Since the general vibe about for-profit online universities is negative. Which does make sense. I have interested in going to a state university that have online degree courses. That way I can still stay home and go to school since I work different hours and going to a school that is reputable and more employers will know about it.
Since there are so many schools that are online now. It’s hard to pick a good one. I wanted to know if anyone here has any experience with doing the online degree from a state university instead of a for-profit university like University of Phoenix, Kaplan, etc.
I am interested in becoming a software engineer as my end goal so hopefully I will find the right school. I hope someone here can help me with this. Thank you and have a happy new year.
Hi jc0481, I researched some online degree programs and I found two companies that have public universities as their clients. Check out Embanet and Deltak’s website. These companies operate the school’s online degree programs while maintaining the school’s brand. All schools are for profit, the ones you named in your post also manage other large universities’ online degree programs through the Apollo Group, Career Education Corporation and Blackboard. Good luck in your search.
I didn’t go to a state college, but I did go to a private non-profit university for both my undergrad and grad degree online. (Northeastern Univ.) I also attended University of Phoenix for the first 2 years and obtained an AA from them. I can say that the education I received was of equal quality, but the rigor at NU was far greater than at UOP. However, I can say with some certainty that you will most likely not find an undergrad degree in software engineering as there is going to be lab requirements. The best route to go for strictly online is to get a tech degree in like IT or ISM then try to get into a graduate program for software engineering. It is unlikely, but possible if you do all the right things. Even better would probably be a degree in mathematics. Do your research on what a typical SE degree will require, but I doubt that even your diploma mills like UOP or Kaplan is going to offer SE degrees strictly online.
Where do you live; I might be able to find something.
@2bnoir: Thank you for the information. I will check out those schools.
@Rupert421: I have heard mixed things about U of Phoenix. Some say the quality of education is not that great and very expensive and others have said it’s a good school but still expensive. I do like Mathematics. But sadly I have researched the different online degree programs and they usually offer the same general degrees. You are right about getting a I.T. degree with my Bachelor’s and going to get Masters degree in Software Engineering. Here is a link to one of the schools not sure if it’s online or not. Never heard of this school. Just did a Google search and this came up.
I felt the education I got at UOP was a good one, but the school is very expensive (as is most online programs), and the school has a very bad reputation. I would advise not going there.
You would be hard pressed to find a BS in Math online because it’s not a very popular degree and most universities won’t invest the time and money into it. With an IT degree you would simply get a job in IT (and there are a lot). If you got one in information systems management you could become a business analyst, database miner, or systems management. Of course the most important part of finding a job is getting an internship while you are in your 3rd or 4th years of college.
Drexel is a great school with many online degree. You can see them here:
Of course none of the above listed schools have engineering programs online, but do have IT or IS programs. The only school I know of that offers distant (meaning you’ll have residencies) is University of North Dakota, but they still do not offer one in software engineering. Have you looked into the University of Utah to see if they might offer a part-time engineering program? That would be the best and cheapest route. All the schools above are good schools but you’ll pay for the convenience of online programs. I paid around 45k for my BS at NEU and it will be roughly the same for PSU and Drexel. I’m not sure about NJIT. However, while tuition is expensive, 45k is what a typical student would pay out in additional living expenses plus tuition that you won’t have to by living at home and working.
The other thing to consider is your high school transcripts. I know the only reason I got into NEU was because I already had an AA. A lot of first year students get denied admissions to online programs if their grades and SAT scores are not up to par (just like campus programs).
If you want to be a software engineer, you should look into computer science programs. There a few “software engineering” undergrad programs, but they seem to be rare. An undergrad program in CS will prepare you to enter software engineering, as well as give you more options for graduate school (if that’s your goal). Two ABET/CAS accredited Bachelor of Science in Computer Science programs available online are:
Both schools are non-profit. There are plenty of other programs, just as the one offered at University of Illinois - Springfield, but the FSU and Regis programs are ABET accredited, which could serve to further validate the programs when searching for a job or graduate program.
By the way, University of Illinois - Springfield does have a fully online Bachelor of Arts in Mathematical Sciences (and it’s a legitimate math degree, with all of the upper division courses you would see at any state university): [Admission</a> to the Online program - Curriculum - Mathematical Sciences - University of Illinois at Springfield - UIS](<a href=“http://www.uis.edu/math/curriculum/online/index.html]Admission”>http://www.uis.edu/math/curriculum/online/index.html)
A BS in Math would look better than a BA and you’re right a computer science degree would look better, I figured that would be a similar boat as engineering (requiring labs and what not). If you were gonna choose between Regis and FSU, go with FSU. Regis is starting to develop a bad rep and FSU is ranked much higher any ways. I know a couple of people who have gone to regis and have had bad experiences with the online courses.
As a rule of thumb…don’t go to a college that has TV commercails. UW is good, but they don’t offer any programs that he wants/needs. OSU is in the same boat, no programs fitting the OP’s needs.
You can take admission in Rochville University that offers online degree programs, specially for those students who want to earn fast bachelors degree in their respective subject. Also, the university offers life experience degree programs. Go to <a href=“http://www.rochvilleuniversity.org/[/url]”>http://www.rochvilleuniversity.org/</a>
Rochville University is an unaccredited online university offering a “Life Experience Degree, and Certificate Program”. It has been accused of being a diploma mill. The State of Texas “classifies this online college as an illegal supplier of educational credentials”[1] and lists it among “institutions whose degrees are illegal to use in Texas”.[2] The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization lists it as “fake”.[3] Its operation is believed to be centered in Pakistan,[4] and its diplomas and degree certificates have been mailed from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[5]