University of Phoenix

Good, not Great

The University of Phoenix (UoP) is a school that focuses on convenience to the Full-Time worker who is also seeking a degree. This review is based on my experience while earning a Bachelor of...Read complete review

The University of Phoenix (UoP) is a school that focuses on convenience to the Full-Time worker who is also seeking a degree. This review is based on my experience while earning a Bachelor of Science, Information Technology degree, which I received in 2004.

*One-At-A-Time-Courses* - "A"
Unlike a traditional university, UoP courses are generally taken by students one at a time, for a 5 week period, at which time that course is completed and the student moves on to the next course. One of my struggles while going to (then) UVSC was trying to balance several classes at the same time, while also going to work full time, participating as a scout leader, and managing a family. This was especially difficult when I had several courses requiring high amounts of time outside the classroom during the same semester. With UoP's One-Course-At-A-Time, even though the course itself only lasted 5 weeks, I was able to focus on that specific subject and found I was more able to stay on task.

*Attendance Offerings* - "A"
UoP offers courses in 3 ways: In-Person, Online, and a combination called "Flex". The In-Person courses are held 1 night a week for 4 hours during the evening, for 5 weeks. Online courses are also 5 weeks, but you can "go to class" at a time you find more convenient. In my case I could get online after all my kids were in bed, or early in the morning before work. Sometimes if work was slow, I was able to get online from there in the middle of the day. I really enjoyed the flex option. The first and final meetings were in person, and the three middle weeks were completed online. This allowed me to get to know the other students and the instructor I was working with a little better because I got to meet them face-to-face, but also allowed me the convenience of "going to class" during the 3 online weeks at times that worked better for me.

*Locations* - "A"
UoP had several locations in the greater SLC metro area. This makes it easier to get the course you want when you want it. In addition, the online courses can be taken anywhere you have a reliable internet connection.

*Instructors - General Courses* - "B"
The instructors I had during the general courses were generally average. I don't recall any "Amazing" instructors, nor do I recall any "Abysmal" instructors. I got what I expected to get.

*Instructors - Degree Courses* - "C-"
This is where my biggest disappointment was with UoP. I received a BSIT degree in 2004. I had 2 instructors that I thought were in the "Amazing" category. These instructors made me excited about the course work, and made learning easy. I had 4 instructors that were in the "Abysmal" category. These instructors were less useful than simply reading the book. One of them didn't show up several times, which in a 5 week course is a huge misstep. I felt they were simply there (or not) to fill a seat. The remaining instructors I would say were "just ok". They showed up, guided the discussions, graded the work, and that was that.

*Course Curriculum - General Courses* - "B+"
I don't know that there was anything outstanding here, but it met my expectations.

*Course Curriculum - Degree Courses* - "B-"
I was a bit disappointed that some of the newer technologies weren't more fully explored. At the same time, the courses offered did give a foundation that made it easy to apply the newer technologies when encountered in the real world.

*Team Projects* - "A-"
I enjoyed how every course required a team project to be completed at the end. This was almost always a huge part of the grade received. This was frustrating, because inevitably you get class members who don't do what they said they would do. However, this was good "real world" experience on working with others and getting projects completed.

*Cost* - "B"
The cost ended up being slightly higher than at UVSC, but generally is a lower cost than many other schools. This isn't a huge factor when selecting this school.

***Overall Grade*** - "B"
I chose UoP because of the convenience. It provided me with a way to earn a degree at a time when I likely would not have been able to at traditional style Universities. The less-than-stellar instructors were the biggest factor to the lower grade. That being said, I felt the instructors I had at (then) UVCS were about on par with UoP. I would recommend this University to others if they require night and online courses to complete their degree, or if they feel having one course at a time would help them achieve that goal.