I am just about 2/3 of the way through the MSA program at the University of Phoenix.  I chose the MSA online degree program because I work a full time job and have a family.  It was nearly impossible for me to plan to be away from home at least 2 days per week in a traditional school.  The online program caters to the adult learner who also works.  I have the ability to go to school whenever I have the time - whether it's at 2AM or 10PM.  Each class is six weeks long, and requires different levels of work depending on the instructor.  Typically I go to school at least 4-5 days per week and participate in several online discussions.  These online discussions are geared towards creating the classroom environment and are done to enhance the whole learning experience. Some of the classes are very difficult and you do have to have the ability to practice self discipline in order to succeed in the program.  However, you also have a wide variety of resources right at the Unviersity of Phoenix to draw help from.  There is also a very worthwhile resource for reviewing term papers, which they call the Center for Writing Excellence.  When you complete your term paper, you can submit it for review to the Center for Writing Excellence and they will correct it for spelling, grammatical and sentence errors.  It also has a plagarism count, so you can see if you have used too many resources without proper citation and reference in your paper.  The instructors are very particular with proper credit being given to authors and will definitely deduct points when this is not done. In my degree program, which is a masters of accountancy, I have a total of 12 classes to complete in order to receive my degree.  I am in my eighth class now, and have found the entire experience to be extremely beneficial.  As an accountant, I deal with the topic every day.  However, there is also something new to learn in accounting and the rules are continually changing, particularly with the fairly recent Enron issues and the newest economic turmoil. The instructors range from very easy going to extremely strict, in my experience.  Some are very critical in their grading while others are more lenient.  For the first time in my entire college journey, during this degree program I actually received two grades of 100 in two of my classes, which was more than wonderful!  I tend to be an over-achiever, shocking for an accountant, I know.  I was more than delighted with those grades and really loved showing them off to my children!! As I approach the end of my degree, I can honestly recommend the program to others.  The fees are comparable to other schools.  My degree will cost me around $25,000, which is not that bad for a master's degree.  I was able to get a federal student loan, and the payments are not due until I graduate next June.  I am anxious to complete the program and finally be done with school - at the ripe old age of 42!

pkw99

Norwich, CT