Random observation about online grad studies

[cookderosa]

Yesterday I did some research for my own kids, but in doing so, I visited all of the public university pages in my state (North Carolina). We have 16 of them. Of course for fun, I had to check out all the online options. Guess what? Every single one offered graduate programs online- all of them. Just generically, the prices were decent and the selection was as you'd expect (business, education, leadership, plus a few others). Several years ago, there were undergrad offerings running through all the publics, but now that you can do undergrad or grad - I just don't understand the draw for a for-profit education at double+ the price. I expect most states are similar.

Anyone else noticed this in your state?

[futuremrsmlb]

As a North Carolinian the things that steered me away from unc public university system was cost, flexibility stringent admission and transfer policies. For a traditional college student I would suggest going the public university route since i think it is geared towards that student population.

For nontraditional students who require more flexibility like myself, obtaining a graduate degree from one of the above institutions was not in the cards. And I applied to UNC Chapel Hill (program cost 100k), NC State (program cost 50-60k) I chose the for profit route based on the factors listed earlier.

[KayV]

Texas has tons of these, from all of the major universities. Some are even doctoral programs.

It seems like just the other day (2008 maybe?) I was sitting in a faculty meeting to hear about a brand-new online MEd program that Lamar University was starting for teachers. Back then they gave teacher discounts.

[cookderosa]

As a North Carolinian the things that steered me away from unc public university system was cost, flexibility stringent admission and transfer policies. For a traditional college student I would suggest going the public university route since i think it is geared towards that student population.

For nontraditional students who require more flexibility like myself, obtaining a graduate degree from one of the above institutions was not in the cards. And I applied to UNC Chapel Hill (program cost 100k), NC State (program cost 50-60k) I chose the for profit route based on the factors listed earlier.

I'm over in Charlotte, and it's CHEAP. UNC Charlotte campus is only $203 per credit distance learning graduate study! (there are fees, bringing it up closer to $230/cr) I didn't look at Chapel Hill, I probably couldn't get in there, even though I was an employee lol. Still, $230/credit for grad study is awesome. http://finance.uncc.edu/sites/finance.un...5_16_0.pdf

EDIT: I also looked at App State- under $250/cr graduate degree online http://studentaccounts.appstate.edu/2015...ition-fees

[dfrecore]

As a North Carolinian the things that steered me away from unc public university system was cost, flexibility stringent admission and transfer policies. For a traditional college student I would suggest going the public university route since i think it is geared towards that student population.

For nontraditional students who require more flexibility like myself, obtaining a graduate degree from one of the above institutions was not in the cards. And I applied to UNC Chapel Hill (program cost 100k), NC State (program cost 50-60k) I chose the for profit route based on the factors listed earlier.

For an MBA at my local CA State University nearby, the flexibility would be an issue as well - you start in the summer, and go year-round for 18 months. The cost is $30k (as far as I can tell - an annual tuition fee of $6738 which doesn't include the required summer terms + course fees of $254/cr x 41cr). And you go to school on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays for the entire time. I can't imagine giving up my Saturdays for 18 months! That's nuts! Their admission policy is ok, not too bad. One thing is interesting:

"A Grade Point Average (GPA) of “B” (3.0) or better in the last 60 graded semester units, from a WASC-equivalent university. Only regular courses from four-year colleges and/or universities will be used in calculating an applicant’s GPA—no extension courses or community college courses will be included."

So for anyone who tested out of their BA/BS, they are going to have a hard time being accepted into this program. I couldn't get in, because my GPA at 4-yr colleges only is 2.6 (one terrible year and a half out of high school with a 1.9 GPA, and then a great couple of years 10 years after that, with a 3.5 GPA. So I would have to take 5 courses at a 4-year college and get all A's in order to raise my GPA up enough to apply to this school - and that only puts me at 51cr total, so I'm not certain if I would have to take 3 more courses/9cr to get to the 60cr. Ouch!

[sanantone]

When I was searching for graduate programs in 2011, I found a lot at Texas universities. For a lot of colleges, their first online program is a graduate program. They're the easiest to develop and offer online due to them having less credits and no general education requirements. With general education requirements, you have to get multiple departments on board with offering online courses. Some colleges are still only able to offer degree completion programs at the baccalaureate level. I would also assume that the market is better for many professional, graduate programs, such as the M.Ed. and MBA, because of working adults wanting to return to school. Many of these people are going back to school after having completed an undergraduate degree in the traditional manner. At the undergraduate level, for-profits tend to attract students who cannot or will not go through the admissions process at traditional schools. For-profits make enrollment easy by having low admissions standards and admissions reps who hold your hand throughout the whole process. But, many times, people enroll in for-profits due to a lack of research.

I'm over in Charlotte, and it's CHEAP. UNC Charlotte campus is only $203 per credit distance learning graduate study! (there are fees, bringing it up closer to $230/cr) I didn't look at Chapel Hill, I probably couldn't get in there, even though I was an employee lol. Still, $230/credit for grad study is awesome. http://finance.uncc.edu/sites/finance.un...5_16_0.pdf

EDIT: I also looked at App State- under $250/cr graduate degree online 2015-16 Distance Education Tuition & Fees | Student Accounts | Appalachian State University

MBA programs are often more expensive, and futuremrsmlb is in an MBA program. The MBA program at Appalachian State University is $423.97 per credit hour, but I think that is still slightly less expensive than Kaplan University.

[Exfactor]

People choose for-profits because they offer:

No GRE.
Fast course enrollment.
Fast/easy financial aid process.

The For-Profits hold your hand to get you in classes. With Non-Profits you are on your own. However, I'm now seeing more non-profits not requiring the GRE.

[futuremrsmlb]

I'm over in Charlotte, and it's CHEAP. UNC Charlotte campus is only $203 per credit distance learning graduate study! (there are fees, bringing it up closer to $230/cr) I didn't look at Chapel Hill, I probably couldn't get in there, even though I was an employee lol. Still, $230/credit for grad study is awesome. http://finance.uncc.edu/sites/finance.un...5_16_0.pdf

EDIT: I also looked at App State- under $250/cr graduate degree online 2015-16 Distance Education Tuition & Fees | Student Accounts | Appalachian State University

The MSA @ UNC-CH is about $100k. I corresponded with an admissions rep for a while about the program. It also has a residency requirement where you have to stay on campus during some parts of the cohort. That is how a lot of the programs are. Not 100% online. I shopped around. Additionally as already mentioned I would have to take a few pre-courses before starting the actual program. I didn't want to waste time doing that

Also Kaplan's MBA is 441 p/ch; as alumni i get 20 percent off. Which makes it doable.

Ps...having 100% tuition reimbursement helps to..

[ajs1976]

People choose for-profits because they offer:

No GRE.
Fast course enrollment.
Fast/easy financial aid process.

The For-Profits hold your hand to get you in classes. With Non-Profits you are on your own. However, I'm now seeing more non-profits not requiring the GRE.

I think these are the main reasons along with aggressive marketing.

[sanantone]

I think these are the main reasons along with aggressive marketing.

That's because their target market, at least at the undergraduate level, is first generation college students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The application, enrollment, and financial aid process can seem daunting to people who know nothing about attending college. Unfortunately, most of these students will not be getting 100% tuition reimbursement from their employers. When I worked at a for-profit, I mostly came across two groups of students. One group did attend a community college, but they failed needed courses, such as college algebra and English comp, or couldn't get through the remedial courses. The other group was completely unaware of the fact that the CJ programs at the local community colleges were a fraction of the cost. This college was nationally accredited. None of the students knew that their degrees would not be recognized by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement for advanced certification purposes, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office or San Antonio Police Department for educational incentive pay, or the Texas Department of Public Safety as meeting the education requirement for state trooper cadets until the instructors informed them.

The admissions reps, and even the program director, would tell students that their degrees would help them become police officers. Most of them ended up working as security guards. One elderly student in a wheelchair thought he could become a criminal investigator. When I contacted University of Phoenix over 10 years ago, they enrolled me into an associates in business administration program at Western International University, which is their sister school. They told me I could get my basics out of the way and move to a bachelor's degree program at UoP so that I could become a history teacher. It turns out, at least at that time, neither one of those schools had a history or education program that would help me become a teacher certified in history. Some non-profits, such as SNHU, have adopted the aggressive marketing practices of for-profits.