Seeking feedback about Patten University

[christy_nicole83]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here, and I was hoping to get some feedback about Patten University. I'm looking at enrolling in their BA Management - Concentration in Leadership program. Specifically, I'd like to know how difficult the online classes are (particularly the 300 and 400 level ones) and how long it takes to complete an average upper level management course. I'm trying to gauge how long the 12 classes I need will take to finish. My degree plan is included below. Any feedback/tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

BA Management - Concentration in Leadership

Classes Needed:
MGT407 – Managerial Economics
MGT409 – Managerial Finance
MGT305 – Research Methodology
MGT301 – Leadership in Organizations and Business Management
MGT408 – Marketing Management
MGT410 – Human Resources Management
MGT411 – Strategic Planning
LDR471 – Conflict Management
LDR472 – Mentoring and Team Leadership
LDR481 – Principles and Practice of Leadership
PSY476 – Counseling
MGT499 – Capstone Experience

Classes In Progress Through Straighterline/CLEP/ACE Testing:
PSS100 – Academic Strategies --> Straighterline
MGT303 – Management Theories and Practices --> ACE credit (Saylor Academy)
BUS220 – Microeconomics ---> Straighterline
MGT304 – Organizational and Business Communication -->ACE credit (Saylor Academy)
LDR364 – Organizational Dynamics --> Straighterline

Classes Transferred In (Finished):
COM146 – Communication
CIS101 – Computer Literacy
ART220 – Introduction to Film
ENG101A – Reading and Composition
MTH115 – College Algebra
PSY221 – Psychology
ENG101B – Critical Thinking, Reading & Writing
BIO151 – Introduction to Biology
ENG204 – Interdisciplinary Reading, Writing & Research
HIS227 – Ancient World History
SOC230 – Sociology
POL241 – American Government
PSC152 – Physical Science
PHL263 – Social Ethics
PHL271 – Philosophy
MTH135 – Statistics
ENG348 – Modern American Literature
PHY154 – Physics I with Lab
HIS101 – American History I
SSC304 – World Religions
PSY421 – Social Psychology
BUS209 – Financial Accounting I
MGT313 – Business Law and Ethics

[Saharapost]

Welcome to Degreeforum. I am enrolled in the BA Management - Leadership program and have completed 11 classes since June 2015 with 6 more classes to go. Currently, I am taking MGT410 – Human Resources Management.

Because Patten's competency program means you don't have to take the classes like you would in a traditional online class environment, it is possible to complete a Patten degree as fast or as slow as you can. To your question - how difficult the classes are, this depends on the person taking the classes I'll say. While I find the classes absolutely doable, someone who doesn't have prior college experience may find them really difficult. For me, the classes are fun. I go straight to the exam and submit a final project to earn credits when I already know the material. In cases where I have little to no knowledge in the class, I read the material, do the unit quizzes , take the final exam and submit the final project. Overall, Patten's classes are not super easy, but absolutely doable.

On how long it takes to complete a class, it depends on your knowledge about the subject. Even when I am new to a course, it takes me about 2 weeks (if I am really serious about business) to complete a class. I have completed a Patten class in a week. I have also completed a class in a month when I am madly busy at work and have no time to do my assignments. It all boils down on the amount of time you put into it.

[CM1999]

I tried Patten -I think it's a great program but it wasnt the best for me. In terms of how hard or easy: I would say middle of the road.

Here is why it wasnt the best for me:
I tend to struggle with multiple choice exams IF there is no study guide to help me know what I need to know (and their exams are all multiple choice, no essay) - I also tend to do well when there is more of a 'hunt' to it....so things like CLEP where I can hunt around to find the best textbook or online program to help me study and use various ways to study really work for me, as opposed to one teacher-assigned text to just read. (my husband excels at multiple choice, I excel at essay questions, so I think it's just a matter of what kind of test taker you are). I wanted to just challenge all of the classes - not do all of the work, just do the final project and exam, but, by not doing the work and having no interaction with the teacher, I couldnt gauge what I needed to know for the exams. ---now, the lowest grade I got was a B+ so it wasnt bad but I had previously been a 4.0 student so it was a little blow to my ego I simply found that the things I was focusing on in the reading were not the same things that showed up on the exams. ---with programs like TESC/COSC and CLEP, etc there is enough feedback from forums to get a good idea of what content knowledge I need to pass exams...with Patten I felt far more 'in the dark'.....

As an example: I did a Film class for art credit. I was dreading it because I'm absolutely not into film/movies/television...but then I found the class to be fascinating because of the info about how the film makers use the camera in different ways to evoke emotion in the viewers...and how music is used to bring up various emotions. I was utterly fascinated by the mechanics of it once I knew what when into it and how those things evolved the industry. Perhaps it was because of my background (I'm a drug and alcohol counselor and majoring in psych) but, unfortunately, I spent too much time focusing on those things and the exam had a lot more questions about the people involved in changing the industry and I needed to know more about the specific names of people and when certain things in the industry happened --so I felt like it was more about the history of the industry and I was really only absorbing the psychology behind it. again, I got a B+....so, not bad, but I think I could have done better if I had been able to look in a forum and know more of what would be on the test OR if there was some feedback (meaning from assignments throughout the class) from the instructor.

The other thing that didnt work for me was that you are given your list of classes and you work on them in the order they give them to you. I was able to delay a math class but I felt like I had to beg to make the order of the classes change each time --and do a lot of explaining. I have a job that is very busy during certain times and very slow during certain times. I wanted more freedom (without having to ask/explain) to pick psych classes during my busy times and things like math/science during my slow times.

overall, I think their program is GREAT ---especially if you can read textbooks and do well on multiple choice exams that dont have study guides.

[GoodYellowDogs]

I really like them and have found the professors to be really good. In addition, your papers/projects are graded by someone else, so it is really objective.