Capella University Reviews of Doctorates in Public Health

"They intentionally, for some reason, pretended to enroll me in the fall, and forwarded my financial aid to be approved, but to start in Jan., of 2019. I was told then on 10.01.18 that my FA would not cover the fall, but not to drop the class. However, there was no guarantee that I would be repackaged, and that if it was not approved for the fall, but I would owe them money. They postponed everything for 48 hours, thus overlapping the add/drop period. I was told on 10.18 that I would have to drop by 10.12, but if my FA was approved on 10.15 that I could be added back into the class. At the exact moment, my FA was approved, but the class drop also processed. When I called a few moments ago, I was told that I could not re-add the class, that it was too late. So, they gave me the run-around for almost 3 weeks, and I am not sure why. I am so disappointed; everyone that I talked to lied to me. I do not recommend them, at all. I know now, they do not care about me as a student or person, as five people lied to me, and ignored me for 48 hours, which would've made all the difference in the world."

"I started in 2016, and was told that if I enrolled in Flexpath, taking more than one course at a time, that I would have enough monies to finish the program. Last year, 2017, I was told that financial aid made a mistake. Okay, I accepted that. Then for the entire quarter that I just finished, my financial aid dashboard showed another scholarship plus $12,000, and I was told by financial aid that they would split my remaining monies into 2 quarters, not 4. The very next day, that the quarter ended, the $12k was removed from the dashboard, and now they refuse to contact me. So, without me knowing, last quarter was my last, unbeknownst to me. Horrible!"

"I am in my 2nd class and already see that there are people in my class that shouldn't be. Their writing is so atrocious, that I can barely get through their posts so that I can reply to further the discussion. These students are supposed to be my peers, and they can barely write, which waters down, way down, my degree. I am very disappointed."

"Capella University has been a wonderful catalyst for lifelong learning. I attended a wonderful public land-grant University for undergrad in my early twenties. It helped develop soft skills required for success in my career. Now that I'm in my early thirties, brick and mortar is not practical. I had to find an online institution that was well received in my field, regionally and nationally accredited, good value for money, and allowed for flexibility in scheduling (military). Capella fit all criteria for my Master of Public Health degree. Combining field experience practicum, interaction with working students, and academic rigor only built upon my previous University experience. I graduated with my MPH in 2016 and have decided to pursue a terminal degree. I am a current doctoral student at Capella and wouldn't have it any other way. Higher education is an investment in one's self. For my field of study (health policy), the benefit out weighs the cost. I invite others to truly sit down and assess their college plans. It is a major investment in time and money so be realistic in the decision making process. Capella was a great fit for my criteria and for my program. Good luck in your school search."

"I love Capella University. I am 1/3 towards my doctorate and so far I have had a wonderful experience. I went to an Ivy league undergraduate college for my bachelors of science. Capella is more rigorous than was the graduate program for earning my master of science degree at TAMU. Many of the professors are also professors at other top universities, such UCLA and are experts in their fields. I have made many professional connections and am not limited to those at a brick and mortar college. My classmates are doctors, scientists. social scientists, dual enrolled graduate students and fellows, and nurses. They are all intelligent, engaging, and literate. You have to have a 3.0 with a M.S. to be considered for this program. The instructors have been engaging and pipe into the discussions, provide additional resources, pose challenging prompts and questions and thoroughly review our assignments in track changes. We get feedback on every discussion post. Everything we post must be supported by scholarly data or publication. The 3 things that make Capella great are 1) there are no annoying "off-the-cuff" speculative classroom discussions- discussions are well thought out and supported; 2) many of the students are working in the fields of the topics we explore and thus have much anecdotal information to contribute to the classroom; 3)having professors from a variety of top academic institutions enriches our learning experience and engages us in real world research. Every night I sit down at my computer and engage in what I call "Academic Warfare." It is fun and challenging. After 5 classes, I have amassed enough information and developed enough papers to publish several review articles. You must be a self-starter and learner to succeed at this school. You must understand how to be scholarly and if you are a poor writer, forget it. It has been a perfect learning model for me because I work full time and have a family. Capella works with you on your course schedule and path- especially if you have delays. They also give you scholarships and grants like many universities. I know of a student who has had difficulty finish a PhD due to lack of rigor. While it may seem like a money scam, I believe that the profs are right in demanding additional rigor to this student's thesis. The profs are not paid by the number of quarters a student is enrolled, but they do get dinged if their students do not produce academically rigorous work. I honestly love the school and have been impressed thus far. Since I work in scientific research, I know what academic rigor is and Capella has it. Capella is also highly regarded by EPA, DoD and other US government institutions as being a legitimate and worthy institution of higher education. I don't see a problem with the for-profit model. Even the not-for profit institutions are trying to make money to break even. It is not like you can walk into Capella and give them money and get a degree. They have a standard and reputation to uphold."