The Fortune 20 company I work for considers someone with a UOP degree as someone that is unable to perform a valid cost benefit analysis and therefore would not hire them.
Huh? That sounds spectacularly foolish. But maybe because I work in mental health I don't understand the Fortune 20 mindset lol. Hands on experience and practical knowledge is what counts. And I don't care where you go, a new grad is not going to have those things right away.
Even though I didn't go to UOP, or Capella or any of the other schools that have commercials, if someone wants to pay for their education then wtf does it matter? IF the school has met the accredidation standards, then that's what should matter right? My lowly degrees from UNLV have me in an office right next to a Stanford alum, and a UOP grad, making the same damn money, so really I don't buy the whole ability to get hired part.
This mindset is going to have to change.
Paying money to get a degree from a school that has a poor reputation and many, many companies do not recognize as a "real" business school (and won't reimburse employees for classes at), is a piss poor business decision. They are not accredited by AACSB which is the accreditation that matters in the business world. Therefore, you paid money for a degree that is not recognized by the people you want to hire you--glowing demonstration of stupid decision making.
And you really don't get why an employer might look down on a degree that does not illustrate actually ability to work, just the ability to pay?
And the difference between your "lowly degrees from UNLV" and UOP degree--UNLV is AACSB accredited.
Even though I didn't go to UOP, or Capella or any of the other schools that have commercials, if someone wants to pay for their education then wtf does it matter? IF the school has met the accredidation standards, then that's what should matter right? My lowly degrees from UNLV have me in an office right next to a Stanford alum, and a UOP grad, making the same damn money, so really I don't buy the whole ability to get hired part.
This mindset is going to have to change.
Most for-profit schools are accredited by a separate accreditation ( Higher Learning Commission) agency that doesn't have the same clout as the six regional agencies or specific accreditation agencies such as ABET for Engineering.
A lot of graduate schools and jobs only want people who have degrees from schools with specific accreditation ( regional or degree specific).
My sister went to a small state school whose engineering program wasn't accredited by the ABET. Graduates from the program couldn't transfer course to an accredited school, go to grad school or sit for any licensing exams. I used that example because the issue exists everywhere in higher education, but specifically with some of the for-profits like U of P or Capella.
So it doesn't just have to be accredited- who its accredited by matters just as much if not more.
Most for-profit schools are accredited by a separate accreditation ( Higher Learning Commission) agency that doesn't have the same clout as the six regional agencies or specific accreditation agencies such as ABET for Engineering.
This is not true, and I say that as someone in charge of a database that tracks, amongst other data, school accreditation information. There are a lot of for-profits that are accredited by the regional accrediting organizations. When I say a lot, I mean in excess of 1k.
So it doesn't just have to be accredited- who its accredited by matters just as much if not more.
This true, and the accreditation for your specific degree program matters just as much as the accreditation for the school as a whole. Like PP pointed out, while UofP is accredited by a regional accrediting agency (North Central Association), their business program is not accredited by AACSB, making that degree worthless.
Since you already work at the university you'd like to attend, have you looked into programs that cover employees' tuition? Most universities have programs like this where you can take 1-2 classes a semester for free, which might be worth investigating if you haven't already!
And yes, for grad school the university does make a big difference. Considering all your connections at the best university, I would recommend trying to go there; you'll have this degree for the rest of your life and if it's the best program in the country I'm sure it will open doors.
There is potential to have some sort of reimbursement. But because the program is so expensive, the employee benefits will only cover a very small proportion of the tuition costs. But I'll take anything I can get!