University of Phoenix online degree???

[trudawg]

I searched but didn't come up with an definite answer, but are online schools such as UofP looked down upon by law school admission boards? Also I have about 48 credit hours to complete to receive my BA. UofP has nice curriculum, but the cost is $515 per credit hour. Someone mentioned that it's the convenience that your paying for, but for the extra $150 per credit I don't mind walking into ASU to complete the registration process.....lol, but then again all the classes needed aren't necessarily offered online.
Any input is greatly appreciated

[Matthies]

My BS was a combination of a bunch of UoP classes, Rio Salado online classes and ASU classes (mostly in person). I don’t think it impacted my applications at all, not near as much as my crappy LSAT score did. BUT be careful not all of the UoP classes transferred to ASU, I lost like 20 credits I paid a ton of money for. But all the Rio Salado classes transferred because it was a Maricopa Community College, I took most of my required courses through them online.  Then my major’s classes at ASU (in fact I was dual enrolled in both for awhile).

[LoveMySkip]

Yes, the degree is looked down upon by graduate schools. A while ago I was considering getting an MBA from Strayer University until I found out that some employers won't even honor a degree from schools like this. Colleges like Strayer or University of Phoenix are considered degree "factories". Their admission standards are very low in most cases and their curriculums are not competitive. After doing a little research I learned that degrees from these types of schools don't hold much weight. I also have a friend who works in HR for a large company and she said that if they receive resumes that indicate the applicant's degree was obtained from one of these "degree factories", they don't even consider the applicant. For some people, these colleges are an only option because they are very flexible for working adults, but the down side is having a degree from these types of schools don't make you competitive at all. Getting your degree from U of Phoenix is probably not a good idea, but transferring to another school (i.e. state college) would put you in a much better position.

[TeeTwenty]

My BS was a combination of a bunch of UoP classes, Rio Salado online classes and ASU classes (mostly in person). I don’t think it impacted my applications at all, not near as much as my crappy LSAT score did. BUT be careful not all of the UoP classes transferred to ASU, I lost like 20 credits I paid a ton of money for. But all the Rio Salado classes transferred because it was a Maricopa Community College, I took most of my required courses through them online.  Then my major’s classes at ASU (in fact I was dual enrolled in both for awhile).

How did you like Tempe?

[Matthies]

My BS was a combination of a bunch of UoP classes, Rio Salado online classes and ASU classes (mostly in person). I don’t think it impacted my applications at all, not near as much as my crappy LSAT score did. BUT be careful not all of the UoP classes transferred to ASU, I lost like 20 credits I paid a ton of money for. But all the Rio Salado classes transferred because it was a Maricopa Community College, I took most of my required courses through them online.  Then my major’s classes at ASU (in fact I was dual enrolled in both for awhile).

How did you like Tempe?

It was hot as hell most of the time. I was a communter student, so only went to Tempe for class, I lived in the Biltmore area of town. Tempe and Mill Ave great for bars and food though.

[*devo*]

Grad school at U of P would not be advisable, but a U of P undergrad degree, coupled with an ABA approved law school will probably not matter to future employers.  I would advise people to not go to U of P, but many people already have or think it is much more convenient and would not attend college at all if not for U of P.  Interestingly, LSN profiles show that Law Schools take U of P applicants at (what seems to be) the same rate as other applicants given the small sampling size.  The law schools that will look down upon an online degree the most are elite schools, but most U of P grads do not score high enough to even apply to these schools (I read somewhere that the average U of P LSAT score is in the 140s).

I will also say that those who choose to go to U of P often have a socioeconomic disadvantage.  So even though law schools look down upon the degree, they may only look down upon it to the extent that they would boost an Ivy grad (assuming all else is equal).

[trudawg]

I will at least explore other options at this point. My main concern was the cost vs the benifets. $515 per credit hour is an awfully expensive for an online degree no matter how easy they make the process.
I checked ASU and they offer online degree programs as well, so I will talk with a student advisor tommorrow.
Has anyone had any experience with Kaplan College at all??

Thanks for the input BTW

[TeeTwenty]

Grad school at U of P would not be advisable, but a U of P undergrad degree, coupled with an ABA approved law school will probably not matter to future employers.

I have no idea how Law Schools view UofPhx grad. degrees. I'm 90% sure their MBA program, for example, isn't even accredited. That said, the BA programs are regionally accredited, which means that the credits from those are at least, as far as most schools are concerned as "good" as those from any other school-you've-heard-of.

If you get the LSAT score they want, the Law School will accept you. They might not like it, but it's a numbers game, and a good UofPhx GPA and reasonably high LSAT (for that school) will get you in. Guaranteed.

FWIW: I am a complete snob when it comes to these things, and personally look down on any school with open enrollment. Nonetheless, I won't lie to you: do well in GPA and LSAT and the name at the top of your diploma won't matter. Hell, you could have gone to Hamburger University (which, is actually accredited to offer college credit), and they'll accept you if you've got the numbers.

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My advice is that if you are an AZ resident, and ASU offers an online degree that you want, go through ASU.

[*devo*]

Grad school at U of P would not be advisable, but a U of P undergrad degree, coupled with an ABA approved law school will probably not matter to future employers.

I have no idea how Law Schools view UofPhx grad. degrees. I'm 90% sure their MBA program, for example, isn't even accredited. That said, the BA programs are regionally accredited, which means that the credits from those are at least, as far as most schools are concerned as "good" as those from any other school-you've-heard-of.

If you get the LSAT score they want, the Law School will accept you. They might not like it, but it's a numbers game, and a good UofPhx GPA and reasonably high LSAT (for that school) will get you in. Guaranteed.

FWIW: I am a complete snob when it comes to these things, and personally look down on any school with open enrollment. Nonetheless, I won't lie to you: do well in GPA and LSAT and the name at the top of your diploma won't matter. Hell, you could have gone to Hamburger University (which, is actually accredited to offer college credit), and they'll accept you if you've got the numbers.

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My advice is that if you are an AZ resident, and ASU offers an online degree that you want, go through ASU.

I feel the exact same way towards online degrees, which is part of the reason I advise against it. But law school really is a numbers game.  If a kid can go to a community college and then a TTT state school and get into a T14, who is to say a student with an online degree cannot do the same? There have been enough debates on these forums to discredit anyone who says undergrad institution matters much. Interestingly, there is one online graduate from the 03-04 cycle that is attending Georgetown according to LSN.

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$515/credit hour is insanity for a U of P degree. My local community college is $45/credit hour and will get you the same credits as U of P. Find a cheaper online program.