Online College Program related to Computers

[Squintz]

I looking at going back to school for my BS in either information technology or computers and information science.

 

The two schools in question are Univeristy of Phoenix Online (IT) and University of Maryland University College (CIS). I live in maryland so I have a little biased opinion in thinking that UMUC is the better of the two online programs. Both programs are similar except that it will probably be alot easier for me to get my degree from Phoenix because of the type of classes and amount of credits needed.

 

But I don't want to attend Phoenix if the degree isnt going to mean anything.

 

So what I need help with from you guys is to help me make a choice. Is Phoenix a reputable school which will look good on my resume and does it look as good as UMUC. Also to take into consideration is that Phoenix has already accepted me and accepted 35+ credits from my previous school wheras maryland has not contacted me yet. So should i start school at Phoenix just to get the ball rolling and get my BSIT or sit around and wait for maryland because Phoenix isnt good enough.

 

What are your thoughts?

[Pangloss]

I just went through the same process myself, chosing a CIS program at AIU. I did a lot of investigating beforehand and learned how the process works. I wanted to be absolutely certain, as you do, that my degree(s) would have value.

 

I checked out UoP and didn't find any major problems with it. I have three friends who either attended or are attending classes there. One is having problems with financial aid; the other two did not. Her complaint is that the school is forcing her to pay for future classes in spite of not receiving full coverage. I'm a little skeptical of her claim, and my other two friends have not had this difficulty. But the whole Financial Aid situation in this country is a major discussion in itself, and I strongly recommend getting full and complete advice on that subject before you sign anything. Caveat emptor.

 

Getting back to the value of the degree, schools today fall into these categories (these are entirely my categories made up for this thread, so don't go Googling "category one" schools):

 

Category 1: Public. These are generally pretty reliable, and cheap, and the full value of the degree is a given. The safest bet. UMUC falls into this category. The down sides basically revolve around convenience, customer service, and the value of the instruction. It varies wildly from school to school, and I have no knowledge about UMUC (sorry).

 

Category 2: Private, non-profit. These are the traditional private universities. That would include places like Harvard and Duke, for example. They belong in a separate category for two reasons that matter to you right now: They cost a lot more money, and they have to go through a process known as "accreditation", which the public schools do not. Accreditation is about to become the most important word you know, as I will explain briefly below.

 

Category 3: Private, for-profit. This is the newest category, made possible by the Clinton administration's changes to the federal student loan program allowing these institutions to take students with federally-backed loans. This would include the University of Phoenix, DeVry, and American Intercontinental University. These schools also cost a lot more than public schools (typically the same or more than category 2 schools). These schools receive accreditation from the same body as category 2 schools, and that's a VERY important consideration. (It's why your degree from UoP will have exactly the same value as a degree from UMUC.)

 

Category 4: Unaccredited schools. ITT and Art Institute, for example, and local shopping-mall type schools. These schools are mainly focus on trade skills, and do have value in that area, but the disturbing trend to call their programs "bacherlor's degrees", and the fact that they're able to receive federal financial aid, seriously undermine the value of category 3 degree programs. (I used to teach at a school like this, before I got a job teaching MCSE classes as an MCT. I didn't have a degree then, so that says a lot about this category, as does the fact that I was not allowed to fail students.)

 

Category 5: Diploma mills. No value, steer clear. I just place them here to clarify that category three schools are NOT diploma mills.

 

The accreditation issue is a serious one and warrants full investigation on your part. DO NOT be persuaded by alternate accreditation programs. Fortunately UoP is accredited by the same body that accredits all category two schools in the southeastern US: SACS. SACS accreditation is the reason why UoP requires that an instructor have at least a Master's degree in the field being taught, for example. SACS accreditation also means you can get into graduate school with that degree. It means full value.

 

Each region of the country is covered by a different subsection of the same body, and I forget the name, but I seem to recall that UoP went through SACS (although you should verify this from the SACS web site, and monitor that page while you make your decision). (One note: The SACS search engine is a bit finicky and if you don't see the school you're looking for right away, it may still be there. I had a lot of trouble finding AIU in it, for example, but I picked it out eventually by messing with the spelling -- it's case sensitive and there's a capital I in the middle, see.)

 

I chose American Intercontinental University (AIU) over Phoenix because I wanted to do on-campus classes and they had a local branch. It worked out well. I'm now in a graduate program at Nova Southeastern University, which has one of the best CIS programs in the country. I'm hoping to start in their PhD program in a few weeks, and at some point this fall I hope to land a teaching position in a category 2 or 3 school.

 

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. Good luck!

[Squintz]

Awesome explaination. Thanks a bunch. Univeristy of Maryland University College is the home of the Terrapins also known as the Terps. They are a fairly popular school here on the east coast which is why I was leaning towards their program but since they have still not returned any of my attempts to contact them I am assuming that they dont want my buisness.

 

I'm going keep trying to contact maryland for a few more weeks just to make sure im not missing out on something. Thanks again.

[Pangloss]

They will never show any interest in you whatsoever at the administrative level. That's how it is with the public schools. They really have no reason to be customer service oriented.

 

Think of it as the local government. They provide a service that is assumed to exist, rather than trying to sell you a product. You're on their terms at all times. So that means going down to their office, filling out their paperwork, following their procedures, and so forth. The advantage of this system is that, because they're not trying to sell you a product, they're presumed to have a higher standard of academic integrity. In reality is just means that it's like dealing with a local utility.

 

Typically it's much better at the class level -- a professor is more likely to care about his or her students, which they interact with every day.

 

Anyway, good luck with it!