Eastern Illinois University.

[wildebeest]

Just started my graduate program, which is an MA in Political Science with an option in Public Administration and Public Policy. I chose it over an MPA, which I'd been leaning toward for upwards of a year, because I wanted the option to customize my learning experience (i.e., choose classes relevant to my interests and specific career goals), and this degree allows for that.

It's only been two days, but so far I'm very pleased. The application process was simple and straightforward. Financial aid is the same. The semesters are sixteen weeks long, which some people might dislike, but I decided I wanted my graduate experience to feel a little less rushed than my undergraduate experience. 

They use Brightspace, so if you went to UMPI, the learning platform is quite intuitive. The classes are not self-paced, however, and there are discussion forums. I thought I'd hate the discussion forums, to be honest, but so far am enjoying them.

Tuition is reasonable at $329 per credit hour for graduate school. With fees and book rentals (you aren't required to purchase any books; they automatically mail you the books you need and you send them back at the end of the semester), the full cost is $419 per credit hour. For my degree that will come out to about $13,827 all in: tuition, fees, books. 

They also offer a decent range of graduate degree options, which you can find here: https://www.eiu.edu/online/#section2.

I'll probably use this thread to document my experience when I'm procrastinating.

[wildebeest]

Week one is over. Doing Budgeting in Government and Nonprofit Organizations, Research Methods in Public Administration and Public Policy, and a Proseminar in Public Policy Research and Analysis. Everything is asynchronous. 

A decent amount of reading, as expected, but not an unreasonable amount. I'd guess about 100 pages between all three classes, maybe 125. Had three discussion posts due, plus six comments, as well as two worksheets. The discussion posts were due midweek, but it seems that worksheets and papers are generally due Sunday at 11:59 pm, as are comments on others' discussion posts, which is nice if you work full time: You can simply do your reading and discussion posts during the week for low stakes, and write papers and comment over the weekend. 

I got responses and grades the Monday after I turned in my worksheets (yesterday), which I really appreciate, as it would have allowed me to apply any notes to my next week's assignments had I failed to meet expectations. My wife is doing grad school as well, at a different institution, and she sometimes won't receive a grade on any assignment for three or four weeks, and this during seven week terms; she understandably finds this frustrating.

So far, the professors have been very helpful and responded to any emails within the same business day.

Over all, very happy, and enjoying the classes.

[LevelUP]

One question people might have is can you work ahead?

Can you see what readings and assignments are due for future weeks?

[wildebeest]

One question people might have is can you work ahead?

Can you see what readings and assignments are due for future weeks?

Depends on professor, I think. In two of the three classes I'm taking, you can work ahead. All modules and assignments are visible and downloadable. In one, the upcoming module is locked until the following Monday at 12:00 am.

[vintage_jacket]

Thanks for this thread, @wildebeest. It seems like this might be a good option for students in IL looking to transfer from an RA institution. From a quick website skim, it looks like EIU accepts CLEP, AP, BI, and some Excelsior College UExcel Exams.

https://www.eiu.edu/registra/creditstand...dtests.php
https://www.eiu.edu/registra/clep.php

I didn't see anything about Sophia and Study, but that could be offered separately for specific degrees, e.g. Organizational Development program, https://www.eiu.edu/od/prior-learning-assessment.php .

Looking forward to your posts!

[bjcheung77]

And to be on the safe side, you want to email them to make sure they take the ACE & PLA for civilians or non active military.

[wildebeest]

Four weeks in. There is always quite a bit of reading, which I struggle to keep up with while working 45 hours a week and raising kids. I have managed to keep up, but barely, and skipping the readings would make the assignments nigh impossible. Most weeks every class has both a discussion post, one or two comments, and an assignment due, either a worksheet or a paper. Occasionally a class will have only an assignment or a discussion post plus comments. I enjoy the discussion posts more and more, as the folks in my classes have been very insightful, and raised a lot of interesting points. The feedback from professors is thoughtful, and you get a sense that they actually care, which is nice. Slightly overwhelmed doing nine credits in 16 weeks, but not more than I was doing undergrad at UMPI. I did 42 undergrad credits at UMPI in 16 weeks, for reference, and am probably spending a little less time on school now, though not as much less as you might expect, given the difference in credit count. The grading is tougher here, as I suppose you might expect. I've received no grades below a 93%, but I have worked significantly harder to achieve As. Although I'm only 1/4 of the way into my first semester, I feel like I'm learning a lot, and will be better equipped in a professional setting than I would have been otherwise. Still very happy with this school. 

I will note, however, that there is definitely something to be said for being able to take one class at a time and focusing all your attention on it, which you cannot do here if you want to graduate within a reasonable timeframe, rather than being mentally spread over multiple subjects. I wouldn't pick a different grad school. I love the small class sizes (between eight and ten) and, as I said, the professors seem to actually care, and they're good at what they do, but (at least right now) I do wish I could take one or two classes at a time over seven- or eight-week terms rather than three classes over a sixteen-week semester. I think I'd feel much less scattered. But that might just be me and the way my mind works.

[Alpha]

In my mind I think of programs like this as being traditional online degree programs.  Some transfer credits allowed but not much acceleration in the coursework.  Reading, discussion, testing all in a 16 week box.  This is the sort of circumstance in which I would do best.  I think this sort of format continues to describe the majority of online degree programs.  It moves along at a slower pace and is geared for people who have busy lives and can't devote so many hours to study, etc. every week.

[wildebeest]

In my mind I think of programs like this as being traditional online degree programs.  Some transfer credits allowed but not much acceleration in the coursework.  Reading, discussion, testing all in a 16 week box.  This is the sort of circumstance in which I would do best.  I think this sort of format continues to describe the majority of online degree programs.  It moves along at a slower pace and is geared for people who have busy lives and can't devote so many hours to study, etc. every week.

Yeah, of the online programs and classes I've done, this one feels the most like traditional school. That is, it reminds me most of my days on campus as an undergrad, with "classroom" participation, a set schedule, midterms, and a final. I do actually like the predictability of it, and knowing about how much work I'll be expected to do every week. But I don't love having to analyze a policy here, run a a few regression analyses there, and then analyze a nonprofit's statement of activities somewhere else, and all in one week. It could just be that I'm no longer used to the mental agility that requires, though; as the semester progresses, I may get more comfortable with it.

EDIT: It might also be that two of my three classes this semester are kind of math heavy, though not particularly difficult, and I'm not a math head.

[newdegree]

I wonder if the summer courses are also 16 weeks I see they offer summer semesters