University of Phoenix Reviews of Bachelor's in Healthcare Administration

I am a 2014 UoP alumnus. I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Administration to augment my experience in the industry. It saddens me to hear so many people think so poorly of the school. Maybe my experience was different from the majority, but I didn’t encounter problems with faculty, financial aid, or my academic advisers. I initiated contact with an admission counselor to inquire about the health administration program. I can honestly say I was not pressured to make any decisions, and... Read More no one made promises about a career making loads of money with this degree. I had the option to take the program on campus or online. I chose the latter because it best suited my schedule as a full-time worker. The university was far from perfect but it gave me the opportunity to get an education that matches my experience. Sure, the school was expensive but most universities are. My program cost $32,000, which my employer tuition reimbursement benefit covered half the cost. Since the school was on my employer’s approved listed of accredited schools, I jumped at the chance to continue my education. Were there better options at the time? Maybe, but if my employer viewed UoP as a viable choice, that was good enough for me. My degree shows my commitment to the profession, indicates I recognize the important link between education and professional growth, and compliments my 16 years of health administration experience. I received a promotion after completing my bachelor's degree, as did a coworker who became a supervisor after obtaining a master’s degree from UoP. I love working in healthcare and with my current organization but since earning the degree, I have “tested the waters” and applied for positions with other employers. I have not received any negative feedback. Is this because of my UoP education or experience? Probably the latter but I like to contribute it to a combination of the two. Either way, earning a bachelor’s degree from UoP was a long overdue achievement and has opened the doors to the possibility of earning a graduate degree from colleges in my state. I enjoyed my experience with UoP; however, I am not naive to think the university is suitable for everyone or comparable to an Ivy League or state university. Here’s my confession. Admittedly, if I hadn’t already earned an associate’s degree from community college and I lacked experience in my field, UoP wouldn’t have been my first choice. I believe UoP programs are valuable to the appropriate demographics; specifically working adults. The university’s programs work best for individuals already working in their fields or career changers who possess transferable skills or credentials (license, certifications, etc.). UoP is less suited for recent high school graduates or individuals with little or no work experience. There are better choices of education for these demographics. I believe many individuals are under the impression a college degree is a guarantee for success (i.e. career with high-income). Individuals forget with the current economy, there is no guarantee that any education will lead to a job. Any post-secondary education does increase an individual’s chances; however, enrolling in for for-profit colleges to earn a degree without relevant work experience or not considering better options such as vocational/trade schools or community colleges first is a costly mistake for some. Many students graduate with a mountain of student loan debt only to discover employers want more than education. Naturally, it’s easier to lay blame on the university for minimal or no career success after graduation rather than accept responsibility for their unwise choices. In my observations, successful UoP graduates are those who had careers prior to enrolling and used their educations to change or advance established careers or obtain the necessary skills to start their own businesses. The bottom line is those who remain committed to achieving their career goals will be successful regardless of where they earned their degrees. Look for others placing blame on their institutions for their lack of career achievements.

If only I could warn everyone about this school, even though they should never be referred to as such. I completed 57 credits and somehow managed to accumulate over $50,000 in student loans, not including my out of pocket expenses. I was consistently lied to about the loans and now I'm so far in debt that there is no end in sight. The enrolment officers are not well trained and provide false information. The academic and financial advisors also hide the truth. Out of the 57 credits only 14 transferred,... Read More which intelligence is not an issue as I'm a 4.0 GPA student at my other school, which is actually academically credible. The school lies to obtain government money and preys upon lower income individuals. You will struggle to find a job with any degree you obtain from here as the quality of education is comparable to a primary level. Often teachers do not meet the necessary requirements standards to teach classes so we played a lot of games in class. Tests are never actually given, except a few online one for math. Teachers hand other student papers to other class member to grade, what's the point of paying the teacher if the students are doing their job. If you like writing papers that mean absolutely nothing and not actually read by most teachers than this school is for you. What can you really expect to learn in 5 weeks and still wonder why you cant get a job after attending UOP. When you do need to transfer good luck getting those transcripts as the school does everything in their power to delay that process. Almost a month now, many emails and phone calls and still no response to the documents I need to transfer properly, go figure. Society needs to do itself a favor and ban and discredit this "business" as it is a complete waste of time and massive amounts of money. Almost 10 years later and I still cant get back on my feet because of this school. No wonder it is such a joke. Did I forget to mention this a school you can cheat to get through because guess what a fellow student got caught plagiarizing and the school received complaints but took n measures to reprimand that student by any means. Numerous complaints were made but that student still got an A. Sadly this institution gives a bad name and creates a fear for others who wish to pursue higher education. There is a reason many celebrities (Family guy, Tosh) and others out there publicly make fun of the school. Do yourself a favor and jump in a giant hole before you attend this school, same principle.

I have mixed emotions about UOP. On one hand, I do feel challenged by the curriculum and I have learned a lot but on the other hand, I feel insulted that I must deal with fellow students who write at elementary level. I mean no commas, no periods, no capitalization, nada!!! You're subjected to read paragraph size sentences!!! These students also fail to link their discussion responses to the actual discussion question. Their team assignment portion content sometimes make no sense whatsoever. I see... Read More this very often and I get really ticked off that I have to be in the classroom with these "bimbos"!!! When I ask my academic advisor how these people can be in a Bachelor program and not know simple elementary grammar, I'm told that the instructors are working behind the scenes with them. Nonsense!!! I told my academic advisor that these people are slipping through the cracks of the degree programs because the university doesn't give pre-entry exams (GED only requirement ) and because the parent company of UOP (Apollo Group) is a publicly traded company that cares more about their stock price than the quality of students they allow entrance to and continue to sustain. Frankly, I feel that I'm in the "Twilight Zone " when I work with these students. When I complete my Bachelor program next year, I will say goodbye to UOP and seek my graduate degrees somewhere else.

There are several things to consider when taking online classes. Can you afford it and are you really ready to earn your degree alone!!! My math and anatomy classes were probably my toughest classes to complete. Imagine teaching yourself anatomy 1 and 2 with no one to really sit down with and talk it through. When I called my counselor for help with both my classes I was told to continue to reach out to my instructors. My instructors told me to "just read" I am struggling now with figuring out how... Read More to move forward with my degree. I contacted my counselor for help with internships or advice she suggested google. I am very proud that I am 6 weeks away from graduating my I dont walk away with confidence not really how you want to feel after spending $45g on school

University of Phoenix is not a traditional school and that is what I needed. it fit my needs. The school practically held my hand through the hold process. I went back to school at the age of 42, not knowing how to even turn a computer on, my enrollment counselor spent over an hour of his time showing me how to use the material I needed. This does not mean that this school is perfect. I've heard bad stories from bad experiences from other students and my whole experience was not perfect but I can... Read More say that most of my bad experiences were from colleagues and maybe two instructors. I love that my schedule was set for me through the whole program. I did not have to worry of registering or finding my next class. I went back to finish a Masters' degree and I will do it again.

The University of Phoenix has wonderful instructors that have a lot of knowledge, experience, and are there to support the students in the classroom environment. I can only speak on my experience with the online classes. The school is expensive, but the school also has one of the best reputations in the educational industry. The University of Phoenix really works with students by supporting them with difficulties that they may encounter in class, outside of the class, and even when challenges and... Read More difficulties arise in their personal lives. I am so grateful for being a part of a school that has a wonderful network of student advisors, financial advisors, instructors, mentors, and fellow students to provide advice, tools, and tips to succeeding with your degree program. I recommend the University of Phoenix to all students that are looking for flexibility, convenience, and a school that works with students right where they are in life!

The biggest mistake ever. I thought it would be great but sadly mistaken. The counselors are useless in every way possible. I attend a class for ONE week in January 2014 and I was charged $370. I asked the counselors why is this so and they were like didn't you speak with the financial advisor?No, I spoke with another counselor where she said that $1,850 would be for 6 months but I was wrong. That amount is for one class! I was so upset. I would not recommend not one soul to go to University of Phoenix,... Read More and if you do, drop out immediately.

I am amazed at the amount of people unhappy with their experience at the UOPX. To be honest, I believe some are genuine complaints of customer service failures but most are just disgruntled students who thought they were going to do little work and reap a big reward (a degree). Instead, they discovered they had to do actual work to earn a degree and failed. Most of the complaints seem to be with the financial department regarding loan disbursements or personality mismatch between student and facilitator.... Read More My experiences with my academic and financial advisors were exceptional. Yes, I used the plural because both advisors changed before I finished my program. However, I had the same academic advisor until I completed my required courses in the BSHA program. After I finished the required courses for my program, I had to take 12 credits of electives, so they changed my academic advisor because her specialty was healthcare. This was communicated to me and made sense. My financial advisor changed once because he moved to Hawaii and took another position with the company. This was communicated to me and made sense. Prior to starting my first class my academic advisor (AA) set up a telephone interview with my financial advisor (FA) who explained how this would work in great detail. He explained that my program would cost $33,000 of which I only qualified for $25,000 in federal student loans. I had a shortfall of $8,000. There were no surprises, and I had the option to back out at any time prior to beginning classes. He explained that I would have to pay for ever forth class out of pocket. Again, there were no surprises. My loan disbursements were never late and my FA notified me via telephone and email when my out of pocket expense was due, usually two weeks prior to the start of my next class. There were no surprises. As many of you may recall, the university provided a tuition freeze so that the cost of attending would not increase for the duration of our program once we opted in. In addition, they also lowered the cost of 100-200 level courses. This news was received well for me because my last 12 credits were 100-200 elective courses. This meant that my last loan disbursement exceeded the cost of my remaining courses by $1625, which the university quickly sent me a check for that amount. I absolutely loved my academic advisor (AA). She was nice, polite, always courteous, but she did call a lot. This was a minor annoyance but we all have a job to do right? Prior to finishing my required healthcare courses, we had two-one hour long career planning telephone and online sessions that provided me with valuable insight into my future career plans. I only have good things to say about my AA. Here is what I suspect. Many of the people complaining did not do their homework prior to applying to the university. They did not take into account the total cost of their programs, how much they qualified for federal assistance, and their total out of pocket expenses. Prior to investing the amount of money an education cost, people should be diligent about researching the costs, asking questions, and seeking advice from alumni. It is not the university’s fault that you did not fully understand your obligations. Many of the people complaining about the university lack college level writing skills and are not in a position to assess the curriculum. If someone is going to go online and bash a university for a poor curriculum, he or she should at least use spell check and make sure he or she uses proper grammar before evaluating a university’s curriculum. If your grammar and spelling is poor, no one will take your review seriously. In addition, many individuals have stated that the facilitators were poorly educated. The website clearly states that to become a faculty member of the UOPX, a candidate must possess a master’s or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution, a minimum of five years of work experience and current knowledge in the field he or she wants to teach. Current or former student who are not aware of these facts are poor source of information because at the beginning of every class, the facilitator provides a bio. For the critics who state that many employers do not recognize UOPX as a legitimate college, this may be true but most do. I have more than a decade of healthcare experience working for a large healthcare organization, and I received my bachelor’s degree in health administration. Not only does my organization recognize my education from the UOPX, they paid me $4800 in tuition reimbursement annually to attend. I entered my program with an associate’s degree, so the normal time to complete my bachelors would have been two years. I stretched the time to three years to receive another years’ worth of tuition reimbursement. In total, I received $14,440 from my employer to attend the UOPX. That sounds like recognition to me.