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Let's say you had some money to spend on a CBE degree in a subject that interested you for a check-the-box or just-for-fun masters. Assuming all other things are equal EXCEPT REPUTATION, such as costs and curriculum (I know they are a little different, but play along with me), would you choose Capella or Walden based on your level of pride/embarrassment at saying, "My master's in ____ is from ____"?
This is not a test, and you don't have to justify your answer. I'm genuinely curious if/how these two are perceived differently.
(I am NOT asking about doctorates.)
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9 hours ago
(This post was last modified: 9 hours ago by sanantone.)
Ew! I hate both of those schools. LOL. I would choose Capella because they've earned APA accreditation for their master's in psychology. For anyone who is curious, APA recently started accrediting master's programs. While this post is about master's programs, how these schools operate at the doctoral level affects the overall reputation of the schools. Walden has awarded more doctoral degrees to Black people than any other school due to its aggressive marketing. I see their ads all the time on social media, but I rarely see Capella ads. I also haven't had good experiences with nurse practitioners who've earned their MSNs at Walden.
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They're both neck and neck, depending on what program you're looking at and if the program is offered, I would only go for them if they have a program that is not cheaply available elsewhere. You should really look for alternatives first before settling on either of them. If I was deciding, I would research a bit more and then if needed, flip a coin. Here are a couple of sites that compare the two and a previous thread:
https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...lden-Tempo
https://www.univstats.com/comparison/cap...niversity/
https://www.reddit.com/r/psychologystude...or_walden/
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Both have terrible reps in the medical world, their names alone get your resume thrown in the trash.
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Playing by the rules here... If the box that needed to be checked was something technical, and since I'm a tech guy, I would go with Capella, since they are known in the industry, whereas Walden is not. If it were non-technical and more aligned with "just-for-fun" or something, I suppose, since I tried Capella a while ago and didn't stick around after one term, I'd go with Walden, hoping for a better experience.
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7 hours ago
(This post was last modified: 7 hours ago by wow.
Edit Reason: added links
)
(8 hours ago)PauFraTat Wrote: Playing by the rules here... If the box that needed to be checked was something technical, and since I'm a tech guy, I would go with Capella, since they are known in the industry, whereas Walden is not. If it were non-technical and more aligned with "just-for-fun" or something, I suppose, since I tried Capella a while ago and didn't stick around after one term, I'd go with Walden, hoping for a better experience.
Was there any particular issue with Capella? Were you in course-based or FlexPath?
(9 hours ago)sanantone Wrote: Ew! I hate both of those schools. LOL. I would choose Capella because they've earned APA accreditation for their master's in psychology. For anyone who is curious, APA recently started accrediting master's programs. ...
 I didn't know that about APA accreditation. Interesting!
Edit: I looked it up and, for anyone who is interested, it seems the APA accreditation is for the MS CPCC (clinical psychology), not any of the other psych master's. So not available in FlexPath, although IDK if you can do some credits in FlexPath and then transfer to course-based: https://apps.apa.org/accredsearch/
https://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/new...reditation
(9 hours ago)bjcheung77 Wrote: Here are a couple of sites that compare the two and a previous thread:
https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...lden-Tempo
https://www.univstats.com/comparison/cap...niversity/
https://www.reddit.com/r/psychologystude...or_walden/
Thanks!
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Current
MBA—UMass Global; University of the People—B.S. Health Science
TESU—BA Biology & Psychology, AS Mathematics
Completed
BA in Linguistics, traditional route
Online traditional credits (undergrad & U.S. unless otherwise stated)
Eastern Gateway Community College (28); ASU (10); New Mexico Junior College (8); Strayer (3); Purdue University Global (3); TESU (6); XAMK Finland (57 ECTS + 10 grad ECTS), University of the People (3 grad)
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Sophia (81), Study.com (27), Saylor (6 credits), Onlinedegree.com (12), CLEP (6)
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(7 hours ago)wow Wrote: (8 hours ago)PauFraTat Wrote: Playing by the rules here... If the box that needed to be checked was something technical, and since I'm a tech guy, I would go with Capella, since they are known in the industry, whereas Walden is not. If it were non-technical and more aligned with "just-for-fun" or something, I suppose, since I tried Capella a while ago and didn't stick around after one term, I'd go with Walden, hoping for a better experience.
Was there any particular issue with Capella? Were you in course-based or FlexPath?
I have an interesting history with Capella that started back in 2008 (I won't bore with details). But it wasn't until 2021 that I actually took courses (Ph.D. in IT, not flex-path). To be fully transparent, there wasn't anything terrible about them, but I wasn't impressed with the course structure, the lack of instruction (nearly total lack), and the importance placed on discussion posts. So I completed the courses I didn't continue. Not long after, I learned about this site and decided to try the CBE approach at WGU.
I'm not knocking Capella here, but it just wasn't for me. I know a few individuals who attended Capella and have great feedback. A former commander of mine from the Air Force completed his Doctor of IT at Capella and provided me with great advice and a recommendation for my application to the D.Sc. in IT program at Middle Georgia State University.
In-Progress:
D.Eng., Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning – George Washington University (≈'27)
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M.S., Artificial Intelligence – University of Texas ('25)
M.S., Cybersecurity and Information Assurance – Western Governors University ('25)
D.Sc., Information Technology – Middle Georgia State University ('25)
M.Eng., Computer Science – Oregon State University ('24)
B.A., Computer Science – Thomas Edison State University ('24)
A.S., Mathematics – Thomas Edison State University ('24)
M.B.A., Information Technology Management – Western Governors University ('23)
M.S., Information Systems – Strayer University ('08)
B.S., Internetworking Technology – Strayer University ('07)
A.A.S., Electronic Systems Technology – Community College of the Air Force ('04)
Pursuing/Applied/Accepted:
Ph.D., Computer Science – Mississippi State University
Ph.D., Computer Science – Capitol Technology University
M.A., Organizational Leadership – University of Maine at Presque Isle
M.S., Management Science and Engineering – Stanford University
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