University of Phoenix Review

 University of Phoenix Review

The University of Phoenix (UOPX) is a private for-profit college, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The university has an open enrollment admission policy, requiring a high-school diploma, GED, or its equivalent as its criteria for admissions. Founded in 1976, the university confers degrees in over 100 degree programs at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree levels.

The school has been under investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission for the last two years. 

The University of Phoenix's Detroit campus has a graduation rate of 10%, but a student loan default rate of 26.4%, according to USA Today.Other controversies concern marketing and recruitment practices, instructional hours, being one of the top recipients of student aid, and having a student body that shoulders the most student debt of any college.

The University of Phoenix claimed a peak enrollment of almost 600,000 students in 2010, but its numbers have declined sharply since then. Enrollment was 142,500 on August 31, 2016. In 2017, it was acquired by Apollo Global Management, an American private equity firm.

History

The university was founded by John Sperling[9] in 1976, where the first class consisted of eight students. In 1980, the school expanded to San Jose, California, and in 1989, the university launched its online program.

In 1994, University of Phoenix leaders made the decision to take the parent company, Apollo Group, public. Phoenix had more than 100,000 students within the first five years of going public. Growth in the company made John Sperling a billionaire. According to Senator Tom Harkin, who chaired hearings on for-profit colleges, "I think what really turned this company is when they started going to Wall Street."

Between 2010 and 2016, enrollment declined more than 70 percent  amid multiple investigations, lawsuits and controversies.

In February 2016, the Apollo Group announced it would be sold to a private investment group, made up of Apollo Global Management, the Vistria Group, and the Najafi Companies, for $1 billion. Former U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Anthony W. Miller, partner and chief operating officer of Vistria, would become chairman.The sale will have to be approved by both the U.S. Department of Education and the accreditation group the Higher Learning Commission in order to go forward.

In December 2016, the US Department of Education approved of the sale of Apollo Education Group by Apollo Global. However, the company would be required to provide a letter of credit for up to $385 million.

Schools :

The main campus is located in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. While the school specializes in online programs, the UOPX is one of the largest private universities in North America, with the campuses located across the USA, as well as Puerto Rico, and overseas campuses in Canada, the Netherlands, and learning centres in Mexico offering traditional in-class academic education as well as additional programs and services. 

Online students are also able to use tutoring and social centers, which can also be used for social and student meetings. The first center opened in 2007 in Plano, Texas, with several more centers across the USA. Since January 2000, the University of Phoenix Vancouver-Campus in Burnaby BC, an international campus located in Canada, has offered on-site undergraduate and MBA programs accredited in Canada, the USA, and the Netherlands.

Students have access to class-specific online resources, which include an electronic library, textbooks, and other ancillary material required for a course. The university says that the electronic textbooks include search features and hyperlinks to glossary terms that make the books easier to use for research.

In 2016 the University of Phoenix indicated plans to shrink from 91 campuses to 67. As of October 2016, University of Phoenix had closed or was in the process of closing 150 physical sites.

The University of Phoenix reports about 40 operating campuses, with more than 25 not taking new students.

Majors :-

The university offers degree programs through the following schools and colleges:

School of Advanced Studies

School of Business

College of Education

College of Health Professions

School of Health Services Administration

College of Humanities and Sciences

College of Information Systems and Technology

School of Nursing

College of Security and Criminal Justice

College of Social Sciences

In addition to its traditional education programs, the school offers continuing education courses for teachers and practitioners, professional development courses for companies, and specialized courses of study for military personnel.

Students spend 20 to 24 hours with an instructor during each course. The university requires students to collaborate by working on learning team projects, wherein the class is divided into learning teams of four to five students. Each learning team is assigned a team forum where team members discuss the project and submit their agreed upon portions of the learning team assignment for compilation by the nominated learning team leader.

Through its online portal, eCampus, students also have access to software required for coursework. Students have access to virtual companies created by the university to provide students with assignments, which Adam Honea, UOPX's dean and provost, claims are more realistic than those available with case studies.  In August 2011, Apollo group announced it would buy 100% of Carnegie Learning to accelerate its efforts to incorporate adaptive learning into its academic platform. 

Some academics and former students argue the abbreviated courses and the use of learning teams result in an inferior education.  The University of Phoenix has been criticized for lack of academic rigor. Henry M. Levin, a professor of higher education at Teachers College at Columbia University, called its business degree an "MBA Lite", saying "I've looked at [its] course materials. It's a very low level of instruction."