University of South Alabama Reviews

"I have been attending USA, seeking my master's degree in the FNP program. Although I realize this is an online program, the lack of support from the College of Nursing has been embarrassing. If you are looking for a great college, especially one that supports its students and fosters great relationships, this is not the place for you. You are merely a number to them and even after reaching out for help, they will turn a cold shoulder to you. If you need any sort of assistance with clinical placements (which you most certainly will), they will offer very little. You are better off attending a University that takes care of that process for you. I wish I had chosen differently, but I am now stuck because I'm nearly finished and not all of my credits would transfer to another program.Read Less"

"This program is awesome. You learn and earn your DNP degree. My professors were supportive and understanding. I am successful because of my training at South. This school teaches you how to care for patients beyond the masters level. They are committed to truly promoting our profession. Highly recommend!"

"I got behind in a few classes due to a family traumatic event. I was told if we started to struggle to go talk to the professors. Because they "wanted to see us succeed". However, it felt like the professors already had given up on me. They complained about how much I would go talk to them. With me being behind in a class what else am I supposed to do. They also were even late to a few meetings I had set up with them which was very unprofessional. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. They obviously only viewed me as a quick paycheck for their program.Read Less"

"STAY AWAY! Psychiatric DNP program is 100% trash. All "instruction" is self-taught. Material is outdated (modules that contain due dates from 2021, instructions that were clearly developed for previous cohorts because now they do it differently). Exam questions that are impossible to answer, Eg. "Antipsychotics target which neurotransmitter? A) Dopamine B) GABA C)Dopamine D) no text provided for this answer". There are far better programs out there. There is a reason that they have a high drop out rate. Stay away from USA!Read Less"

"This school is a joke. There is no "instructors," only employees with tenure who do absolutely no teaching or directing students at all. The instructors in the nursing program are all in "cliques" and only care about sitting at their desk long enough to get retirement. They should all be fired and replaced with persons who actually qualify. I would not recommend this college for anything."

"University of South Alabama Ot program is full of instructors who only are doing it to get a paycheck. The program doesn’t care about the student’s best interests. Even when approached about some issues the students had with the semester, the Head of the OT department would simply not make any changes. They strongly disliked the students going and seeking help from professors. And would complain that the students did this. Again one of the reasons you shouldn’t go to this program. It is also very disorganized. Labs take longer and feel unprepared properly by the OT faculty. Most Professors would rush through material and give tests without making sure the Ot students were prepared. A few professors would quiz the class on the previous lecture material. This was helpful. If you are an OT student choose somewhere other than The University of South Alabama.Read Less"

"The Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program was a disaster. The student does all the work and the program seems to work very hard at tearing it all down. They had little flexibility when it came to COVID. I had a 9 year old child as well as an 85 year old babysitter. Many programs allowed students to do online precepting. My clinical advisor wouldn't take the time to figure out if we could or couldn't so just told us not to. They also told us 100 of our hours could be made up via class room type of courses and the very last week of my program, my clinical faculty, Dr. Linda Hammonds, told me it wouldn't be counted and casually told me I would just need to finish another semester. I checked with the head of the program who clarified she was wrong. I ended up doing more than 600 hours because my clinical advisor wouldn't accept hours that I was told they would.Read Less"

"Overall USA has a good nursing program. Some of the instructors are great and really want to see you succeed. The school definitely has some policies that need to change compared to others. Do yourself a favor and research other schools first, talk to others that have gone to other schools, and ask about things including assignments and preceptor/clinical rotation placement. Some things at USA are ridiculous. The school has clinical affiliations that are no help. You still have to find your own preceptors. Many of the places where the school has clinical affiliations still don't take students. The school has certain rules about clinical rotations that other schools don't require such as having to rotate through BOTH internal medicine and family practice rotations for the FNP program. Many other schools give you a choice because both are still "primary care". This requirement makes it that much harder to find preceptors. There are also some courses where it doesn't matter what your overall course grade is, if you make less than a certain grade on an assignment, you can't continue in the program. Just some things to think about. There are many other programs that don't have these requirements...Read Less"

"I attended South for my BSN and it was a great experience. The college of nursing was still located on Springhill when I graduated in 2004. I did not study for my NCLEX and had no difficulty passing the first time. When I started work I was much more prepared than other new nurses who went to other local colleges, except Springhill. It was a lot of work and it was hard but I'm glad I was at South. In 2017, I went back for my MSN, FNP online through South and had a really good experience. The writing classes were a shock to the system because they are so strict but once we got to clinicals and learning about how to manage diseases it was awesome. Prof. Herf held online, live lectures on material for each section and really made things make sense. The power points were excellent except for a very few instructors. Dr. Turnham absolutely makes this program along with Prof. Herf. Dr. Turnham is the kindest, funniest instructor and I wish I could carry her around for pep talks. Almost immediately available by email. There are so many excellent instructors that I learned from. You do go to school twice for simulation lab and OSCE which is fun. The process for getting paperwork turned in for clinicals was a little ridiculous but only because of the person in charge but that did not impede on my education. I graduated December 2019 and I would never go anywhere else. I definitely recommend South.Read Less"

"Awful school, only interested in money and their graduation rate reflects that (over 80% acceptance and around a 30% graduation rate). Not to mention to ridiculous amount of hidden fees and fines. They train their employees to watch you do something that can result in a fine, and they are TRAINED NOT TO SAY ANYTHING AND GIVE YOU A FINE. The school is corrupt, don't attend."

"I attended the University of South Alabama (USA) where I obtained a bachelors in chemistry. I thoroughly enjoyed my undergraduate years at USA because the campus was not too big but it was not too small. The class sizes were small enough where building a relationship with the professor was never an issue. The school offered many different organizations to allow different students to get involved on campus and meet people who shared some of the same interests as them. Getting involved on campus was extremely helpful for me because it allowed me to build friendships that I still have today. Having those close friends are vital because college is by no means an easy task to accomplish and you can not do it alone. The Department of Chemistry, my degree program, was a rather small department but being small is what allowed the students and faculty to gain a close relationship. Every Friday we would have a guest speaker to teach us about the type of chemistry work they do and give us recommendations on how to be successful after graduation. After the speaker finished their presentation, we would then have lunch which included the speaker of the day, the students, and the faculty. Along with any questions we may have had for the speaker, we would also casually talk to our professors about anything we have going on within our lives. This allowed not only the students to get to know each other on a personal level but for the faculty to get to know the students personally as well. My advice to future students would be to get out and get involved in organizations the school has to offer and get to know the professors on a personal level. Majority of the professors I built a bond with always did anything they could to help me with whatever I needed which played a major role in getting me to the point where I am today.Read Less"

"Whenever I get told by someone that they're thinking about applying to South's BSN program, I say, "DON'T DO IT!" Save yourself a whole lot of money and exhaustion by going literally anywhere else! Classes and professors are disorganized, sometimes we didn't get a schedule until a month into a semester! And then there's the feeling that nothing you can do will ever cut through the politics of the old timers who practically run the program their way and aren't going to change. The icing on the cake is the last semester - practicum - where you're spending the whole semester working for free in an area of the hospital that you may not even want to ever work in! They place you wherever they want! I'm just glad I got finished with my degree without ever failing or dropping a class - which every semester at least a third of the class did! I'm taking my degree and running with it, all the while preaching to you to not make the same mistake I made with this program.Read Less"

"The mechanical engineering program was very demanding and staffed with tenured professors who were very knowledgeable in the subject matter. Class sizes were small enough and there were plenty of places (campus library, computer lab, etc.) to study. As an engineer in an industry where obtaining a professional engineering license is required for advancement, south alabama's requirement to take the EIT makes the process simple. The program more than adequately prepares you for this exam, and the required time management skills that you will learn will make you a decent engineer in industry.Read Less"

"Terrible, will not recommend to anyone. Educators are not supportive, there is no over all Development of the Student , never respond promptly to Questions and concerns. Only try to tear Students down. My 1 year of classes at USA was emotionally draining and near to suicide. I dont want anyone going through that and end their life for some self concentrated educators."

"I love USA. The professors are absolutely wonderful!! They are attentive and easy to access. Helped with clinical placement. I would highly recommend USA for the DNP program. I have been pleased with how they handle your needs. They are professional and provide high quality professionals that know what they are doing."

"I am working towards my second bachelors degree. I have attended 4 different schools including USA and USA is by far the worst school I've dealt with. Communication is almost impossible at USA. If you're interested in nursings I hope you are okay with emailing 3 or 4 times before you get a response. If you leave a voicemail you will not get a call back so don't waste your time with that. I almost feel like USA doesn't want students. I believe USA provides a good education. There are some very nice and helpful professors. But I think that when people graduate from USA it is more of an accomplishment that they didn't give up due to frustrations with student services, financial aid, the business office, and advisors than it is that they passed all of the required classes. I hate to be negative because it does not suit my personality. However, I genuinely hope this will help someone and that they will not suffer the way I have.Read Less"

"I was a non-traditional student at 28 years old. I had wonderful professors who taught well. They were patient with me as I struggled with the academics. I am forever indebted to them. I also had professors who were impatient, verbally abusive, and intolerant of other's views. Their reputations preceded them. The bad professors and my awful experiences because of them did not alter my getting an awesome education. South is an excellent school and affordable. Warren Buffet, third richest man in the world, said that to not pay high tuition solely on an institution's reputation. He goes on to say that many affordable institutions offer wonderful academic programs. High tuition does not equate or guarantee a superior education.Read Less"

"University of South Alabama graduate program for future nurse practitioners works well with being able to obtain my degree and doing assignments at my own pace. Also the instructors are very supportive and easy to talk to if there is a concern regarding any assignments or test. I have really enjoyed the year I have been attending this school, I do have another year left and would definitely chose USA for graduate school"

"It is a college that is constantly improving and striving to be better."

"I am a current student at the University f South Alabama and i graduate with an undergraduate degree this May. I will be starting Medical School this Fall at All Saints University of Medicine in Roseau, Dominica. All Saints University School of Medicine is among the fast growing Medical Schools in the Caribbean island and is recognized by the Government of Commonwealth of Dominica. This school offers the first two years of medicine at Roseau, Dominica which is basic medical sciences and students can decide to stay in Dominica to finish the entire MD program or move to Canada or the United States or any other country to complete their clinical rotations. I intend to do my basic medical sciences there and then move back to the United States to do clinical clerkship for seventy-weeks then get into internal medicine for residency . My goal is to become an internal medicine and infectious disease physician to be able to provide medical care to people around the world primarily in the developing countries.Read Less"