of teaching professionals, and most learners who wanted to work dilligently for their degrees. At Capella you become a Phd, you don't just get a Phd!

Excellent university-Best choice for you

By: Anonymous (Graduate) on September 28, 2007

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This experience was beyond my greatest expectations.  It was so invigorating to attend Colloquia and to meet with my peers and professors.  I think the best part was realizing how much the professors all really enjoy each other's company and how well they work together.

Re: some of these reviews, if someone makes it to comps and fails to perform, yes they will not make it through.  Those of us who have worked very hard for this degree do not wish to see it diminished by the university passing people who can't do the work required. 

I found everyone, in every dept across the board, to be sincerely helpful and wanting to help me succeed.  I'm sorry for those who weren't able to meet the standards set by the university.  I, however, feel confident that I am among equals with my fellow alumni.

Capella University Scams

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on September 23, 2007

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Capella University is running a scam on PhD learners. After successfully completing all the required coursework and three residencies, the university will subjectively fail you in comps for no apparent reason. Be aware of this educational institution. Their reputation and credibility is severly damaged.

Not worth it

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on September 22, 2007

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Few of the instructors at Capella are great, most of them are morons who cannot find a job anywhere else except doing online teaching at many schools.  They don't call them themselves "professors", but classroom facilitators.  In my experience, most of them don't add any values to my learning process.  If you are serious about getting a Ph.D., go somewhere else that would help you build up solid research skills.

Greatly disappointed

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on September 21, 2007

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I started with much enthusiasm at Capella.  I did considerable research about on-line degrees.  My wife, who has a PhD from Columbia cautioned against my undertaking the PhD program, but I pursued it anyway.  I found it to be a disaster in the set up.  I found the administrative organization and the focus on money obscuring the educational experience.  Furthermore, the evaluation of my Master's degree credits was unbelievable in that less than half of my credits were transferred, and I graduated from Boston University.  At work, the school was not recognized.  I would strong urge people to avoid this school.  Perhaps there are some on-line schools that are focused on education.

Capella Ph.D. Programs

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on August 26, 2007

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Overall, the program is okay.  They lack AACSB accreditation and if you are looking at pysch, they lack APA accreditation (which is even worse than lacking AACSB accreditation).  The instructors are generally okay, the materials are good, and the use of technology is good.  Honestly though, what you take away is improved writing skills and materials.  You could purchase the materials at a bookstore and the courses are to expensive to walk away with improved writing skills alone.  

I think Capella is average and once more B&M schools decide to go online with at least 75% of a business Ph.D., Capella is likely in big trouble.  I have heard rumblings of Strayer buying out Capella, so that may be in the works.

I-O program was not satisfactory

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on August 22, 2007

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I attended there for several years and was not happy with the experience. The school is disorganized and while there are good instructors many of them are not available in the classroom. They do not compare well to many other schools in terms of curriculum and have failed to obtain APA status for good reason. They are all about the money and problems are met with abject frustration rather than productive solution. Their technology is good but their status is poor.
They accept everyone who can pay and of those only about half graduate. One has to ask why their attrition rats is so high and why they don't offer national facilities for the cost of the programs they offer. This reduces their credibility as well as their ability to serve students well.

Your experience will be what you make it

By: lfilla (Graduate) on August 15, 2007

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I've just completed my degree and I had a wonderful experience. It was a lot of hard work but it was all worth it. I think Capella is an exceptional organization - always looking for feedback from learners and working to improve. I felt supported and encouraged throughout my three years as a student. Not all instructors were great, but most were.

The technology was excellent and I had very few issues. Tech support was helpful and friendly the two times I needed to contact them. Even the transition from Capella's old proprietary online learning environment to WebCT went smoothly for me. 

I learned a lot and would not hesitate to recommend Capella to others. Just understand that your experience will be what you make it. This is not high school -- it's up to you to create an excellent graduate school experience, just like it's up to you to create a great career.

Capella is Exceptional

By: triciamayes (In Progress) on May 18, 2007

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Capella University is by the most exceptional University online that I have found.  They are very upfront about their policies and have never done anything reguarding my degree without my consent.  I attended my undergrad at the University of Illinois, which by in large, was great, however, the staff at U of I was not always helpful, and I ended up doing an extra year of coursework because of the misdirection.  

Since coming to Capella, my roadmap, so to speak, has been clear and consise, and my team of advisors have kept in exceptional contact with me throughout the process.  I will be completing my MBA very soon and hope to obtain my PhD here as well.  I have recommended many collegues and close friends to the school, because I believe in the values this college promotes.

A satisfying experience

By: RafeCastillo (Graduate) on April 26, 2007

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I graduated with a PhD in Education and have since landed a tenure-track position; I had a rigorous and satisfying experience at Capella, where some of my instructors guided and mentored me so that my academic experience paid off in terms of publication and networking; the result, I got the job!

Good Online University

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on April 7, 2007

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The value comes from the real world experience of the instructors and the "adult" students. Most in the Ph.D. program have brick and mortar graduate and undergraduate degrees and extensive experience in their fields. All I know who have graduated where alike to use their degrees to advance.

Avoid at all costs

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on December 28, 2006

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Capella University is nothing more than an online money-making scam. There is good reason for online-degree programs to be looked down upon by others and the so-called “education” you pay prime dollars to buy from Capella certainly explains why so many consider all online “universities” to be substandard.

For example, Capella hires and retains “instructors” who have literally bought their graduate “degrees” from diploma mills. That’s right, Capella University knowingly subjects their students (which they call “learners”) to unethical “instructors” who have purchased fake degrees. 

Students with disabilities are also subjected to gross incompetence as evidenced by not only lawsuits that are pending against the University for their failure to accommodate such students but also by the fact that their disabilities services director apparently has never taught. Not only that, but she seemingly has no background, whatsoever, in disabilities services prior to working at Capella. While Capella likes to brag about her in their advertisements and other promotional materials, she recently posted her resume on the web which is rather embarrassing – prior to being hired by Capella University she was a “team leader” for Mervyn’s (the retail store) and a residence-hall director.

As if that’s bad enough, Capella University is currently being audited for stealing approximately $500,000 (half-a-million dollars) from taxpayers by the United States Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General. While the audit hasn’t been completed yet, this information was provided by Capella University to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Who knows how much Capella has really stolen so far? Only time will tell.

Another major problem is that Capella University seems to have ongoing management problems. For example, their School of Psychology has had a seemingly endless stream of “deans” (which Capella often refers to as “Executive Directors”). This has apparently created a tremendous amount of instability.

A great opportunity

By: angela.grabelle (In Progress) on December 27, 2006

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I am enrolled and finish course work this summer. I have had some fabulous instructors, and a few that were mediocre at best (you find this everywhere). Instructors I have met at residencies have been absolutely AMAZING. The comraderie, the knowledge, and support make me feel like I made an excellent decision although I struggled as I did not want to get a "cookie cutter" degree at a diploma mill. However, there are people like me who have the ability, the drive, and the will, but do not have the program availability, the time, nor the money to devote 5-10 years earning a degree. I am a single mother of four young children and this university has given me the chance to earn the degree I have dreamed about.  I love the fact that my peers who learn with me are from all walks of life, from countries all over the world, and my learning experiences have been far richer because of the students with whom I learn.  I think Capella is doing great things and I am happy to be a part of it.

As good as it should be, but ...

By: sphampe (Graduate) on December 10, 2006

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I finshed a teaching certificate online and which opened my eyes to the entire world of online learning, rekindling my desire to pursue a PhD.

The education at Capella was as good as I would have expected at any conventional program. I had mostly good instructors -- diligent, involved, knowledgable, caring. And there were a few duds, but that is no different than one could expect at ANY institution of higher learning.

My bigger concern isn't the quality of the program but its ability to interface with the profession at large. I hear this is diminishing, but I have encountered a pretty strong prejudice against online degrees -- especially in clinical psych. Even though I received high marks for competence and knowledge during my fieldwork, I am hitting a wall post-graduation.

But to be fair, I have also discovered that professional psychology is not a great career potential field, with a lot of infighting and image problems. That is only compounded when you try to join the fight with an online degree.

Bottom line: great program, poor profession.

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