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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    The Shadows
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    Online Masters Degree

    Hello Fellow WHTers,

    Just a little background, first off, I have completed a BSc in Information Systems from a local university here in Winnipeg(Manitoba, Canada) approximately a year ago and I am still hankering for further education.

    My goal is to get a Masters in IS however local schools don't exactly work for me as I am currently full time at a job I love. My Dad who also just recently finished his Bachelors in Tech Ed has also been looking into Masters Degrees and he found APUS(American Public University System which runs American Military University and American Public University).

    I know alot of the "colleges" such as DeVry are crap mainly because they are all about making a profit and not actually in it for the education, however I do know APU is regionally accredited. So, I guess my question for that is how would this weigh up against a brick and mortar US college(not Canadian because I honestly would put Canadian way ahead of APU).


    Now, that said, my other option, which happens to be twice as expensive, is the online Masters from Athabasca University here in Canada. The big disadvantage is the fact that it is as I said twice as expensive, however it has one huge advantage over the APU Masters that is actually causing me to consider it more seriously. The AU program has a Project, Essay or Thesis option for the MSc and would prefer to write a Masters Thesis instead of completing coursework.

    To summarize:
    What do you think about APU?
    Is the APU degree "worth" anything?
    Compare to Athabasca, which would you prefer?
    -Insert any other advise here-
    Dan Sheppard ~ Freelance whatever

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Dallas, TX
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    9,064
    Regional accreditation is the norm in the US. It's actually sometimes harder to obtain true regional accreditation over 'national accreditation' (with 'national accreditation' sometimes being a fairly worthless accreditation). But each regional accreditation body is a bit different, though. I don't know which one APU falls under.

    If APU has a military-type affiliation, it may have a decent reputation for that reason. Some of these online colleges attract mostly military students and have a good reputation. But if you're considering something that isn't military-affiliated (e.g. attracting primarily military students), it could correlate with something like University of Phoenix in peoples' minds. Just keep that in mind. That will probably relate to the perceived "worth" of the degree.

    Have you checked into this?: http://news.dice.com/2013/05/21/geor...sters-program/

    This $7K online Master's in CS program (see above link) comes from a brick-and-mortar college and is being received very positively for the most part.

    -mike
    Mike G. - Limestone Networks - Account Specialist
    Cloud - Dedicated - Colocation - Premium Network - Passionate Support
    DDoS Protection Available - Reseller Program @LimestoneInc - 877.586.0555

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    The Shadows
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    I believe APU is HLC North Central(hope I got that right): http://www.apus.edu/accreditation-licensure/

    I know APU started out as nationally accredited but they earned the regional and renewed the national once but have since dropped the national accreditation. Perhaps because of the stigma attached to it?

    How is the NCAHLC viewed compared to other regional accreditations, what I would like is a degree that gives me the option of taking it further if I so desire.


    I will check out the GT program but it doesn't sound like a Thesis based program either so it is hard to say what will be more appealing to me. I am definitely open to looking into all other options and the GT one definitely looks like it would work since it is a online delivery based course.

    Thanks!
    Dan Sheppard ~ Freelance whatever

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    9,064
    Quote Originally Posted by Sheps View Post
    <snip> How is the NCAHLC viewed compared to other regional accreditations, what I would like is a degree that gives me the option of taking it further if I so desire.


    I will check out the GT program but it doesn't sound like a Thesis based program either so it is hard to say what will be more appealing to me. I am definitely open to looking into all other options and the GT one definitely looks like it would work since it is a online delivery based course.

    Thanks!
    I'm not sure with regard to your regional accreditation question. I know that SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) is well respected. At least one of the other regional bodies isn't, but I'm not sure which.

    Frankly, employers aren't likely to look up which regional accreditation body certified your school. They're more likely to just take a quick glance at the school and go by gut feel.

    My own tape on APU would be slightly negative, as I would tend to associate it with being something possibly like U of P. And I don't mean to attack U of P -- I've known both students and teachers there -- but there is arguably a diminished perceived value with U of P compared to 'brick and mortar' schools.

    In my own opinion, the best reputation/value for an online program often stems from a brick and mortar institution offering an online program. This is largely because no one really knows whether you earned your degree "in-person" or "on-line" from a brick and mortar school, and people often just assume that you earned it in-person (e.g. at the school).

    Regarding thesis / project options, I earned my own Master's with a "Master's project" at the very end of it. I would personally almost shy away from such projects in the future, because it's incredibly time-demanding to essentially learn everything about a topic and then try to synthesize the research and/or extend the knowledge base. I'd take a 3 credit hour class or two instead of a thesis any day, personally!

    To each his own, though. If APU is where your heart is set, then by all means pursue it!

    -mike
    Mike G. - Limestone Networks - Account Specialist
    Cloud - Dedicated - Colocation - Premium Network - Passionate Support
    DDoS Protection Available - Reseller Program @LimestoneInc - 877.586.0555

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