University of Phoenix Reviews of Master's in Criminal Justice

"Prior Army enlisted/current law enforcement professional. Instruction? There was little or no instruction at all. I never spoke with one so-called "professor" and their actual posts were rare. It was a scam from the beginning and I was so hopeful concerning the potential positive impact on my career that I wanted so badly for it to be real. I had already realized the "Masters" program was not of any substance or real educational value prior to my son reading the assignments and work of others over my shoulder and laughing at it. Group participation projects were an exercise in correcting the work of others who were writing at less than a 10th grade high school level. Group discussion boards were a mish mash of crazed comments or nonsensical to simplistic elementary school grasps at the obvious. My son was 11 and he and I began to read posts together for comedic purposes. An 11 year old seriously laughed at the "graduate level" work of adults and the non existent courses of instruction (of course, he's now 24 and about to attend a top notch law school with a 173 LSAT score). I gained less than nothing professionally or personally and I'm still saddled by the debt. If you have to do so, spend the money to go back to school and take some undergrad work to improve your chances of participating in a REAL graduate program. Don't be a "Phoenix". It's a garbage diploma mill and not worth the time of anyone of actual intelligence."

"I met some great people within the program and am still friends with my group today even though we are not in the same geographic area. My issue stems from the advising, the professors, and dispute management. Advising - they lied to me to get me to enroll. My adviser told me that I could absolutely do what I wanted to do with the degree I was enrolling for. Unfortunately, the position I was hoping to achieve doesn't exist. Didn't find that out until class 10 out of 12. The adviser who told me this said he asked someone - clearly, he didn't. Plus, there was a different person almost every week who was my new adviser. I should have heeded the warning signs and kept looking for a different school. Professors - these people are likely really smart and working within the field they are teaching. That said, it doesn't take much to be a college professor and the fact that I wrote a paper every week for a solid 17 months and didn't really get any instruction on how to write at the graduate school level tells me a lot about who Phoenix hires as online professors. They were more interested in the fact that the paper had enough words and was at least written on the topic we were discussing. Dispute management - I wrote to this department to enter a grievance with them since I have a degree I am unable to use since their adviser lied to me about what I could do with the degree. Their response, “In addition to your statement, you also submitted an email dated September 11, 2006 in which the advisor (sic) stated the degree can open doors in the profiling arena. Ms. X, upon thorough review of your record, the University found there is no indication that any representative misadvised you regarding the outcomes of the MS/AJS degree program.” (except for the part where they told me I could get into the profiling arena with an administrative degree - and when I asked about the administrative part of the degree name, I was told it was just a name they picked.) They further state, "The campus representatives serve to assist students during the degree selection process by providing information and support in order for students to make an informed decision.” They tell me in the letter that it is my responsibility to conduct the necessary research of the job requirements in their chosen field. I don't know about you, but when doing your research as to what you can do with a certain degree, who do YOU ask for guidance? I'm glad some people have had a good experience with the school. I find it funny that many reviews state, "I don't know why everyone is so down on this school" and other such wordings - it makes it sound like those people are really the administration reviewing the school under presumed names in order to boost the reviews. Maybe it's just me who thinks that though. I'm sure some of the programs are probably really well done. If you are relying on the advisers to give you good information and be helpful in your decision making, wrong school choice. They only want your money."

"University of Phoenix at Associates, Bachelors, and Masters of Science levels has excellent counselors, and online technology support. Teaches have several year of working in their fields and as professors. Professors are patient, encouraging, and detail each student in online classroom studies. University library is enormous with Pro-quest, Ebsco-host, and relevant field studies. University of Phoenix also has excellent instructional videos, classroom discussions, participation, and teamwork that prepare students for assignments ad final exams. Grade Point Average is based on students' efforts and merits to study, perseverance, and achievement."

"Everyone's going to be negative about something even Wal-Mart a major company is viewed negative by some. However Uop is a great place to get your education they help you/check on you 100%. I have my associate or acts and Bachelors degree all in criminal justice excellent field!!! Some people would have a hard time attending school had it not been for UOP and they do have good ratings people have a bad experience and try to bash because, simply the school didn't work out for them. I am glad that many of us have meet the requirements to attend this university and have had such success congrads to all!!!"

"Course are appropriate for course of study, but there are two significant detractors to the program. #1 is the insistence of using group work for online coursework without any consideration of where the members of the group live (US/Overseas/Timezone) plus the natural curve of those who participate vs. do not. You have a group grade/project that is predicated on people you never see, may not be anywhere near you and you have no influence over. #2 is their insistence on using protected .pdf's for books. I like the idea of not having to purchase books, but they've adopted a format that is so dated it should force one to rethink attending. In 2015 any institution that can't allow for students to read on a Kindle, Nook, iPad is to far behind the times to be considered credible."

"This education program is the best bang for your buck, especially if your a vet. The instructors were professional from the fields: LA DA Offices, law enforcement executives, governments GS executives, and the list goes on. The support from the university was on the quality. Anytime I needed assistance, there was a program in place to address the issue. This program worked for me for two reasons: 1) I had the skill and ability to study at my level of degree and I did not feel that someone should give me something because I was a VET. 2) I was willing to put in the research and study time to achieve good grades. I proved my ability to apply concepts and theory learned during my course of study. I was able to secure employment within 90 days base on my ability to sell my education, training, and experience, not because of my degree from the University of Phoenix, but because of my ability to prove myself during the interview process. The degree was just a requirement."

"I really enjoyed the classes, like all schools the information is informative, the teachers respond to the questions in a timely manner, and if there is a problem the teacher usually try to fix it. I had one problem out of financial aid, but it was due to mixed communication on both parts. Other than that the school, is accepted in my state and the job pays a percent, so I enjoy the work and would love to one day teach at the school."

"I am currently enrolled and I earned my BA from an oncampus location. I work full time and found that this fits into my schedule well.I have read all the good and bad and personally it is what you make of it and some will not like the school others will love it.It meets the requirements and I have worked harder in this program than I ever did while earning my BA. I am not currently working in that field but I have talked to a few people and have gotten positive feedback about my education choices."

"I received my Masters degree in the Administration of Justice and Security in 2011 and it was a fantastic experience.I met many people in my online experience and the classes were great! I would absolutely recommend University of Phoenix to anyone who has already gotten a career and is looking to move up. This school is great!"