University of Phoenix Reviews of MBA Programs

"Began the MBA competency-based program on 1/16/2022 with excitement and enthusiasm. Very disappointed at the lack of instructor and mentor guidance, assistance as promised. The mentor acted as a motivational cheerleader only, and the instructor was vague at best of her specific expectations. 3 weeks in, I dropped and found an MBA program with instructors who want you to succeed and provide detailed and clear expectations and mentors who are subject matter experts that help you maneuver through the program knowing if you have any uncertainty they will take out the guesswork and guide you to where you need to be by giving you specific individual feedback. After all, it is a LEARNING environment, you are not a Master yet. Thoroughly Disappointed in this program. I now know why Phoenix is NOT listed as one of the best online MBA programs. Proceed with extreme caution!!!!!"

"The University of Phoenix offers faculty of whom hold Phd's, or a terminal degrees. Where else can one receive instructions or learning in economics from a teacher who served as ac former director of the US import /export bank? Or environmental , business law from a former corporate lawyer well versed and practiced in the area. This is its strength. It isn't easy working full time and accomplishing this, it is however worth it. Since it's inception, traditional colleges and universities have adopted very similar programs. Realize like any other path to a diploma that it requires commitment and hard work. Great school, great philosophy of teaching and exceptional results. And no, I don't work for the school! Whatever school you do choose, take it all the way!"

"I actually started i n 2005 to complete a Bachelors in Management, after being laid off after the company I worked for was bought out. I enrolled and found the online format to be easily navigated and with pre-enrollment from my counselor, was very successful by completing this degree in 2 years. I then began my MBA degree immediately, and worked 7 days per week after coming home after work, and weekends were full with studies and classroom activity. The MBA was finished in 18 months, with no breaks even for holidays. The only problem I had was financial - My financial counselor told me I had to borrow $10,000.00 from my personal bank in order to continue, even though I had been approved for 100% student loan funding! Aside from that little letdown, I forged ahead and graduated in 2008 with a 3.9 GPA! I really enjoyed the school, my classmates, instructors, and the level of education I* received at the age of 63, and have demonstrated my abilities far beyond my peers I have met in the business world. Thank you, University of Phoenix!!!!!"

"It is worth every second, I have to admit that I was worried in the beginning, however throughout the process I have met many people that have received either their bachelor's or higher from UoP, and are doing extremely well in their profession. It is all about the work you put into it regardless of the university you attend."

"My advice, READ THE REVIEWS FIRST. I was all set to graduate from UOP in 2011 and completed all required courses. When it was time to file for graduation I was contacted by my adviser and told I needed to retake a course that I transferred from another school (Troy University Montgomery). I fought like hell and the only thing I did not do was get a lawyer because I was afraid UOP would stop me from obtaining my degree. I was not able to complete my MBA program until September 2012. I have spoken with several other students and one who is currently experiencing a similar situation. This school is money hungry and will keep students back to get more money from them. I have never been a part of something so hideous in my life. No one could explain to me why the HR graduate level course was accepted one year before graduation (when I took it in 2010) and when it was time to graduate they decided to remove it from my transcript. I am currently speaking with a lawyer now regarding this incident simply because I did not receive an answer from Phoenix other than "Because we can." The school continues to reach out to me to re-enroll into another degree program but I will not subject myself to any more of UOP low quality and lack of value practices. UPO starts out very supportive and the advisers are all helpful until it is time to exit and you do not owe any more money. The school is horrible in the event of squeezing money out of their students rather than helping and assisting them on their journey from the beginning to the end. Because of this my experience was very poor. UOP is very tacky and the school has done this too many of its students. My advice, READ THE REVIEWS FIRST."

"The bad reviews from some people here are very funny. People do whatever they can to diminish the prestige of one institution. University of phoenix is a good university. They do not accept any transcripts as someone has said it. Only from academic institutions that have been well reviewed and have been accredited by the different regional academic foundations. University of Phoenix is a real university and it helps students to succeed on any field."

"I opened a charter middle school after earning my MBA. I felt University of Phoenix provided a meaningful, quality education. You get what you put into it; in other words if you apply yourself and finish your degree while putting in 110 percent, you should get a return on your educational investment for life!"

"Dropped out of the program because it was intense trying to incorporate school into my day job, family, and personal life. Right away the school contacted me and influenced/motivated me to continue and stay in school. For UOP - Hawaii campus, the support/guidance was there. Continued on and completed my MBA. So Glad I did! Achieving my MBA opened the doors and advancement opportunities within my current company. Did a hybrid of both campus and online. Definitely two completed different approaches attending classes. Attending the campus allows the face to face interaction with peers and groups. Attending online allows the flexibility of logging on the required amount of times per week at ones convenience. The school may be pricey but again UOP is tailored and benefits the working adult. When I attended UOP I continue to work my day job earning a pay check and support my family. It would have been difficult for me to attend the local university at this time (2010-2012). The local universities mocked the online class system of UOP but look at the trend now, may Universities are offering online courses and degrees. I am proud that I have gone to UOP."

"Great school. Teaches current information. Great faculty. Classes are set up for student success. Great advisors support thAt do wonderful job helping students through issues. Topics in class are current and useful. I will be a millionaire in my lifetime from knowledge gained going to such a great school."

"it is the best online and brick and mortar school i have ever seen. the curriculum is tough. It took me 1.5 years to finish my MBA. the school and staff and instructors all have a heart. this means they listen to you. don't get me wrong i have two other degrees and No they were not online. I actually wen to school for those other degrees but Phoenix was where I felt like a student and they helped me every step of the way. I was in my late 30s when i enrolled with phoenix and i tell you it is the best school for working adults. try going to school and pay mortgage and keep a full time job and see how difficult it will be but phoenix and the instructors made that all possible for me. I will forever be grateful to phoenix and I AM always a Phoenix and very proud of school because they made it possible for me to go back to school years after i graduated from a brick and mortar school that people didn't even know my name on graduation."

"I attended UOP for five years to obtain my MBA online. Before that, I went to Seattle Pacific University, it was not easy for me to have a full time job and finish my MBA. After, transferring MBA credits from SPU to UOP, I was able to fit everything together and finish My MBA. Based on my experience, I can tell you getting an MBA from UOP is no joke, it is a hard program to obtain, you have to work really hard everyday to make it. It was actually harder for me than a traditional class at SPU. I am an Engineer and I know for sure what is hard school and what is not, and I can assure you that getting an MBA from UOP is a pain in the rear, you have to be ready for real school work to get it PERIOD."

"I've seen a lot of bad press and bad talk about UoP, but honestly it was a good school. The personnel helped me, guided me, and directed me to get my MBA, and I had no issues with it. It is not a Easy school where you can just show up and get grades. You had to do the work! UoP grads can back me up on this. It was a pain in the ass sometimes!! I will say I like the classes on line more than I like the two in classes I took, but it's a good school that did right for me. A Masters is a Masters and I am proud to have learn along the people I went to class with. I say to all the haters or complainers..... This wasn't my experience and that's the great thing about America. You have the freedom to transfer and make choices on your degree. That's my two cents"

"The University of Phoenix (UOP) is an excellent school for the working class adult to earn a degree in a expedited period of time. The hybrid online/on-site classroom setting is convenient and reasonable. The coursework is compacted into 6-week courses which could really be challenging to complete but not impossible. Instructors are credentialed and well-versed in their specialties. Final exams are all online and not very difficult to complete."

"I have a very demanding work schedule. Online program helped me to continue the education. I have completed my MBA in June 2013. Students are diverse from different states and there are students originally from different countries too. It may not be a top level..but the environment is average and good practice to interact with various students and instructors. Every week homework and text were not easy but I have learned a lot. For a graduate school, it is not just what you read and what your instructor tells you. You need to research and think think think. A lot of self-study involved. If you are not handling this well, you may not be taking max advantage of master programs."

"Tell us about your college experience.UoP was an excellent fit for me. I was returning to school after a fourteen year break. i earned my bachelor of science in business management in February 2013. NowI am working on my MBA and should be finished in the fall of 2014. UoP allowed me to work full time and go to school full time. I takes a lot of discipline and focus. It was also difficult to go year round with the only break a week or two at Christmas. I did attend a classroom college before and found online much more difficult. If a person is not a good reader, online is not the right fit. There is little interaction from the instructors. Usually any feedback is canned. The education received is what the student makes of it. If the student puts no effort into it, it is a negative experience. My experience was very positive because the classes were very similar to my job so I got every day experience as to what I was learning in class. The MBA classes are a repeat of my undergrad program. I do not feel I am learning anything new. The learning teams are a joke because usually only one or two members actually participate but everyone on the team gets the same grade. After working in the business world for 20 years, I completely disagree the learning teams are similar to work teams in the work place. Plus it never fails, in every class, someone on the team ends up in the hospital, breaks a leg, and has a family member died. It would just be better if they were honest that they did not do the work.Would you get the same degree if you could start over?I would get the same degree if I was to start over. Overall, I have received a valuable education that has tremendously helped me in my career.What advice can you offer other students?If you want to do online classes, it is not the school that dictates your success, it is you. If you want to successful, you have to be disciplined, make the time for it, and stick to it even when you want to be doing something else. The cliche is true, you only get out of it what you put into it. Make the sacrifices and you will find success."

"Tell us about your college experience.University of Phoenix (UoP) maintains a questionable reputation due to the acceptance of most all students. Typically, it is referred to as an online university that offers a degree without an education. I have read countless "scholarly" reviews, peer reviews, and "higher" accredited students tear into UoP's academic standards. I felt obligated to provide my vantage point review from an individual who obtained their undergrad and graduate degree from the school in both online and brick and mortar respectively, in various regions of the world. UoP is not designed to be a college straight out of High School. If that’s your motive, you are in the wrong direction and should reassess attending college. UoP is actually designed for the working professional to enhance their skills within their field and improve upon their research, writing, and communicative abilities. It’s heavily geared toward team-oriented projects and simulated exercises, providing real-world examples, with mild-moderate academic rigor, depending on the course. Realistically, for individuals who work full-time and require flexible scheduling, UoP is a great option. The grey area and the questionable activity is that UoP is designed to pass its students as long as their work is handed in, regardless of academic quality. That does not mean that they will achieve an A, quite the contrary, it is extremely difficult to maintain a 3.5 or higher, in any program. I have seen high credentialed individuals attend UoP’s MBA program, predominately for the convenience of its locations, as well as the flexibility of scheduling, barely pass courses just based on the fact that if you are unable to communicate well, you will struggle immensely. Most courses require presentations and leadership roles as team facilitators and project coordinators; introverted personalities struggled at UoP while I was there. UoP is just like any other academic institution; “what you as a student put in to the course work, you as a professional will take away.” Every student in my MBA program worked full-time, most ex-military, and typically seeking to improve upon their current abilities and knowledge level. Most all the students were extremely hard working, brought dynamic ideas to the table, and provided a level of ingenuity to a lot of the simulation exercises and team projects. Granted, there were slackers along the way, but I am pretty sure there are C and D students in every academic institution, regardless of the name. Based on my experience, I believe that if you either work full-time, or are in between jobs with a solid resume, UoP will facilitate in sharpening proactive thinking mechanisms and enhance one’s ability to communicate and convey a message, written and oral. From an academic standpoint, the curriculum is actually tough; the amount of reading and writing conducted throughout my MBA program was, at times, overwhelming. At the end of the day, it’s not a prestigious institute, and may get overlooked by employers as a stand-alone bullet. The bottom line is the school will give you skills, aid in job placement, and at a minimum, get you an interview. It’s really on you to sell yourself."

"I completed my BSBA-Accounting after obtaining my AB from the College of So. Nevada, after a 7 year break I decided to return to UoP for my MBA.As with any school you get out of it what you put in, however, it does discourage me that I see other students in Masters level courses that can't complete a full sentence or construct a cogent argument or discussion.Both degrees at UoP have done much to further my career but these opportunities were not based solely on my education. I'm a mid-career professional and while the degrees are required it's also "real world" experience that opens doors.I feel that UoP, being "for profit", will pass any student that has access to funds to pay for the course and sadly, this devalues ALL of the their degrees. I will not deem them a degree mill as they certainly don't qualify but allowing students into programs such as the MBA who have no experience in business is a great disservice to both the institution and the students.Over the past few years their enrollment numbers are declining and I believe this to be directly attributed to their policy of passing students, albeit with D's, that have no reasonable expectation of having even the most basic conversations about any of these subjects with a UoP degree on their resume. This causes the degrees to be devalued, less students then enroll, etc.I can tell you that I have learned much in the MBA program, I read all assigned readings, spend time with no-required learning activities and overall I'm pleased with my progress and the program. Can you pass by reading chapter summaries and fluff? Yes.Learning teams typically have at least one member who is not willing to tank their grade due to the slackers in the team and as a result, coat-tailing is common and a person who is interested in credentials and not learning can get by easily.Take this for what it's worth. You can get a degree by paying the required tuition or you can get an education worthy of the degree that will conferred, it's entirely up to you."