Can that be right? Excelsior College MPA

[Leherself]

You're experiences don't sound anything like the experiences I've had with the organization, I've always had things graded very quickly and any issues I had were immediately taken care of. They're actually provided the best customer service I've ever had at a college or university.

Oh, that doesn't surprise me. My experience with AMU was several years ago. At the time, there were several people making complaints, and they may have implemented some better quality control measures after that, or maybe my issue was specific to only two or three employees. I know many more people who have been pleased with their APUS experience than not. **shrug** I ended up deciding that I wanted to do a bunch of testing out, and switched to Excelsior not long after.

[KittenMittens]

I considered AMU/APU at some point but I remember stumbling across a lot of comments saying the courses/quality of education were hit/miss, and their graduates having trouble finding jobs/apps being tossed out (not sure about government work though). The impression I got was that for a master's program it tended to be pretty easy and the standards pretty low, and there was noticeable/sufficient criticism to warrant some attention. Personally, since I just want a master's degree in the path of least resistance, this is actually ideal for me, but the feeling I was getting was there was too much disorganization, disinterest by faculty/staff, and mediocrity in general for it to be worth it. Plus, now that I know about Arkansas State's online MPA, which is NASPAA accredited, and cheaper, so it's a no brainer imo.

Here's what I saw: American Public University - Colleges & Universities - Charles Town, WV - Yelp

American Public University Reviews - Online Degree Reviews

Ripoff Report | American Public University System Complaint Review Internet: 866870

I like to keep in mind the general consensus is for any particular subject but I tend to pay more attention to what 1 or 2 starred reviews have to say since they tend to be more critical and can speak about any major problems. I look to see if there's any complaint that tends to be repeated and go from there.

Example:

"In the APU MPA program you will be studying outdated information: The assigned reading on technology was published in 1980. One of the assignments said we could submit it on bond paper. That sounds like something written in 1980 too. Instead of learning about SAAS, cloud computing and oissues relevant TODAY, you will learn about not enough memory or hard disk space and floppy disks. You will be thrown questions in a midterm exam that were not a part of the information studied; be presented with questions that do not correspond to the assigned readings; get Yes/No questions on Essay exams, and you will be asked to answer vaguely worded questions asking for absolutes. If you are a working student, you will find no compassion or flexibility at APU. APU made major changes to the MPA program recently without directly notifying grad students. No matter where you are at in the course of the program you cannot even change your concentration (2 classes) without meeting the new requirements. The new program no longer includes any electives so there is no flexibility. They put the burden on you to find these things even though they can easily push this information out. I had a job opportunity that was dependent on switching my concentration and the response from APU complete refusal. I’m stuck getting a degree in an area that is experiencing massive layoffs. With APU you can expect mediocrity and indifference. No matter what they say, there is no partnership. They are not there to help you. They will take your money, erect obstacles, move the goal posts, strictly apply self-serving policies, and provide a bare minimum effort towards your education. Good luck."

[videogamesrock]

I considered AMU/APU at some point but I remember stumbling across a lot of comments saying the courses/quality of education were hit/miss, and their graduates having trouble finding jobs/apps being tossed out (not sure about government work though). The impression I got was that for a master's program it tended to be pretty easy and the standards pretty low, and there was noticeable/sufficient criticism to warrant some attention. Personally, since I just want a master's degree in the path of least resistance, this is actually ideal for me, but the feeling I was getting was there was too much disorganization, disinterest by faculty/staff, and mediocrity in general for it to be worth it. Plus, now that I know about Arkansas State's online MPA, which is NASPAA accredited, and cheaper, so it's a no brainer imo.

Here's what I saw: American Public University - Colleges & Universities - Charles Town, WV - Yelp

American Public University Reviews - Online Degree Reviews

Ripoff Report | American Public University System Complaint Review Internet: 866870

I like to keep in mind the general consensus is for any particular subject but I tend to pay more attention to what 1 or 2 starred reviews have to say since they tend to be more critical and can speak about any major problems. I look to see if there's any complaint that tends to be repeated and go from there.

Example:

"In the APU MPA program you will be studying outdated information: The assigned reading on technology was published in 1980. One of the assignments said we could submit it on bond paper. That sounds like something written in 1980 too. Instead of learning about SAAS, cloud computing and oissues relevant TODAY, you will learn about not enough memory or hard disk space and floppy disks. You will be thrown questions in a midterm exam that were not a part of the information studied; be presented with questions that do not correspond to the assigned readings; get Yes/No questions on Essay exams, and you will be asked to answer vaguely worded questions asking for absolutes. If you are a working student, you will find no compassion or flexibility at APU. APU made major changes to the MPA program recently without directly notifying grad students. No matter where you are at in the course of the program you cannot even change your concentration (2 classes) without meeting the new requirements. The new program no longer includes any electives so there is no flexibility. They put the burden on you to find these things even though they can easily push this information out. I had a job opportunity that was dependent on switching my concentration and the response from APU complete refusal. I’m stuck getting a degree in an area that is experiencing massive layoffs. With APU you can expect mediocrity and indifference. No matter what they say, there is no partnership. They are not there to help you. They will take your money, erect obstacles, move the goal posts, strictly apply self-serving policies, and provide a bare minimum effort towards your education. Good luck."

Have you witnessed someone tossing out apps?

[KittenMittens]

Have you witnessed someone tossing out apps?

There were a lot of comments about how employers felt the APU name was disreputable, rhetoric nonetheless, but how they felt it hurt them when they applied for jobs.

"Almost 2 years after getting my MBA I'm still trying to get a related job and employers constantly question the validity of the degree."

"A glorified diploma mill. No respectable employer will hire you with a degree from here."


I completed my Masters in General Psychology at APUS. It was a fine program overall, however, I would not recommend it to someone who was seeking to enter a new field as I do not feel that the content and work is rigorous enough to truly prepare someone wanting to enter a new field competitively.

"FYI, I am former adjunct faculty member at APUS, and I would not recommend attending there for several reasons: 1. Faculty: -As I faculty, I tried to innovate, bringing youtube and other mediums into classroom. This was discouraged by my superiors. They preferred I stick to their designed curriculum, which is horribly organized, not current, and has little relevancy to future careers. Faculty are warned to stick to the assigned curriculum and not deviate at all. -Faculty are paid a pittance for their efforts. The salary is $130 per class, which usually comes to about 1K for a two month course. Oftentimes, multiple courses are assigned, where faculty are teaching 30-40 people per class. With a pay rate so low, you are unlikely to retain or attract the best and brightest. 2. Career Potential -APUS has marketed this degree as good pathway to the intelligence community. That argument is bullshit. If you want an entrance to the IC, you will need specialized training and a TS clearance, none of which is provided by this degree. If you are already are in the IC (particularly doing contract military intelligence) and need any degree so you can qualify for a position that requires a BA, then this might be a OK. But if you think you are going to break into the intelligence/DoD community by going to APU, then you are sadly mistaken. I would be curious what the job placement rates are for APUS graduates that do not come into the program with a TS clearance. 3. Other options -I am not going to argue whether brick and mortar is better than online. I have attended and taught at both, and they each have their advantages and disadvantages. However, numerous private and public/non-profit universities are offering degrees in areas like Emergency Management, Homeland Defense, and Political Science that are more reputable, and don't have the "for profit stink" that APUS has. I would recommend doing your research into these programs before committing to APUS. Many of these programs are also essentially free for Post 9/11 GI Bill use. Full disclosure, I teach at one of these institutions, and the students are getting a far better deal than my students at APUS. 4. For Profit Status -For profits have been getting a deservedly bad name of late, largely due to abuses due from Post 9/11 GI Bill. APUS is not as bad as some, however, there are some complaints on this board of APUS holding financial aid checks. I can speculate, but not confirm, they need to keep large cash reserves to show to investors. Again, I am not 100% sure of this, but the recent complaints on financial aid seem too much to be coincidental."

"Nothing But Busy Work I'm so fed up with this school, but I've gotten so many credits now that any attempt to move to another institution would make it all a waste. Do you really think a real school would take any of these clown classes as real transfer credit? No. Clown classes....full of busy work disquised as academic learning. I may not have learned a stinking thing to make me a better manager, but if I ever get a job where my boss wants an academic citation, he's in for a treat! Too bad though, because no industry other than academics, gives a rats ... about proper citations. I've written most of my dozens and dozens of papers with information I pulled straight out of my rear, but as long as I found a couple good citations and wrote them correctly, I've managed to keep my 3.97 GPA. A real joke AMU. No instructor helps design the courses, and when you challenge the material the instructor just blames the "course development team" and lets me know there is nothing they can do. Just keep leading the lemmings off the cliff. It really is a "monkey see, monkey do" institution. You will get a handy piece of degree paper upon completion, but you will still be as dumb as when you started. When I'm the hiring official and I see "AMU" on the resume as their degree: File 13. For the record, I am already a manager with a Federal agency after serving two enlistments. I have a successfull career and am well familiar of what it takes to be a manger in the industry. I can confidently say that this program does not offer you any tools to do the job, other than the piece of paper you need to get past the electronic resume screening machine used by the Fed. gov."

The course material explicitly says Wikipedia is not a credible source, then THE TEXT BOOK CITES WIKIPEDIA FOR AN ENTIRE CHAPTER!! Not to mention the book is written for third-world "entrepreneurs" that want to start a bazaar stand, and dedicates an entire chapter to where to get micro-loans. So, actual learning from this course is minimal

[videogamesrock]

I also haven't seen someone throw out apps.

[KittenMittens]

I also haven't seen someone throw out apps.

It was a figure of speech, maybe that wasn't really clear for you though. The point was that the name APU/AMU may cause some problems with prospective employers due to the school's earned and/or perceived reputation.