Hello everyone I am about to begin my associates degree in information technology with a certificate in programming at the university of phoenix. after I complete my associates degree I would love to go to Caltech for my bachelors degree. now the reason I’m going to online school is because I support myself and work full time (I’m 20 years old 21 in July) and I live by myself. I graduated high school early and didn’t have all the credits for college ( I wasn’t thinking about school at that time) so I’m doing online school to get those gen. ed. classes out the way and I’ll be able to work as a programmer while I finish my bachelors. In the long run I want to get a PHD in some type of computer science/engineering. Granted that my grades will be good enough (they will be) Is it possible to get into some of the top computer science programs like Caltech, MIT ,Carnegie - mellon , UCLA with an associates degree? would I be considered a transfer student? please advice is welcome
I think you are making a big mistake and I wish I had seen this earlier, you should have posted in a less hidden forum.
What state are you in? Yes if you take college classes you are a transfer student. For some it is only one class but for others it is less than a year. You need to be careful about where you take classes.
University of Phoenix is a for profit school, not a non profit like Catech or MIT or UCLA. It is highly unlikely that they will accept these credits for transfer. You need to take classes from a Regionally Accredited non profit school at the minimum.
To get into a UC your best bet is to start need to start with a California CC, they have a proscribed pathway to complete UC requirements and you can look up what classes transfer easily, you don’t have to wait and see if they will take any. Caltech has a transfer agreement with Pasadena City College but it is still very hard to get in. I would say you have zero chances with university of phoenix credits it is not reputable or rigorous enough.
There are more credible online programs. One student here recently reported getting into a top school as a transfer from University of Maryland University College which is online. There are also members compiling a list of reputable online colleges here
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1797405-list-of-inexpensive-reputable-online-college-ba-bs-classes-and-degrees.html
University of Phoenix is sort of a scam. My sister had to recommend somebody that was really weak in accounting.
That’s said my brother got a degree from University of Phoenix because he doesn’t care, he has two other degrees already. He bragged about how easy the degree was, unlike some online degree.
University of North Dakota seems to offer some engineering online
http://engineeringonline.und.edu/
I live in AZ and am aware of the University of Phoenix. Like others said, do not go there. If you live in AZ, go to a CC like Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, etc.
I didn’t realize it’s from Phoenix, duh.