For-Profit Colleges: Good Choice or Bane of the Education World?

[dewisant]

How to Vet a For-Profit Online Program - US News

I'm signing up with a for-profit university for an MA in History: am I doing the wrong thing entirely, or is it OK in some circumstances, or is it just OK as long as I pick a good one?

Alternatives you could suggest?

Thank you!

Dave

[rebel100]

I stopped reading at university of phallus (thanks sanantone). AMU/APU is more the model of how a for profit should be run, u of p should be illegal. Not even remotely the same thing. The differences are many but in particular the ever important aspect of perception plays a huge role here. U of P has been embroiled in multiple controversies typically centered on fleecing students and the American taxpayer. AMU on the other hand has positioned itself as practically a service school for the military, they have a vibrant and growing alumni base and they are neither considered prestigious nor questionable, they are just considered another regionally accredited school. They are also less than half the cost of a similar UofP degree.

[Tedium]

IrishJohn would know more about it than me. I will say that APU is the only for-profit I would honestly ever consider. You just don't hear the same horror stories coming out of that school, and from all accounts they actually give you an education, rather than just saddle you with busy work like some other programs. And they are pretty well-known for their history programs.

I don't think having a degree from APU would put you at much of a disadvantage. I took a leisure learning creative writing course recently that was taught by an MFA student who had basically all but gone to graduation. You know what her plans are? She is going back home to live with her parents for a while. It's not like she went to DeVry or anything. The MFA program at the university in my city is like #22 in the nation and she graduated with an MA and an MFA, which is a terminal degree.

The job market is hard nowadays, regardless of where you got your degree. You are going to have to work hard regardless.

[dewisant]

In 3 short years I would like to do something with it. Minimum retirement for me is 01 Aug 2017, not that I'm counting.

[sanantone]

I stopped reading at university of phallus (thanks sanantone). AMU/APU is more the model of how a for profit should be run, u of p should be illegal. Not even remotely the same thing. The differences are many but in particular the ever important aspect of perception plays a huge role here. U of P has been embroiled in multiple controversies typically centered on fleecing students and the American taxpayer. AMU on the other hand has positioned itself as practically a service school for the military, they have a vibrant and growing alumni base and they are neither considered prestigious nor questionable, they are just considered another regionally accredited school. They are also less than half the cost of a similar UofP degree.

See how I haven't created a name for APUS yet? I guess I could call it American Pubic University, but I haven't found a reason to. I'm quite impressed at their requirements for instructors. Most of the positions require a doctoral degree. They also pay them a competitive salary. UoP has a bunch of adjuncts making the equivalent of $9 or $10 an hour.

[TMW2010]

I dunno, I guess I'm one of the few, but I had a relatively bad experience with APU. One example was the grad-level statistics class where the instructor just tossed the work at us, didn't interact, didn't respond to students attempts to contact them (according to others in my class). They also severely screwed up my financial aid. They have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of cool offerings at the grad level, but I can't bring myself to go back there, even after everything got cleared up.

[TMW2010]

Most of the positions require a doctoral degree.

That's really not saying a whole lot, to be honest... Especially with the glut of doctorates out there at this point and the variable levels of actual skill, knowledge, and comprehension. Some people do great in the process but utterly suck as teachers.

[sanantone]

I dunno, I guess I'm one of the few, but I had a relatively bad experience with APU. One example was the grad-level statistics class where the instructor just tossed the work at us, didn't interact, didn't respond to students attempts to contact them (according to others in my class). They also severely screwed up my financial aid. They have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of cool offerings at the grad level, but I can't bring myself to go back there, even after everything got cleared up.

I have read the many complaints about how they handle financial aid.

That's really not saying a whole lot, to be honest... Especially with the glut of doctorates out there at this point and the variable levels of actual skill, knowledge, and comprehension. Some people do great in the process but utterly suck as teachers.

True. Non-traditional schools like APUS think it's better to hire people with professional experience. Some non-traditional colleges even require that the instructors still be in the field. This is not always good because, like you said, not everyone is good at teaching even if they are good at what they do. Sometimes, when you have an instructor who is teaching and working another full-time job, that professor is not very responsive. I had a community college instructor who was an assistant DA. That sounds great and all, but she went out of town several times during the course and was unable to grade or respond to emails.

[UptonSinclair]

I know this is off topic, but I will throw it out anyway. I am pretty sure Fort Hays has a Masters in History that you can complete online for less money than any of the for profit colleges. You have to search their website a bit to find it, but it may be worth checking into. They are definitely not prestigious, but they are a state university.

[sklineho]

A degree is only worth it if it can get you a job. Many employers won't even entertain applicants with degrees from for profit schools like UoP and DeVry. The market is competitive, and getting yourself knocked out of the running in the first round isn't a good idea on any day.

I recall looking at UoP (not seriously) years ago just out of curiosity. They offered graduate psychology programs. They information packet blew a bunch of smoke about how great it was. Then, in VERY fine print at the bottom it said something to the effect of "This program does not meet requirements for licensing".

Ok, this makes the program completely and utterly worthless. UoP did the bare minimum to avoid legal liability but it is still utterly unethical.

This mindset of "I want a degree" is a bad one. The goal should be to find employment, so your choice should be made solely with that in mind. Having a diploma on the wall means nothing if you can't find a job.