American Public University System Reviews of Bachelor's in Psychology

I attended APUS full time for four years to receive my bachelor's in psychology. The work was rigorous, and the assignments were time consuming but the objective was to learn and I exited with my degree confident in my knowledge. I met some amazing teachers attending APUS that changed my perspective, and although it gets difficult maintaining self discipline to turn assignments in on time and self-study, I do not regret my decision. It wasn't until I decided to pursue my Masters degree at a different... Read More college that I realized how hard APUS actually was, with the multi-assignments weekly per class, minimum word count mandatory discussions, weekly tests, etc which I am grateful for because now I feel like I have the study habits and confidence to get through any school or degree I choose.

I have have taken courses in both brick and mortar institutions and online. Overall, I actually learned more in the online classes than I did in traditional classes, excluding courses that required hands on labs, such chemistry, etc. At APUS/AMU, with the exception of two classes, (sophomore level), all of my major instructors had doctoral degrees from accredited, well known institutions, were experienced professionals in their fields, and were always available and helpful. Just a word to the wise,... Read More any online degree is largely what you put into it. You must be self motivated, unafraid to engage with fellow classmates and professors, and take advantage of the materials that are provided. Sometimes it was very challenging to truly complete all of the readings, write two papers, in addition to quizzes every week and still go to work and run a household. Organization is key. All of my major classes were reading and writing intensive, with some being easier or more difficult than others. However, as you continue onto graduate studies or a doctoral, you will be glad that you are well versed in writing papers and have the ability to use APA citation with your eyes closed. In a sense, you are teaching yourself the material. There was one class where I felt the curriculum did not align well with our quizzes and midterm. It was brought to the attention of the instructor who immediately supplemented our material and addressed the issue right away. If you think you can squeak by with a degree and a high GPA, it is possible, just like any institution. However, I've seen several of my online classmates fail, underestimating the amount of time needed to study and submit work by the due dates. Paying attention to deadlines and the rubric are vital components of online education. Remember, you will most likely have to take a GRE and possibly submit some of your work to get into a good competitive grad program, you want to do your best! Hope this helps and Good luck!

If you're looking to earn a piece of paper without any real education this is the place for you! I honestly didn't learn anything from this university as every assignment consists of writing assignments that are often not aligned with the text provided. Most professors don't even read the papers but instead rely on turnitin reports that check for similarity/plagiarism in order to do grading. Other professors simply throw a grade out there whether your work is good or bad. Many of the professors do... Read More not seem like educators at all and rely on a copy and paste method for instruction. Overall, you go through the motions and wait until your graduation date to receive your piece of paper. It's comparable to a diploma mill with the exception of writing your own papers, unless you copy from others which happens because there are open forums for everyone to view prior to submitting their work.

The PROS of this program are identical to the same as every other online BA program...identical. The added bonus is the savings. In my case, it was about a 60% savings over my second choice (Adams Online University, CO). They have a much, much higher graduation rate than PHX or CTU Online. Two coworkers were in the same titled program at the same time. We are all planning to graduate now, or just graduated. The one who went to PHX had instructor issues. The one who went to our local U (classroom... Read More setting) had scheduling issues. I had a better experience than both of them. You will study and stretch. You will graduate (they have a very high graduation rate) and you will get the job. If you want to move forward in your career and actually obtain an education than this is a great option. CONS: I had no luck working through an error (my bad) when I requested that my records be transferred until I threatened to leave the school. It was a problem time I tried to register and I was blocked from taking more classes until I got hold of a full-time staff there, rather than a student-staffer. They got it resolved in 1 day. I actually broke down and cried...then canceled my transfer to PHX. ..........So..........The balance of staff have been easy and helpful. I would recommend you Google the names of your professors when you are looking to register; some of them are more rigid than others. Some are more fun! The teachers post their phone numbers. If you google their names you'll find that they typically teach at multiple traditional and online colleges. What made me giggle is that the tests are all the same, for all the online colleges! If you Google a quiz question it will pop up under 5 universities....so save your money and go to APU/AMU. If you want a degree you will get one. No one cares about the name on the sweatshirt, not anymore. Online is the way of the future for working professionals.

I was at Walden University but the college that I would like to receive my Masters at does not accept all of Walden Universities transfers. I made a BIG MISTAKE in choosing APUS. I have sickle cell and unfortunately this is not a school that is very understanding that. EVERYTHING YOU DO HAS TO BE APPROVED AND WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT WHEN YOU"RE SICK AND ARE NOT ABLE TO GO ON CAMPUS?? I had Doctor excuses but the process was just to much. So I ended up with a bill. Well dealing with their financial... Read More aid is tough. The reps are rude. I could post emails. I was very nice to them and just inquiring information about payment plans. Not everyone faces problems or difficulties but if you do I would not choose this college. The instructors are very nice though.

I am currently attending AMU (a sub-school of APUS for the Military). I have had both good and bad experiences with the instructors. Like any college, you will have the good ones, the bad ones, and the great ones. I haven't really had any great instructors but I would say that through 80+ credit hours at this school I have only had two bad instructors. The content is very relevant and has helped me progress in my understanding of psychology. I am not the best applicant for a masters program but I... Read More am competitive and feel as though I will be successful with the education I have received. Price, it's a little on the steep side at $250 an hour plus a technology fee, if you have financial aid, it's workable. If you are a self starter and like fast paced classes, this school is a great choice. If you need constant teacher-student interaction, avoid this school, you will not be successful. This school follows a week by week curriculum so it's not really a self paced school because of deadlines. However, if you can spare 2-3 nights a week, you can be a full time student at APUS. I recommend them to self-motivated people who want to complete their degree. If you are not passionate, like any school, you won't make it.