Bachelor of Science in Business/Administration Comments

Is anyone here a UOP graduate? Did your degree from UOP land you a job or did the employer not recognize it as a valid college?

Just curious as I'm currently looking at UOP as an option.

I just left UOP this year in July with 33 credits, and not one carried over to the local community college nor did I expect it too.  I liked the school at first, everything was great but it slowly turned bad. I say that because I felt that the classes were too easy and that I wasn't learning very much. Our grades are based off of presentations, essays, and learning teams. I have been working for a long time and I do understand that there are people in this world that do not pull their weight and still get paid. However, I will be damned if they are going to do that in my learning teams when I'm paying 1100 a class and it screws with my grade. I guess I'm not as generous as other people on here, letting others get a free ride off of me on a regular basis. That is why I absolutly detest the learning team enviornment at UOP. Plus, when I signed up my classes were around 900 per class then I got a letter stating that rates were going up again (third time) to 1500 per class, no thank you. I rather take my chances at the community college since they are developing better programs for working adults and I won't owe my first born child by the time I graduate. In all, this school like many have said has it's pros and cons so it all depends on what you are willing to deal with.

Wow, you guys who hate UoP need to get a life.  I transferred credits from Pitt, Rutgers, and Morris County College to UoP.  I was young and dumb and unfocused in the 80s.  I am now 65% complete towards my undergraduate degree and love the UoP experience.  It requires hard work and self motivation.  UoP is not for 21 year olds.  They would never do what needs to be done for each class.  My life is set up around my studies.  I use the things I learn in class at work everyday and the course work comes fairly easy because it focuses on real world situations and applies them to the learning environment.  My company is paying for every credit since I have now been employed for 1 full year.  So, I get my degree paid for and plan to continue towards a masters degree on their dime!  Online learning is here to stay and those of you who don't like the format can choose traditional universities.  As far as learning teams, I do not love them because I carry most of the weight.  It is a means to an end and I will not allow my grades to suffer because someone else bails on the team.  I simply pick up the slack and make it happen.  I am learning new things all the time and read your negative posts with a smile on my face.  You have no idea what you are talking about.

I will be finishing up my associates degree in information technology. If you are not dedicated you will not finish I guarantee that. My wife is about to finish her bachelors in Criminal Justice and said her experience outside of the learning teams, which in the real world you will have people that do not contribute. People will always find something to complain about it is human nature to. I now have a brother and a sister attending now and they say it is challenging as well. Do your research before you do anything in life but I would recommend this school to anybody.

What kind of scam is this?   I took all but 5 courses towards my BS and needed to take a break due to illness.  When I went back to finish I needed 11 classes to finish cuz they change the course every year.  Give your money to someone else.  This is unbelievable. 

I graduated from UOP 2 years ago with a BA in business. It was hard, I did not graduate with honors but a decent GPA. I traveled a lot for work so it was a school that made sense for me. 

I have heard good and negative but a degree is a degree. If you go to school online it is much harder than a classroom. Why? Obvious - NO teacher in front of you, no one to cheat off of, no easy question answers, the motivation to get up and read on your own or study after a long day of work with no class to motivate you!

I now am going to an actual classroom to get my associates in chemistry. All my UOP credits transferred over so I only have to take the science classes and a few maths. 

Go for it!

I am currently a student at UOP.  I have to say it was a bad idea to read the negative comments about this school.  It is only crashing my dreams.  I am not letting these negativities bring me down. This school is not for everyone but it is right for me.  I have been away from school for 10 years and coming back was the best decision I made since dropping out of community college.  I have learned so much and eager to learn more.  Every school has a system, you have to believe in it or you will fail. I do want to thank all the positive feedbacks.

I just graduated from UOP  MS/Psychology program. It is not true that the University gives out all A's. I worked hard for my degree. I had a great year and a half and my adviser was wonderful. The University kept in touch with me and  did their jobs. I wish that they would have told me that an internship was needed. There are ways to work around this. I agree that online learning teams are tough and most of the time they were adequate. I had to pick up the slack a lot and did so, so it would not affect my grade. I agree to go to school online one must be motivated. I got my associates and Bachelor degrees from a traditional college institution. However the online at UOP  gave me the flexibility I needed.

I have a question. if I get my associates degree in psychology from the university of phoenix then start the bachelors degree program will I have to take the basic courses over again?

The first five years I taught at UOP I thought the place was great. Meaning I thought is was legit and on the up and up.  A good place for adult learners and  a good place to teach. The last five years I come to realize things aren't what I they were. Something is definitely strange about the place. I no longer recommend UOP to anyone.

I find it funny that a lot of you are saying the credits do not transfer. Do any of you realize that not even State colleges credits transfer to every school? Some schools don't accept credits from some schools period. San Diego state refused my sisters credits from CSULB and Fresno State. It's not just UOP. I do know that many state colleges accept UOP credits. I find most of you sound like you wanted an easy road to a degree and were frustrated when you found out it wasn't all that easy. Look at Berkley's success rate of how many students are working in their chosen profession. Last time I checked it was around 32 percent. Much lower than UOP.

It seems like some of these comments have the same phrases or words that you see from a marketing department.
Brick and mortar, seems alot of people make $20,000 more per year after graduating.  I'm just saying

I'm currently enrolled in the BS/Business Admin program at U of P - I'm 8 classes in, with 12 remaining and a 3.2 GPA.  I received A's in my initial classes, but as I'm getting further into the program, working full time, with 2 little ones at home, I struggle to get my course work completed in time, thus resulting in lower grades.  I have also had detailed phone conversations with my prof's and most have been very helpful in assisting my needs academically...  I haven't had any complaints yet - I'm just hoping the time I'm putting into all of this will pay off.  I do hope to continue my MBA at the University of Houston once it is all said and done -and to my knowledge and research, my credits will transfer.

I have been a studen at UOP for 3 years now. The only thing I will say is this, I am sure you chose UOP because it is online and you do not have to go to actual classrooms, and it takes less time to graduate. So if your having such a hard time with the school, transfer. For those who have said they are not learning about their actual major, come on now. EVERY college makes you take general education courses. If you are so sceptical about online universities, then do not apply to them. UOP is a great school. Just because you can sit at home and do your work does not mean it is easy. I know several students who have earned their degrees and I know teachers. They are real teachers with real Masters degrees and Doctoral. So as everyone else has said, do your research.

I have been attending UOP now since March 2, 2009. I'm attending for my Associates Degree in Health Care Management, and after reading all the comments I'm kind of concerned.Since I have been attending UOP i haven't once learned anything about my major. My entire program consist of writing essay, which is strange because I'm not trying to be a writing. I hope that i haven't wasted my money on non-sense. I was thinking about going back to college when I graduate from UOP, but it wont be to UOP.I think I'll give going to a community college a try because UOP is a lot of money and based on Loans. I have passed all my classed since being to the school and I have also noticed that some of the professors are a joke. For instance I had to do a vocabulary paper and find the definitions of some religions words. Now i used the dictionary for this word "transcendent" which means not of the norm.This so called smart professor said that the definition was wrong. I had to copy and paste the meaning from the dictionary and then it made him look stupid, and so he goes on my feedback I'll give u credit. I'm like DUh u have no other choose it's the meaning of the word. uOP need to step their game up and hire real professors that have real education and not hire professors that used to be students. Also when i first enrolled my enrollment counselor told me.If you get good grades you get paid for it.. How professional of him to say that.

It is the first step towards your major.  BS is where you learn about your major.

I originally started with UOP in 2001.  It was perfect for being a working parent. UOP is not accredited by the federal government, they are accredited by some jerk off who is able to say they are good. I found this out when they couldnt get me in to an internship for my Human Services Program. It took them 10 months to even respond to find out what it was I needed. Then I spoke with one of their Chiefs of something or other, be I like to say Chief of just bend over and take it. I had advised him I was going to file an official complaint with the federal government which accredits the University. He laughed at me and said they are not accredited by the federal government but someone else. I have almost 60k in debt and no degree. No other University will take any of my credits, considering I only need 18 credits to receive a BS in Human Services Management, which I switched to so I only had to do one more internship instead of two. If you work for a company which offers school assistance for you to go back to school, UOP will work for you. If you are trying to change fields or companies you might as well take the degree and wipe your butt with it because thats about what its worth. My ex got a BS in Criminal Justice. When looking for work each company said the degree was not going to be a benefit to obtaining employment.

I am afraid that some of these people leaving comments are just ignorant to the fact that online college is a part of society now. Those who want to cheat can do it with a computer regardless of their class location. Those who want to learn will. The UOP uses a theory called androgogy which is specialized to adult learning. People have commented that our instructors/facilitators are not qualified.. Listen.. this is not elementary school. Regardless of where we go, it's up to US to learn and the professors to present us the materials that allow this through text and lecture. This is not advanced graduate chemistry or doctoral seminar.. this is the basics for our degree. Oh, btw did I mention that my instructor developed several software programs used on the floor of Wall Street to facilitate and expedite training? Or perhaps that of my most recent 6 instructors 5 where doctors of their respective fields? For those who question the price.. your probably right it is expensive, but you know that up front. For those who question quality.. You just don't seem to pay attention. If your not gaining anything from this but your getting decent grades... look up your own answers without Google or Student of Fortune. Hey BTW.. schools don't "laugh at credits of other schools". Regional accreditation is accepted and I have heard of and researched myself how transferable they are with great results. My high school friend is using his BSB making great money as an analyst in Seattle. I have met dozens of students who have left other programs to join the UOP. I have also met plenty who could not hang with the curriculum and have dropped.. many of these naysayers probably fit that role. This school is a great school and opportunity to develop your skills and become very well prepared to enter your future career. Good luck to all and I hope to run into you in class!

UOP was an excellent experience for me. Many of my classmates attended traditional schools and completed the MBA at UOP. None of us have any complaints against the university. Most of us have gotten job promotions and salary increases. This is a "modern" option for working individuals with families.

I graduated from UOP in 2006 following a 20 year hiatus after quitting a traditional brick and mortar program to get married and go to work. I agree with those who state that you get out of this program what you choose to put into it. If you apply yourself, the learning is relevant and provides you with the initial tools to perform your job. I agree that the LT experiences were less than great - I was one of those who usually was a leader on the teams and knocked heads with a bunch of folks who didn't appreciate my leadership style.  Oh well, not there to make friends but get the job done. I work for an international  defense contracting company and the year after I earned my degree at UOP I was earning $20,000 more, applied for a management position and now earn 6 figures. Your career dreams can be realized at UOP, just as they can from any other university or college, but it is just all up to you. I don't see my degree depreciating at all.

I choose to go to another school when I looked at their graduation and retention rates.  ASTOUNDINGLY LOW!!  Also, admission standards are so low that just a high school degree lets you into the school.  Even at the community college you need to take a 'Compass Test'.  No value in school name and I have never spoke to anyone that respects the Univ of Phx degree.  

Sorry Univ of Phx grads...   I am sure you worked hard, but your degree is depreciating everyday unless your alma mater changes it's very low standards.  Please put a call into them and let them know that it isn't all about seeing how big their student body can be at one time (i.e. profits).

Several of you (if not all) should consider taking a grammar class. The saddest thing is to receive a memo, letter or read an email from someone riddled with misspelled words or improper usage of certain words.  The words 'then' or 'than' are not interchangeable.  Nor are the words 'there', 'their' or 'they're'.  I’m not being anal.  If you bother to get an education, why make yourself look stupid by using bad grammar.  It’s just my opinion.

I am attending UOP and I love it!  If cost is your issue...research, if LT is your issue...understand that working as a team and tolerating all on your team is a part of life, if branding is your issue...go elsewhere but by all means know that you are better off today then you were before you started this journey.  I am learning...but this is because I choose to learn and not just get by.  Good luck to all in your future endeavors

Wow.. Its funny to know that so many of you got all A's while attending UOP, I am attending there now, this is my first degree I am going for  psychology, and I have to say it is not that easy. Yes there will be classes that you may get the A fairly easy because you may already have experience in it or , the instructor is doing there job and you are catching on to it. Most people do not just jump head first in a degree with out have knowledge of what they are planning to learn. I have received A's but i have also received a C and on B. I take them with pride. I am happy with the school thus far. Like every school they have there pros and cons. I am happy that I go to UOP, and will continue to further my education.

People get a grip. Like most have stated " Do your research." Im currently enrolled at UoP and soon will be transfering to NSU very prestigous school, they are accepting my credits with no problems. Only bad experience is with the LT.

My daughter had her initial appointment for the hospitality degree program at UOP at the Northridge campus.  She is transferring 100 credits from Eastern Washington University and was told today that she will only have to complete the 18 credit core for her Bachelors degree.  Is this a good move?  She was going to transfer to Cal State Northridge but they aren't taking anyone as a transfer until Fall 2010.  She is only 22 and doesn't want to wait around.  My only concern is that UOP doesn't offer placement services.  Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

To everyone here. If you give it all you got, you graduate and receive your degree from any school, you have much, much larger chances of being succesful than if you dont. Unless you have the funds and were a straight A student in High School, youre not going to make it to Harvard or UM or the other big boys. Simply put, everyone has their own opinions about everything in life. The fact is, if you love what you do and go to school for a degree in what you do, you will be a succesful person. I know people that have graduated from little itty bitty tech schools, and just because they were persistent in their goals and had work experience, their making $60-80,000 salaries. That goes to show that what matters is preserverance, not a school name. I wont deny its nice to be a part of a fraternity or school club in a big college, and that the environment is more pleasing, but if what you want is results, even a mediocre school will get you a good future. All of you that say that you couldnt get a job because of this and that are simply lacking work experience or something else. Trust me, I work in IT, have only 1 certification, I go to ITT which isnt all that good, and I make more than $65,000. I bet thats a slap in the face to a lot of people who graduated from a big colleges and cant even get a job. The career you choose and your persistance has the biggest impact in your future!!!Not your school!

I will have completed my AA in Accounting from Axia College or the University of Phoenix on 7/26/2009. I have taken all 60 credits from UOPx in an on-line format. Initially I signed on to the BS in Business Admin with a focus on Information Systems to begin in August 2009. 

Then I looked closer at the courses. For me, five classes in the bachelor program I had already taken as an Axia student. These courses had slightly different course numbers, however when I reviewed the course content, these bachelor classes were almost verbatim of my Axia courses. So I asked my enrollment advisor what was up...NO answer. It has been over four weeks and I have heard nothing from my advisor even after two follow-up emails. Trying to disengage myself and my financial aid from the the bachelor program is proving difficult.

That's when I began looking at other degree completion programs. I am seeing none of my classes (except Algebra) that begin with a (1) are transferring. So it looks like I will have to re-take 18 credits and then some to qualify for admission into the programs I am looking at. 

I am distressed that my credits will not transfer as I felt the course content was difficult...especially Religion and Philosophy. However, the difference in cost between UOP and other schools appears to be significant. Even having to take additional classes at another school will still not cost as much as UOPx AND I have the added benefit of at least learning something new instead of paying for a rehash.

Since I plan on obtaining my Masters, I do not much care where I received my AA even though my AA will end up costing me 2x more than my bachelor. 

Too bad the price is so high at UOP. I agree with the assessments of many who have posted here. A few of my instructors were excellent...the majority were ok...and some totally sucked. I did not enjoy spending time with student's that posted as if they were texting from a cell phone and struggled trying to meet the discussion requirements when many of the other students could not write a complete sentence.

I defend when challenged the on-line learning environment and the skill-set required to excel in such a program. My advice is to research research research...UOPx taught me very well how to do this task on-line.

I am currently enrolled at UOP and I feel so far I'm getting a good education. For those that say UOP is a business, what university isn't?  It's funny how you never hear complaints on how traditional schools make money off the athletic students. Since UOP is an online school, people make it seem like it's not worth it. Do your research and do what you feel is best for you.

I'm not going to say much as it is clear this board is very mixed in nature. However, I do want anyone considering U of P to know that I have advanced my career significantly since starting with the university. My employer is a fortune 500 company. My employer has been ranked the # 1 food company in the work for 12 consecutive years. Yes, you guessed it... Nestle, USA. 

Strongly consider U of P.

UOP is a joke of a school. They shouldn't even be allowed to have university in it's title. People are literally paying for the paper of the diploma. Teachers? There aren't any real "Teachers" that actually teaches the material at the online level. I've attended several online universities and they still "teach" the material. If you can write a paper then you can attend UOP online because that's all they require. How do you have a school that doesn't require testing? Just because you have a 4.0 and can write papers all day doesn't mean you've learned the material. In one of my classes our discussions were on comic strips. Seriously? I spent 1500 dollars to discuss comic strips! Come on! What, you couldn't come up with something academically stimulating to discuss? The "teachers" grade you on if you've accomplished their word count that they threw out. Once I wrote a paper that had nothing to do with the assignment and what do you know... I made an "A" on it. Oo and not to mention... "Great Job!". DID YOU EVEN READ IT!? I bet actual Universities laugh at the people who try to transfer UOP credits. Also, to the person who already obtained their BA or BS and had no problem entering into an MBA it's because you already have documentation that you've completed a Bachelors degree.... you didn't transfer anything. You applied for your MBA. As for regionally accredited... that means nothing. It's even stated on their commercials all courses may not transfer to other colleges or universities. Why? Because each college/university has a right to accept or decline credits based on if it applies to their curriculum. For example, if you attend a school in NY and try to transfer to a school in TX then TX will probably not accept all those credits or accept them at all. You’re better off attending a distant learning program that applies to an actual state university like Texas Tech or UT. At Texas Tech you can attend their distant learning program and complete it whenever and it’s only $500 per class.  Umm yea 1000 dollars cheaper than UOP.

UOP is NOT a place for higher learning. Just another big business getting rich by sticking you with as many student loans as possiable. If they are interested in assisting you with bettering yourself why make it 300+ dollars a credit? They don't care if you finish. They want you to attend a few classes before they can claim their money from the governent. It's a joke and should be look into.

So Neil your saying you could get an aa degree from UoP and transfer to a 4 year?
Anyways, I definetly agree that UoP gets a bad rep and I hate to see that because I have family that attend and love it. I myself would love to eventually get into school but not right now at least.
Good luck to those in school!

I am an Enrollment Counselor with UOP.  There is no commission.  We are judged on many things including enrollments.  Speaking of credits transferring, maybe your counselors didn't explain it right but with any University usually upper division credits, IE junior and senior year do not transfer.  UOP only accepts transfer credits in the upper division on waiver basis. Lower Division credits do transfer.  Universities do this so you cannot take the majority of classes with UOP then transfer to another college and take their degree.  I have personally been a student with UOP since 2004 when I was in the Air Force.  I agree UOP is not the most prestigious university, but I felt very good the other day when a high level manager for FEDEX told me how respected the MBA is within the corporate world.  If you can get into an Ivy League school please go. The networking would be amazing, plus being able to say Harvard in the funny accent would be fun.  For the real people who have had some life behind their belts, try UOP.  You will be amazed at how much you will learn from both the teams and the individual work.  Post graduate testing in many different areas has shown significant improvement in scores from the beginning of the program to the end.  This improvement is usually higher then the traditional schools.  Also UOP is constantly rated as the top online University in North America.  Wonder why?  Want the references just ask.

Does any one haven't had a problem transferring their undergraduate credits into a traditional university for a graduate program?

I read the above comments with interest.  I have never fallen for "school snoberisms" associated with so-called "name" universities.  I have attended five universities in my lifetime due to constant relocation for job requirements - and could equally command both pro and con about their curriculums if I was so disposed.  I left Arizona State University due to a class of 125 students being taught by an assistant workng on his Masters that was advertised as having the full professor in residence.  I walked across the street to the University of Phoenix and never looked back.  My first teacher held a PHD from ASU, and she taught our communications class of 15 students.  As there is lesser and greater to all things, every student will have unique experiences in whatever classroom they are sitting in.  Allow me to point out that with an undergraduate degree from UP, I am with the US Dept of State, presently earning $212K annually in Ramadi, Iraq as a Senior Advisor.  Those of you focused only on "name" recognition should consider this quote from Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President, "“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”  I have known men with Doctoral level degees driving cabs, working in fast food restaurants, or not working at all due to being "over qualified."  So keep in mind the "name" isn't what's important - it's what you do with your education when you step out into the world.  John

I left the US Navy with the equivalent of an associate's degree in lower division classes taken at various colleges and ship board taught courses. UoP accepted all my transfer credits, gave me a few additional elective credits for my military experience, and was compatible with a 50+ hr/wk work schedule so I signed up. Honestly, I wish I had waited a few years until online programs had caught on with more credible schools. The UoP upper division business courses were challenging in design and I did learn, but only because I was an employed, mature mid-level manager that had experienced colleagues to support me. The grading is a joke, but I did not realized this right away as I felt I had earned my A's. The truth became apparent when my baby daughter passed away and I was definitely not producing quality work for a few classes. Amazingly (or sadly not), I still managed to get As. Two years after I graduated I applied to Upper Iowa University for the Masters of Public Administration program and they would not accept several of my UoP courses. I ended up taking a year of pre-requisite courses including a repeat of elementary statistics and micro-economics. The MPA program at UIU was well designed, had engaged and dedicated instructors, and some classmates did receive failing grades. UoP can not even compare to UIU in quality of education. I had a rude awakening when an instructor early in the program harshly criticized one of my research papers and replied to me in bold "Where did you get your undergrad degree from?". Whoa! Maybe it was just one of those awakenings that happens going into master's level courses where more is expected, but it did dig at me to some degree. I work in public service now, and when people ask me where I went to college...I say Upper Iowa University and leave UoP out of it if at all possible.

Here's the link to the student catalog, page 24:

https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/Catalog2006-2007.pdf#page=24

I just read in the UOP student catalog under

Maximum Credit Load:

Undergraduate students may earn a maximum of 39 credits in a twelve (12) month period.

Credits attempted and earned beyond the maximum allowable
limits will be transcripted but will not apply toward degree completion requirements. Courses taken concurrently at other institutions will not be counted towards this total and will not be limited in any way.

So my question is, if I take two courses at a time to acceletarate my degree, it wont count after 39 cr hrs in 12 months? Why is the university stopping me from graduating earlier? How can they not count the courses I have taken at UOP towards graduation? It seems unfair and crazy. Has anyone taken more than 39 cr hrs in 1 yr, and can they tell me what were their experience? Thanks. Merv

Thank you transfer student for your two cents. I am currently a UOP student and I can't stand the whole learning team process. I have been contemplating the idea of transferring to a traditional college. I'm sick and tired of carrying other people's weight and other people taking credit for doing nothing. I'm glad to hear that you were able to transfer your credits without problems to another college!

I've been attending UoP now for over a year pursuing my undergrad in business management. I don't want to burst Bob's bubble but just because you breeze through a program does not mean it's a poor program that doesn't provide an education. 

I'm not sure what you do for a living, but experience often provides a degree without the paper. I've worked in marketing/sales development in a Fortune 100 company at the middle management level for just under 10 years now. I can unequivocally attest that every class I've had so far is extremely relevant and up to date. In fact a fellow coworker is pursuing the same degree and was using the same curriculum as I was in a previous class (he was going to the University of Minnesota Business School - Carleton). 

As for classmates, every single one so far that I've ran into that wasn't willing to put in significant effort has dropped out. I've also attended business classes at the University of St. Thomas through work and found their classes to be equal challenge.

You get what you put into the program.

I do agree with some of the above posters that the UoP has to do some branding around the quality of the program. Most of my colleagues are MBAs from Yale, Harvard, Chicago and the like. Those people and others, do not want to have their degrees lessened by a school such as UoP. However, those schools (in my opinion) and their graduates do not impress me at all. Again, I work with many of their graduates. The reason they don't impress me is the fact that they accept two types of people, legacy students (daddy has money and went here) and the cream of the crop from other schools.

How difficult is it to educate those that have already proven they are the top 1% of a previous class? They've proven their work-ethic and that they will stop at nothing to succeed. These schools recruit the best and turn out the "best". So they've moved the bar how much? What did the school do for these people other than allow them access to a brand stamp on their resume?

What impresses me is a school that is open enrollment that takes in students that either 1) pursued a career before a degree or 2) didn't apply themselves at a point in time to impress an Ivy school or 3) insert many other reasons here, and THEN teaches these people about business or their field of study. 
So, take average adults and turn them into graduates, how much did UoP move the bar?

In the end other schools are threatened by UoP. A school that provides and equal or better education to those that previously didn't have access for whatever reason. The UoP is competition, of course these schools will seek to differentiate, even if its through discrediting the school. Those with business knowledge (see degree) could not disagree.

I felt that I should throw my two cents in for anyone that is considering attending UOP. I started my education right after high school graduation (1997) at Old Dominion University, but "took a break" after a year due to an insane work schedule, and never returned.

In 2004, I enrolled in classes at UOP, and all of my ODU credits transferred over without a problem. I took about 24 credit hours at UOP. The material and structure of the classes were great. I learned very quickly, and have retained the information that I learned. My Academic Advisors were wonderful, and the instructors for the most part were fine (every school will have it's exceptions). The only part of the UOP experience that I REALLY detested was the requirement of Learning Teams. I have a Type A personality and an amazing work ethic. I found myself being "forced" into the leadership role in each and every one of my Learning Teams. More times that I can count, I was up until 11:30pm the night that a LT assignment was due trying to track down and combine everyone's portions. I finally got fed up with this, and took another break after 2 years of classes. 

I just returned in January, and am finishing my second class next week. Unfortuantely, the LT experience has been even worse than I remembered the first time. I feel that this requirment causes excess amounts of work for "serious" students, while giving not-so-serious students a "free ride". I am fed up with earning others' degrees for them, and have made the decision to transfer once again. I hate that it has come to this, because I really like every other aspect of learning at UOP, but I can not continue to "carry" every learning team that I am assigned to. Maybe I've just been really unfortunate, and was assigned two abnormally lazy learning teams during these first two classes back . . but I'm not taking the chance that this will continue. I start classes at NorthCentral University on 03/01/08.

My advisor told me that many students like me find another student with a similar work ethic, and then schedule classes together throughout their program to ensure that they won't be stuck "carrying" Learning Teams in each class. This is a great idea, and if I had shared a LT with even one student that had pulled their fair share of the weight or offered to help "lead", then I would have followed this path, and gladly continued classes at UOP. Unfortunatley though, this was not the case.

To any potential UOP students - UOP is a great school. The curriculum is wonderful and relevant, the instructors are great, the academic advisors go above and beyond to help when they can. If you have a high level of patience for the laziness of other classmates, then the LT experience won't be nearly as much of a problem for you. If however, you find yourself unable to be patient w/ "slackers" who push their work onto you, I suggest you look for a school that does not require the LT approach.

What one gets from UOP is what one puts into it.  UOP requires a self motivated, disciplined, mature person who can make the time to research and learn.  UOP was implemented for working adults in the workforce.  UOP is not for the new high-school grad as they usually are not mature enough to benefit or appreciate the format.

I began college right after high-school at a brick-and-mortar college and could sit through the whole semester without contributing anything and still receive an A.  At UOP I could NEVER get away with this.  Each student must contribute to the learning environment.

The teams set up for UOP classes are much like you would work with others in the workforce.  There are always those that do not contribute to the team and still get the same grade as other team members, just as some of my co-workers slack off and still get paid!

Bottom line is education is all about applying the material you learn and the school has little to do with your success! I work for a well-known defense contractor and they use UOP for all their training programs for already degreed professionals employed at the company.

I am a graduate of UOP and now make almost $20K more than before I earned my degree.  I've also worked for several large companies and the hiring managers have said it does not matter where you get your degree as long as it is from an accredited college.  Just like an employer is not going to ask you what grade you got in a specific class, they don't care if you earned an "A" or a "B" or if you have a perfect GPA.  Most employers just want to be able to verify your degree that you claim to have earned.

University of Phoenix's parent group, Apollo, was just ordered to pay about $280 million dollars to their investors for fraud.  Their enrollment people are paid on commission, which is illegal when it comes to Title IV funding.  They may lose their Title IV status over this, and deservedly so.

I have also dealt with many students whose credits would not transfer to other schools from U of P.  

So buyer beware.

I'm currently attending U of P and most of the people I have met that have graduated from this University have been successful finding jobs in their field of study. I am near to the end of my program and I am getting e-mails from employers regarding my upcoming graduation. 


Now I don't know when any of you attended U of P but I'm currently a student and I am noticing that they are making so many changes to their programs. Their online student service has become pleasantly "user friendly" whereas in the past it was not very user friendly at all. Now you can chat with your classmates, receive grades, post assignments all  in one spot! I'm loving it! 

U of P is regionally accredited and I was made aware of this at Open House! But many people do not pay attention when they first get started. The reason the school cannot acquire    "national" accreditation is because they are not a traditional "brick and mortar" school with a FULL service library. In this regard U of P will NEVER acquire national accreditation because their libraries are "online" libraries and "online" libraries do not qualify by national accreditation standards. But since they DO qualify by regional standards U of P has sought out and acquired accreditation in every region on the map! So they got around it anyway in a most ingenious manner! 

Most of the haters of U of P are disgruntled students and     competing University's who are alarmed at U of P's ever growing enrollment rates. Now I don't know every disgruntled student but the one's I have run into are usually unhappy because the school would not bend rules for them and they thought that because the school is a "non-traditional" college that they should let their standards fall by the wayside for students who are looking to get over with little or no effort. 

Those students that I know who are happy with U of P are students who put forth good effort. These students follow rules and regulations of the university without trying to get over. These students tend to take the education received at U of P seriously and these people like myself end up getting great jobs in their field of study. While the complainers complain and end up dropping out! 


My two cents!

To Jay C. and The Original Poster,
I agree that researching your options and developing a plan is essential to the goal of your education.  I too found undergraduate courses to be "easy and non-challenging", and I also decided to move my education to a traditional brick and motor school.  I regret the financial cost of attending UoP, but I must admit, I do not regret the decision to attend UoP.  School has never been challenging for me, the only challenge I had was seeing myself through courses.  Because of UoP's short classes, I was able to quickly see the results of my efforts.  Credits began to amass fairly rapidly.  Before long 2 academic years had passed.

Soon I was evaluating potential employers, and the reputation of UoP was apparent.  Many employers were not valuing UoP education as seriously as I did.  So I decided to researching transferring to a traditional school to complete my remaining two years.  Not to my surprise, many admission counselors and evaluators dismiss the education obtained at UoP.  I am still trying other schools, and have since decided that I WILL attend SCU.  To ensure the best transfer possibility, I am concurrently attending 2 Junior Colleges (SJCC/Ohlone) to fulfill the GE breadth requirement for SCU.  I am applying to transfer the maximum 80 quarter credits at SCU, but will complete 3/4 of additional credit by the Fall 08 deadline.  What does this mean?  I am not banking on SCU to accept much if any of my UoP Credit.

The funny thing about this situation is I have learned from UoP.  On all my Junior College placement assessments, I have aced the English, Math, and Critical Thinking requirements.  Because each college requires the traditional courses completed, I must basically complete 2 years of classes in 3 semesters.  Now my challenge is not the work, but the quantity.  I am currently completing that last 3 weeks of 21 units, and have found the work easy, but the load taxing.

The end result, UoP is a great school, but the school must seek regional acrreditation in conjunction with national accreditation to ensure transferable credits.  A real school, in my opinion, would ensure that there material is applicable and standard to as many schools possible.

On a side note, UoP academic counselors have been very helpful in my desire to transfer, but UoP financial counselors have been very abrasive and negative in my desire to transfer.  UoP must address the issue of students intentions over UoP intentions.

To the original writer Bob, seems to me you should have researched your educational options prior to enrolling at UOP.  You enrolled in the school for a reason and I am sure it was the fact you were not accepted any where else.  I was able to fully transfer my credits without any problem.  UOP offered an exceptional BA program that was very challenging and more than prepared me for my MBA program  at Cal State Long Beach(AACSB)who accepted my UOP credits and yes, I put both down on my resume.  Do not let Bob or these types of people fool you!!  You must do your own research prior to attending college or a university.  Do not go off the experiences solely from people off the internet.  The internet is the greatest tool for spreading propaganda and saying that UOP is not an excellent school is one of them.  Do your own research, talk with all the schools you have in mind and the right one will come.

Thanks for your comments John.  I actually received my undergrad degree from Virginia Tech's college of business and would have gladly applied to their graduate program if it had just been more flexible to meet the needs of working adults and parents.  I received my MBA from UoP in March 2007 and I can honestly say it was as hard, if not harder, than any class I took at Tech (Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business is a highly ranked business school.)  I have been a fan of distance learning schools for more than 15 years and have researched several.  I am saddened by the rep they have but I also notice that traditional brick and mortar schools are actually trying to spin off for-profit online versions of their on-campus graduate programs.  Funny, huh?  Well, if I had to place a bet on the future, I'd bet distance learning and online programs will continue to grow in popularity and excellence and UoP will continue to lead the way.  People can defend brick and mortar all they want and I certainly think Tech was a great school and experience.  But even that school has had its issues and critics over the years.

One more thing- I am not sure how Bob knew everyone else's grades.  My guess is that he asked.  Guess what?  If you ask someone, "Hey, what did you get?" they are likely going to inflate their grade.  I know people in many of my classes struggled.  I helped some of them so I know.

I received my degree in Business Administration from UOP.  I disagree with Bob's assessment.  I went on to the University of Houston's MBA program through their Victoria campus.  This program has the AACSB accreditation, which is only given to the best business school programs in the country (this accreditation was started by Harvard, Dartmouth and like schools).  I had a 3.9 GPA at UOP.  It is 4.0 at UHV.  UHV waived my GMAT requirement after I ace'd several of their classes.  

The bricks and mortar schools are rebelling because UOP is changing the paradigm.  I took many a class in this environment and I can tell you that UOP was tougher in many respects.  My son is currently enrolled at Virginia Tech and I can tell you that his classes are not tougher than UOP.  

A degree at UOP does transfer to any graduate level program.

Bob, I would like to know the program you were enrolled in at UOP, and the program you transferred to at Univ of Illinois.  Was it in the same field? Business, IT, Engineering?  I also thought (just like AZ) that if a school is regionally accredited the credits would transfer.  I received my undergraduate from UOP, however I did not take any online classes and I feel the same as you about the grading system.  I am currently researching different schools to enroll for my MBA. Just curious about your experience.

Bob- how has the University of Illinois been so far? I too found out the hard way about the UOP online. Except, I haven't transfered yet. 1/2/07

Bob, that seems odd on the credit transfer.  Not that I am a big fan of UOP, but they are regionally accredited, and as far as my experience, regionally accredited credits were fairly interchangeable, as long as you weren't going from engineering to art history or something equally unrelated.

Did the evaluator give any more detail?  Just curious

Oh, my goodness.... THANK YOU!!! for your honesty and insight. It is SO unfortunate to hear of your loss in $$$, but your words of warning are truly valued.I hope all goes well at U.of Illinois.

I entered the University of Phoenix in Fall 2005 to finally finish my Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, which I had placed on hold about 15 years prior.  In retrospect, I should have taken warning after a University of Phoenix recruiter repeatedly called and e-mailed me numerous times, in response to my filling out an information-request form.  I have to admit, the sales pitch was very good, and I fell for it.  I then enrolled in the University of Phoenix, which was mostly financed through student loans.  The University of Phoenix is very efficient at processing financial aid for their students, as government-guaranteed loans and grants are their main source of revenue.

I took Introduction to Finance and Elementary Statistics, and easily made grades of "A" in both.  I immediately noticed that I was able to write and communicate with far greater skill then my instructors, and that students who were producing mediocre results were often just as likely to get grades of "A" and "B" as those students who worked hard.  In my second round of classes, I slacked off on the quality of my work quite a bit, and to no surprise I still found myself receiving grades of "A" on almost everything I submitted.

The bottom line: I breezed through 28 semester hours of University of Phoenix coursework, and decided to leave the program for one with a better reputation.  I then applied and was accepted to the online Bachelor's degree completion program with the University of Illinois at Springfield.  It came as quite a shock to learn the University of Illinois is only accepting 6 of the 28 semester hours I completed at the University of Phoenix, despite my having earned a 4.0 GPA in the Phoenix courses.  The University of Illinois credentials evaluator said there are many students that have encountered this same problem, because most "legitimate" schools simply do not accept credits from the University of Phoenix, because the academic standards at Phoenix are very low.

So proceed with caution fellow students.  The University of Phoenix is one of the most slickly marketed schools in the country.  But underneath the slick marketing is an open-admissions school that admits virtually everybody, along with very low academic standards, and there are many schools that will not accept their course credits.  It cost me over $10,000 in student loans to learn this lesson.  Needless to say, if I had it to do over again, I wish I never heard of the University of Phoenix.  The whole experience was a very expensive waste of time.