After taking a lengthy break from "higher education" thanks to a rigorous course load in high school, I found that going back to a traditional university was not the best option given the long hours I was putting it at work. My schedule was unpredictable which meant I never knew from one day to the next how much overtime I might need to put in. Several co-workers were completing their Masters degrees at University of Phoenix (UOP) so I looked in their undergrad programs.
As I had contemplated applying with the Department of Insurance or an Insurance Fraud Association, the typical requirements were either prior law enforcement experience or a degree in Criminal Justice. I was already working in the industry so it seemed like a good choice while I sorted out my future. The BS in Criminal Justice was completely online but they did have combination programs that include online and one day a week meeting sessions. I chose to do the program that was completely online as it better suited my schedule. The program was easy to get accepted in (I was coming in as a Junior),but certainly not inexpensive. UOP programs qualify for federal loans and grants, which does offseat the expensive tuition some.
Typically, the program runs 52 weeks a year with breaks at Thanksgiving and Christmas. You have the option to have a week break between your class sessions or continue straight through. My recommendation after doing both ways - take the week break so you do not burn out. I would also recommend you finish your first two years of undergraduate work at a junior college, if possible, as it will significantly reduce your costs (my final loan amount after the 2 years was in excess of $30,000).
As with any online program, there are pros and cons with UOP. My biggest gripe is that most of the grade comes from participation and team projects. Doesn’t sound that bad, right? Wrong! Team projects were the bulk of your grade which meant working with new teammates each class - sometimes every week depending on the professor. Made up of four to five members, each team was required to complete several projects throughout the class, usually leading up to one large project (PowerPoint oriented 70% of the time). Fortunately, I had strong PowerPoint skills but many of the class members did not or were not the strongest writers. Sometimes members would bicker, not pull their weight, and you might find yourself pulling all the weight on a project.
Another tip is to watch out if you were not the selected proofreader for the week and you found issues with someone else’s writing. Many other students were not accepting of constructive criticism and others were not proficient at giving it. The biggest downfall of the group projects was trying to ensure assignments were submitted timely. Fortunately, being on the West Coast, I was usually the last one awake so if it was not submitted by the usual 11pm MST deadline, I would submit whatever we had. Once though, I was out of town and it was not my week to submit. Sadly, the assigned person missed the deadline due to computer issues so we were docked an entire grade level just for being 7 hours late. As far as participation points go, the requirements for both attendance purposes and participation were similar, requiring log on and posting at least 3 -5 days a week. Participation points are earned based on a certain number of "substantial and substantive" replies which could often be an essay in themselves. There would be mandatory questions that were designed to further discussion points amongst classmates. Those answers did not count towards your participation so one could spend hours trying to ensure you met the goal.
I often fell short so I would try to make up the next week but it was rather intensive to spend hours reading posts, some of them rather useless, and still be required to complete lengthy reading each week. The biggest problem I encountered was the lack of support from the assigned counseling staff, often requiring contact with their supervisors. The worst came when I requested to take a week between courses and she "forgot" to adjust my schedule, which meant I was smack dab in the middle of a class while vacationing in the Bahamas. Not to mention incurring well over $100 in dial up fees (this was over 5 years ago now) to log on while there, I ended up getting stuck in a storm while on a private tour and was away from land for two days (including missing my flight home!)
When we finally arrived back in Nassau, my stuff had been removed from my hotel room since I was to have checked out and guess what? No laptop! I had to place a collect call to my Mom asking her to message my professor and explain the situation and the message received back was incredibly cold, unsympathetic, and just down right condescending. Instead of allowing me to take an incomplete and take the class over, he gave me a "D" which meant my 3.95 GPA just went down the toilet. I tried to fight it with my counselor but alas, she and her boss were non-responsive. Reading into the school guidelines, it is up to the individual professor to determine whether they will give someone an Incomplete or not so it appeared I had no recourse.
Overall, the program was adequate but would I do it all over again, given the choice? Probably not. Although I did stay in the insurance industry, my degree itself never really came into play as I stayed in civil litigation versus going back to an insurance fraud investigator. The loans are pretty hefty if you plan to continue on with a higher degree so I would certainly recommend looking at all alternatives and take a hard look at whether you truly NEED an expensive distance education program. Ironically, I am looking into another distance education program now but in an entirely different field. Why am I contemplating it yet again? Now I live in Asia and English speaking art programs are at a bit of a minimum here. However, I feel I am more wise and therefore smarter with the choices I make this time around.
