What's your opinion of Online Universities such as American Military University, etc.?

Name recognition is going to have more weight than online/classroom.

A school like Phoenix is viewed as a "diploma mill" and hence it's relative value compared to Penn State (who also offers online programs) is going to be less. (Using my wife's BS and her MPS degrees as examples).

But when it really boils down to it, on your resume, you can choose trade-in on the name of your school, or leave it off. Putting BS - Focus - Date under education is acceptable. Nowhere is it going to ask whether it was online/classroom. When you submit proof of education (if asked), the name becomes important.

But when it really boils down to it there are hundreds of schools, and the degree is the important piece. The name is secondary. The program "method" distant third.

The way I look at is this- what is your best option at the time? For most active duty personnel, there's no way you can go to one of the big schools while serving. If it's not because of the time constraints, it's the financial constraints. A lot of times your choices are between doing nothing for college, attending an online school consistently or sporadically attending a school that's colocated on the base.

It's all about what your long term goals are. With some degrees, it makes no difference online vs resident. Psychology is a good example. Others should stay away from being completely online. Sports degrees and programs where you need clinical practice (EMS, nursing) are good examples of that. Taking your general education classes online wouldn't cause any harm.

I've been in a couple of these schools and no matter how convenient they are. The level of idiots that are "instructing" them and participating in there is very high.

Example: I was taking a pop culture class for a core requirement when someone who obviously didn't read anything decided to respond to the weekly discussion board. The question was, what are antiheroes is and give an example. They said an antihero is a villain and gave the example of the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz. I blew up explaining how they should read the required chapters before doing any work and maybe ask questions if they still didn't get it.

I recommend a balance of online for fillers courses but if you actually want to learn something and have a degree worth anything go for a traditional school.

My issue with some of these online universities is they ask you to sign a contract. Now, they won't use that word, but that's what it boils down to. Basically, you're committing to a course of study in ___________(fill in the blank) which will cost ____________(fill in that blank, too), and you're on the hook for that full amount whether or not your employer, VA or whomever comes through. I'd have extra pause for thought when an employer says they provide tuition reimbursement, then says no. I put my neck in that noose once. Employer didn't come through and ate about $2 grand for the PMP Boot Camp. I'd hate to see you make a far worse mistake.

Lisa, a lot of the bad wrap is because some on-line colleges/universities are nationally accredited and are only pass/fail grades. You want to look for one that is regionally accredited and offers actual letter grades, especially if one does not have a bachelors degree already. If you have a bachelors from a brick and mortar college/university, there is almost no issue with an on-line degree bachelor or masters being accepted even if it is pass/fail. The difference being you already have the first degree from an established college/university. Still you need to choose wisely. Some of these on-line schools have been called on the carpet for their practices and quality of education. The other thing is make sure the school and degree you are seeking are accepted by the company/organization you are getting the degree for. My wife is doing an on-line degree for her teaching certificate at something like Northeast Governors University - can't remember if that's the exact name but the school and its degree are accepted by the RI Department of Education the same as a degree form a brick and mortar school. And get that IN WRITING like she did. She already has a bachelors with a concentration in education from the university of RI. Ask the questions upfront to make sure of the acceptance and career impact if in fact people are questioning where the degree is coming from.

Older post, but I find it interesting that so many B&M are now online and struggling with the process if they have never had an online curriculum prior to COVID-19. Students are struggling as well, as the professors are unprepared with how to teach on-line, are using other professor's YouTube videos (often not affiliated with the same university or university system, yes I believe that is plagiarism and laziness), and the university has failed to create an intro to on-line learning course to help students understand the process of online learning.

Be sure whatever college or university you choose to attend is accredited and is "named". A lot of these colleges are springing up over night in order to make some money with professors that have doctorates from questionable sources. If you Google some online schools you'll find that some of the professors are teaching courses which they have little to no education/experience in.

I did my MA at Arizona State University online. Cheap, well known, and most of all, legitimate.

Good luck at your choice! UVA should be a good option.

To toss my 1/2 cent into the mix for any using this in their own decision:

Brick & mortar, at least for now, will likely hold at least a bit more sway than online. But that's changing, especially with so many brick and mortars offering online degrees (and some only online, such as University of Colorado - Colorado Springs only offering their Masters in Engineering with a focus on Space Systems online). So it gets harder to argue that online doesn't count as much. So unless it's a top 10 such as Harvard, Cornell, Yale, etc. or a big name public school such as Michigan, Penn State, UCLA, etc. then there really won't likely be a concern either way.

Make sure, either way, that it's regionally accredited. It's the best way to try and make sure your money and degree will go the furthest. It's the most recognized, and the easiest to transfer credits.

Decide how much time, effort, and prestige you're looking for. It used to matter that your degree matched your field. Now it just seems they want you to have a degree, matching might be a bonus but doesn't matter as much. Some might differ on this but the bulk I've spoken to at schools and for hiring so far have commented in this direction. Masters often still matters that it's the same field, but even that seems to be fading. As some others have mentioned most places are getting more interested in experience and the discipline to finish the degree than what it's in. If you're gunning for the big pay at some major name firm, the prestige of a ranked B&M school could be worth it.

Do your homework, talk to folks, and read reviews. There are quite a few lists, reviews, and articles on 'the best of' for schools. Some for Veterans, some online specific, some B&M specific that work with veterans, others with the best financial aid programs, etc. Check to see if the school you're interested is consistently mentioned. I know many people who've gone to AMU and had great experiences, for Bachelors and Masters. There have been a few in person, and some on here apparently, that didn't have the best experience. That's probably why, although AMU was frequently mentioned in such articles I've read they weren't often one of the top schools. They were generally mentioned as a school that's popular with military folks, regionally accredited, provides a 'grant' for undergraduate books (often using digital books instead to offset costs), and usually works with military folks in situations (but not always apparently from some on here). It's up to you if that's good enough.

Look at cost. Going to Cornell is great, but do you have the time and budget? If going after you get out do you have a backup plan if you're not one of the 25 or 28 veterans they select to receive the Yellow Ribbon funds to cover tuition that GI Bill won't (and it's a chunk)? Can you afford a couple hundred every 8-16 weeks or whatnot for books if going while in (since TA and GI Bill don't cover books/housing while active duty last I checked)?

If needed look at test score requirements. Most schools don't rely solely on test scores, but look at the average for those accepted. Do you have the GMAT score over 700 like most higher schools prefer, or does the one you want accept 650? Or is it needed at all? Do you need to prep for it?

I've probably missed some things but hopefully it helps.

In my case specifically I started in high school with dual enrollment, went to a state university in Florida until I ran out of money, went home, joined the Air Force. As an Airman I took advantage of CLEP and DANTES to max those out if accepted. I have Associates from CCAF in both my career fields, and a Professional Management certification (and working on a Project Management one). I have a BA in International Relations from AMU, that actually had some really interesting classes and surprised me (in a good way) with the difficulty and depth for some of the classes for an online undergrad Political Science degree.

Now I'm considering a Masters degree. I have some ideas for the future so looking at MBAs. I'd love to go in-residence at Cornell's SC Johnson School of Business or Michigan's Ross School of Business, but I can't support my family doing that as I'd have to wait 'til I get out and use Yellow Ribbon. So that leaves me with something online to some extent while I'm still in. Michigan's Ross has a program in LA that's in-person one weekend a month and distance/online with your team of students the rest of the month. So that's the one I'm considering. But I have to prep for the GMAT and take it. Their average accepted score is 700 (out of 800) so I have some work to do, but I'm hoping my experience and possibly military background will play in my favor. But if I can get accepted and finish the 21-month program about the time I retire I should be looking at a very high likelihood of landing a good, well-paying job. So the hassle is worth it to me.

If that much hassle isn't worth it to someone else for their goals, an online Masters from a 'regular' B&M or decent online school such as AMU could be perfect.

In the end do your homework and aim for your goals. Those two bits should put you where you need to be.

Any for-profit degree is just a piece of paper in my opinion. They are a good check-the-block degree required for many government jobs.

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