Kaplan University

[agzg]

Kaplan University is regionally accredited (meaning, its accreditation is by the same or a comparable accrediting body as any state school). For Master's Degree programs (that I've noticed, so YMMV), the importance of where you got it is much less than the importance of the fact that you got it, but of course there are the elites in many fields that get a little more notice.

For an ed program, though, yes, online only might not be as valuable an experience as actually going to class and interacting with professors/fellow students/students. Online programs are particularly difficult for students who need that interaction (aren't as big on the self-starting).

Also, typically Kaplan and Phoenix degrees are worth more (to your employer) when you already work there, if that makes sense.

[HeavenslilAngel]

Originally Posted by agzg

Kaplan University is regionally accredited (meaning, its accreditation is by the same or a comparable accrediting body as any state school). For Master's Degree programs (that I've noticed, so YMMV), the importance of where you got it is much less than the importance of the fact that you got it, but of course there are the elites in many fields that get a little more notice.

For an ed program, though, yes, online only might not be as valuable an experience as actually going to class and interacting with professors/fellow students/students. Online programs are particularly difficult for students who need that interaction (aren't as big on the self-starting).

Also, typically Kaplan and Phoenix degrees are worth more (to your employer) when you already work there, if that makes sense.

So basically your opinion is that in my case a degree from a degree from the state school would benefit me more since I will be new to the field?

I did my current masters completely online so I'm familiar and comfortable with that format and the extreme self discipline "requirement" thats involved.

Thanks and keep the advice coming. I love hearing different perspectives.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by agzg

Online programs are particularly difficult for students who need that interaction (aren't as big on the self-starting).

This is me right here.

As much of an introvert as I am, I am SO not an online class person.

I'm a very conventional learner and I learn best through someone discussing the subject with me/taking notes about it/listen to other people discuss it. I'm also that person who likes clear expectations on assignments.

I don't learn from people saying "read x and take a 10 question quiz on x."

I also have the memory capacity of a goldfish. Going to class everyday and the routine of it helps me remember when things are due. In my online classes (a couple of my courses were online only) I was that person who had homework due at midnight and didn't realize it until 10.

I've had people ask me "why don't you get your ed degree online? It's so easy and you won't even have to student teach!" Um, because I have never taught in my LIFE and I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing if all I did was read about it online?

[AlphaFrog]

Being that you want to WORK in a university environment, it would seem important to actually GO to a university for that degree. I know you went to a university for undergrad, but I would think it would look better to get your masters from one as well. Otherwise, it seems to me like a lawyer who had never actually set foot in a courtroom, or a doctor that had only ever performed "virtual surgeries".

[agzg]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I don't learn from people saying "read x and take a 10 question quiz on x."

Online classes (that aren't done by universities or taught by professors who don't care about online learning) are typically nothing like this.

Some of the larger "prestigious" state universities have the worst online classes I have ever seen in my life.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

This is me right here.

As much of an introvert as I am, I am SO not an online class person.

I'm a very conventional learner and I learn best through someone discussing the subject with me/taking notes about it/listen to other people discuss it. I'm also that person who likes clear expectations on assignments.

I don't learn from people saying "read x and take a 10 question quiz on x."

I also have the memory capacity of a goldfish. Going to class everyday and the routine of it helps me remember when things are due. In my online classes (a couple of my courses were online only) I was that person who had homework due at midnight and didn't realize it until 10.

Originally Posted by agzg

Online classes (that aren't done by universities or taught by professors who don't care about online learning) are typically nothing like this.

This. I took online courses through Northeastern University in Boston. They were fantastic! There was a great deal of interaction and one-on-one time with the professor and other students via video/IM/phone, etc.

We used BlackBoard, so the set-up was easy to follow. The classes themselves weren't easy by any means and I still had the same professor issues I've always had (e.g. profs that refuse to give people 100% on anything, even when the submission deserves it.)

Online learning worked well for me as a graduate program, so I could continue to work full-time and go to school full-time, while keeping up with my family and other obligations. However, I would not have survived an online program as an undergrad.

[Munchkin03]

I am a major skeptic when it comes to online programs. A class here or there as part of a larger degree program, if a long-time employer's paying for it, or for a specific certificate program (say, IT) seems fine. I just doubt that, outside those three scenarios that an online degree is really worth the time and money. I'm getting to the point in my career where I'm starting to review resumes with HR, and I can't ever imagine preferring someone with an online-only degree (be it BS or MS) over someone who actually, you know, went to class. Pray tell, how does one get a BS in Nursing online?

My friends in student life/Greek affairs rely so much on the connections they made in graduate school for jobs and fellowships--are you really going to make connections like that at "online graduate school?"

I'm not sure that not requiring the GRE is a "good thing," either. Taking it--and preparing for it--is a good sign that you're serious about going back to school, and that you're prepared for graduate-level work. A school that doesn't take it (unless it's a school that requires auditions or portfolios) might be teaching to the "lowest common denominator," which is never good for anyone.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Pray tell, how does one get a BS in Nursing online?

Those are "hybrid" or "blended" courses - you do your gen eds all online, then you have your lectures online but your lab work in a campus setting (with wet labs that have cadavers and everything). There's research out there supporting the efficacy of those models. I'd link to some of the better ones but I can only find them behind a paywall right now.

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

I'm not sure that not requiring the GRE is a "good thing," either. Taking it--and preparing for it--is a good sign that you're serious about going back to school, and that you're prepared for graduate-level work. A school that doesn't take it (unless it's a school that requires auditions or portfolios) might be teaching to the "lowest common denominator," which is never good for anyone.

There are a lot of grad schools that don't require the GRE or portfolios or auditions. Mine didn't, but we're top 10 in the field.

[33girl]

Please go to the Frontline website and watch their latest report about how Kaplan and other for-profit universities are scamming veterans out of their GI Bill money.

If you're going to school for a career in Higher Ed - which will require nearly constant human interaction - you need to do it all in the classroom, not online.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by agzg

There are a lot of grad schools that don't require the GRE or portfolios or auditions. Mine didn't, but we're top 10 in the field.

I know that there are a lot, and some of them might be excellent programs, but they are by far the exception and not the rule (ie, top-tier programs that don't require the GRE, auditions, or portfolios). Picking a program because it doesn't require the GRE, regardless of the impact it may have on your career, isn't a brilliant move.

Originally Posted by 33girl

Please go to the Frontline website and watch their latest report about how Kaplan and other for-profit universities are scamming veterans out of their GI Bill money.

There's so much scamming going on with some of those for-profit universities. There are a lot of stories about schools fudging FAFSAs to increase Pell Grant amounts, which is money in the bank to them. It's just a hot mess. They often hide behind "accreditation," which doesn't really mean that much since there are so many accrediting bodies.

[Gusteau]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

My friends in student life/Greek affairs rely so much on the connections they made in graduate school for jobs and fellowships--are you really going to make connections like that at "online graduate school?"

This is a point that can't be overlooked, OP. Student affairs is a very small world, and connections are key. I am convinced that would not have been admitted into one very popular program if one of my mentors had not been an alumna of that program.

Do you have any contacts from your undergraduate program (Greek advisor, people in the campus life office, etc.) that you're still in touch with? They are a great resource for finding a good program, and you wll want to reach out to them!

[HeavenslilAngel]

Originally Posted by Gusteau

Do you have any contacts from your undergraduate program (Greek advisor, people in the campus life office, etc.) that you're still in touch with? They are a great resource for finding a good program, and you wll want to reach out to them!

I know no one at the state school I am attempting to get accepted into. However, there are non-degree classes that I can take that could potentially transfer into the program. Additionally, there are certificate programs (for like Leadership and such) that I could do and make friends/mentors/other contacts. Not sure, but if I do either of those two options (non-degree classes or certificates), I'm sure that can only help me either get in and/or bridge the "not knowing a soul at the university" gap.

Thank you all so much for your advice! So much to consider....but then again this is a big change.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

I'm getting to the point in my career where I'm starting to review resumes with HR, and I can't ever imagine preferring someone with an online-only degree (be it BS or MS) over someone who actually, you know, went to class.

Are you speaking specifically about for-profit schools? The degree you get at a traditional, nonprofit school is usually identical to the degree one would get if they took all on-the-ground courses.

My "online" program is also offered in blended and on-the-ground only programs. All three diplomas are the same. There would be no way for an employer to know the difference if you didn't tell them.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

Are you speaking specifically about for-profit schools? The degree you get at a traditional, nonprofit school is usually identical to the degree one would get if they took all on-the-ground courses.

My "online" program is also offered in blended and on-the-ground only programs. All three diplomas are the same. There would be no way for an employer to know the difference if you didn't tell them.

I am specifically speaking about for-profit schools; I thought I made that distinction above but maybe I forgot to do so. Many highly regarded institutions offer degrees that have online components and those seem to be pretty legitimate.

If an employer were to look at a transcript, would the online classes be noted as such?

[AlwaysSAI]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

This is me right here.

As much of an introvert as I am, I am SO not an online class person.

I'm a very conventional learner and I learn best through someone discussing the subject with me/taking notes about it/listen to other people discuss it. I'm also that person who likes clear expectations on assignments.

I don't learn from people saying "read x and take a 10 question quiz on x."

I also have the memory capacity of a goldfish. Going to class everyday and the routine of it helps me remember when things are due. In my online classes (a couple of my courses were online only) I was that person who had homework due at midnight and didn't realize it until 10.

My mom keeps steering me towards an online program for graduate school (because many state schools are going that way) but I just can't get her to understand that it's just not for me. I just......need to be able to look a professor in the face if I need help.