re: University of Phoenix, Devry, Strayer, WGU, Grand Canyon University Reviews

There are two angles you have to consider. Fresh college grads and those who have been in the workforce for a at least a few years with real experience in their field.


Back when I was in the military and I wanted to further my education (I was enlisted) there simply was not many online/distant learning options. Your major schools now have online classes, but back in the pre-2006 range, they didn't have many degree plans to choose from.

I went to UoP while enlisted to knock out my general studies. I wanted to apply for officer candidate school at some point and knew I needed to start. I then ended up cross training from aviation maitenance to cyber surety (Information Assurance for the Air Force). In doing this I decided to take classes at UoP for Information Technology which supplemented my job in the military and ended up getting BA a few years later. For me, it was a "check box". I also had a number of private-industry lvl tech/security certifications to back up my training and education so I was never too worried about the perception of UoP.

Now, when I transitioned out of the military, I know for a fact that UoP on my resume meant some people just threw it away. It is an actual degree, but over the course of time it got a very bad rap for simply not having ANY standards for acceptance. Like literally none. While the course work was accredited, they accepted anyone with a pulse to take classes.

Even though I landed on my feet in the private sector making very good money, I had real work experience via the military to support my education toolkit. There is absolutely no reason a person out of high-school should consider these schools. New college grads with no background will be at the bottom of the list with these schools.

Back pre-2006 it made sense for me because there were not many options and I was actively working in a field that I was studying for (it also didn't have a bad rap back then). I also didn't plan to exit the Military until Obama got his fingers in it.

I later used my GI bill to attend a local Texas school and completed my masters because I was afraid that the UoP decision all those years ago would hinder my ability to move up within my current company.


Back to my original point; new college grad = school matters. A professional with experience = you can get away with it, but it very much depends on your experience and field. Not worth the risk today now that all your major universities offer some sort of online/distant learning for basically the same price.


Just my two cents, but I have seen VP levels with UoP masters all over the place. I wouldn't recommend it having experienced both.