U of Phoenix online MSN??

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 15, 2005

I agree that some people do have a bias against online education.

That it's somehow not as good as traditional classes is a feeling that's still out there. UoP has a campus here that offers business degrees and a masters in nursing. So when in this area you present a UoP degree, it's not really known if you got it traditionally or online.

My online degree from Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences will say not say it was an online degree, it will be the same degree the on-campus students received. When/if I graduate I'm going to put on my resume that I graduated from that college, not that I went online. Not because I'm ashamed to be an online student, but to me it's the degree that matters, that it was online is irrellevant (sp?).

However, when many people see UoP, they think online, and thus substandard, not knowing they actually have traditional schools as well.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Feb 16, 2005

My husband went through UOP to get his Master's. It worked out well for him but it was very expensive.

bukko · Feb 16, 2005

I started working toward a masters with the University of Phoenix last spring while I was sidelined for four months with a broken hip (bicycle crash riding to work). I did some due diligence checking out UoP's rep. HR and bosses at my hospital had no awareness of it, but at an info session on the University of California's nursing master's program that I attended, the profs did not criticize the online degrees. If the competition wouldn't badmouth it, I figured it must be OK. I have a cousin who got a nursing masters through them online and she liked it, although she's not using the degree to move into management.

I signed up and took four classes. Got A's and B's in all. But I dropped out. In part, it was because the University of Phoenix classes were too easy. I found that I could B.S. my way through them (I'm a good B.S.er) and that I wasn't actually learning much. The readings were OK, but I could pass without actually reading them. It wasn't like a formal classroom with lectures and tests where I'd have to prove what I knew. I wasn't getting $1,200 worth of knowledge from each course, and that's what I was paying from my own pocket. My classmates and the theachers were pleasant, but it was like a glorified chat room where you periodically had to chip in with a PowerPoint presentation. So I ditched it instead of investing more than $20,000 and two years to get a set of initials to put after my name but not that much learning in my brain.

Q. · Feb 16, 2005

I admit I hold a bias against on-line programs. But that probably is because I don't know much about their current status.

I took an on-line course (statistics) a couple summers ago from a brick and mortar university. And in general, I think on-line classes are fine but there definitely is a difference between them and traditional classes. I elected to take statistics on-line because I felt it would be "easier." The content was the same, but I will admit that it was much easier to "hide" and get outside help. Granted, we had to post so many discussions to the forums and we had a proctored midterm, but I don't think I would have done as well in a traditional class. Just my opinion.

From an educator standpoint, yes, there is a method to teaching on-line and that is actually one of my side interests. But there is something to be said for in person discussions that is hard to capture on-line.

spazbeanie · Feb 18, 2005

Spazbeanie - where are you at in Japan? Hubby and I were stationed (I was in the Navy, he Air Force) at Yokota AB and we both worked at FEN-Tokyo from 79 to 82. We got married in the chapel there and had our first son at the hospital. I have wonderful memories of Japan. So far I have not encountered any bias towards my UofP degree. However, I truly respect llg and believe her when she says her friend has encountered bias.

Just hanging out here in Misawa!! Hubby is in the med-group. I figured the masters would be a great thing to do while we are here. Just got back from Tokyo yesterday. We are making great memories here too!! Thanks for the UofP info.

spazbeanie · Feb 18, 2005

I started working toward a masters with the University of Phoenix last spring while I was sidelined for four months with a broken hip (bicycle crash riding to work). I did some due diligence checking out UoP's rep. HR and bosses at my hospital had no awareness of it, but at an info session on the University of California's nursing master's program that I attended, the profs did not criticize the online degrees. If the competition wouldn't badmouth it, I figured it must be OK. I have a cousin who got a nursing masters through them online and she liked it, although she's not using the degree to move into management.
I signed up and took four classes. Got A's and B's in all. But I dropped out. In part, it was because the University of Phoenix classes were too easy. I found that I could B.S. my way through them (I'm a good B.S.er) and that I wasn't actually learning much. The readings were OK, but I could pass without actually reading them. It wasn't like a formal classroom with lectures and tests where I'd have to prove what I knew. I wasn't getting $1,200 worth of knowledge from each course, and that's what I was paying from my own pocket. My classmates and the theachers were pleasant, but it was like a glorified chat room where you periodically had to chip in with a PowerPoint presentation. So I ditched it instead of investing more than $20,000 and two years to get a set of initials to put after my name but not that much learning in my brain.

I have heard from SEVERAL people that they had no problem receiving high grades at all either. But, when you come to think about it, UofP is completely for profit so I guess it does them no good to flunk out their students. I went through a highly competitive undergraduate BSN program and the professors had no problem flunking out students who couldn't handle the curriculum. I definitely don't want to do UofP is I can BS my way through (I am a good BSer too). I will probably do the nurse practitioner route...at least that way I have to actually pass a board that proves I know something. Thanks for the input.

LYNNORA · Feb 18, 2005

I just completed my MBA in Health Care Administration on ground at University of Phoenix. I felt i learned a lot. You get out of a Masters degree what you put into it. Sure you can cruise along and get B's but if you put effort into it you will get more out of it. I didn't get As or Bs in all my classes - i got what i deserved!

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 18, 2005

The idea that you don't want to spend money on a program because it is too easy and you are not learning much adds an interesting twist to the discussion.

I, too, would not want to feel that I was not getting my money's worth from an educational program. However, I had a friend who was getting her MSN at a traditional, local, on-campus program and she had a similar complaint. My advice to her at that time was to "pay for the degree" and then use the readings, etc. as a springboard to learn more on her own.

As another poster said, you get out of grad school what you put into it. Most graduate schools do not grade as harshly as undergraduate schools. They are not in the business of "weeding out unsafe practitioners." I went to very reputable schools and found that the grading scales got easier as I went up the ladder -- VERY tough in my undergraduate program, higher grades in my MSN program, and even higher grades in my PhD program.

At the graduate level, they exect the student to take a more active role in the learning process -- even a leadership role. The professors rarely "give" you the material, you are expected to "discover" or "develop" the knowledge yourself after having been pointed in the right direction by the faculty. A good graduate faculty member will also critique the student's work well, hopefully leading the student to think about the topic even more deeply and developing even more knowledge.

I have no personal knowledge of the UofP's level of difficulty or quality of teaching ... so, I won't try to comment on it. But if you are looking for tough exams, cut-throat competition, people flunking out, etc. at grad school ... you will find that at very few graduate programs on-campus or off-campus. While most grad schools have a couple of tough classes and/or weed out a few students who can't do graduate level work, the cut-throat culture is just usually not there the same way it is in undergraduate programs.

llg

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 18, 2005

The idea that you don't want to spend money on a program because it is too easy and you are not learning much adds an interesting twist to the discussion.
I, too, would not want to feel that I was not getting my money's worth from an educational program. However, I had a friend who was getting her MSN at a traditional, local, on-campus program and she had a similar complaint. My advice to her at that time was to "pay for the degree" and then use the readings, etc. as a springboard to learn more on her own.
As another poster said, you get out of grad school what you put into it. Most graduate schools do not grade as harshly as undergraduate schools. They are not in the business of "weeding out unsafe practitioners." I went to very reputable schools and found that the grading scales got easier as I went up the ladder -- VERY tough in my undergraduate program, higher grades in my MSN program, and even higher grades in my PhD program.
At the graduate level, they exect the student to take a more active role in the learning process -- even a leadership role. The professors rarely "give" you the material, you are expected to "discover" or "develop" the knowledge yourself after having been pointed in the right direction by the faculty. A good graduate faculty member will also critique the student's work well, hopefully leading the student to think about the topic even more deeply and developing even more knowledge.
I have no personal knowledge of the UofP's level of difficulty or quality of teaching ... so, I won't try to comment on it. But if you are looking for tough exams, cut-throat competition, people flunking out, etc. at grad school ... you will find that at very few graduate programs on-campus or off-campus. While most grad schools have a couple of tough classes and/or weed out a few students who can't do graduate level work, the cut-throat culture is just usually not there the same way it is in undergraduate programs.
llg

Lacking "cut throat" mentality at the graduate level. What a concept. I would be willing to bet also, a big reason is because the majority of grad students have spent time in "the real world", struggling a bit, working more, and have had to be "team players" at least once or twice. They now can see more than their GPA is important in life. They are not all steeped in Ivory Tower thinking, either.....but.... Most are pursuing advanced degrees because they truly WANT to, not just need to. They want and crave learning at a higher level and have not got time or inclination to worry about the grades their classmates are pulling. They have more important things to do. Just hazarding a guess here, anyhow.

rwilson753 · Feb 19, 2005

I received my MSN from University of Phoenix and now I am teaching for University of Phoenix. The degree does not say online. It looks just like the one I received from the University of Tennessee.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Feb 19, 2005

I went to the traditional ground university in Florida. However, had some issues with child care and really could not continue. After ALOT of research, I discovered the University of Phoenix both ground college and on-line. My friend decided she would transfer to ground college and I made the decision to take their online BSN program. My friend has since graduated with her BSN and is now working on her Masters .... I had some delyas relating to a move, but am back at it and also almost finished.

The program is pretty intense and can be very difficult to do. I think that as nurses, we already have a foundation of knowledge and at the BSN level, you are building upon that foundation. This program is the same as any ground program from my perspective. I will also complete the MSN program with UoP. I want to teach and this is the only way I can complete my advanced degree right now. However, even if I had the choice, I would still chose online for its convenience.

Now, if one were interested in becoming an ARNP or FNP, I agree, the clinical experience needed to be successful in those areas are very important. However, UoP does not offer online FNP or ARNP programs. These programs are only offered in their ground colleges.

And, interestingly enough, there are many, many employers that look at UoP as a highly reputable University ... one of them being the Federal Government. The VA Hospitals pay thousands of dollars per year to send their nurses through UoP's BSN program .... so I guess that would answer my question. And, as Tweety said and other's have said, my degree will not say ONLINE STUDENT on it .... it will be a BSN degree from a NLN accredited university .... !