I originally attended Argosy University because I worked at Education Management Corporation (EDMC), who owns this school and a handful of others and the education was free because I worked there. There are good things and there are bad things about this school and honestly, there are probably more bad and I probably would not have continued if it was not paid for. The good: Academic Advisors: I've worked with several advisors during my time at Argosy and was impressed that ALL of them were very knowledgeable and helpful. Flexibility: Don't like a teacher? Tell your advisor and get out of the class. & never take a class with them again. Need some time off for something big? Let your advisor know and they'll probably work it out for you. I had both of these happen to me during my time there and my advisor was more than willing to help. Speed: The classes are quick, only 6 weeks long, which means you won't be bored because you'll be busy. For me, this was a good thing. The bad- Turnover: Unfortunately because EDMC has high turnover rates as a company, it is likely that a staff member of the school may be let go or moved to another position while you're working with them. This also means that sometimes there may be someone learning a new position as the people you go to for help are changed and they may not have the answer. My financial advisor was changed twice and the person they changed it to although was very nice, was somewhat incompetent and it was very annoying to have to remind him simple things of how to do his job and basic information he should already know. Price: It's fairly expensive for the quality of the education. If I would've paid for it, I probably would have taken my money elsewhere. Overall, I am finishing my degree in July and I am satisfied with my choice to continue going to this school, even after I lost my job and had to pay for some of it myself. I do feel I have learned. However, had I searched for a school to to based on the value of education, I would have taken my money elsewhere.

lttlegel

USA

Argosy is not a very good online program, and in my experience people do not leave their studies ready to enter the field of education. I have found that students are ill prepared for the reality of the profession, and have these great GPA's, but then aren't all that competent. I think online learning can be great, but not through Argosy

teacherguy

USA

As I preceded through the lessons I noticed that a freshman high school student could accomplish this with ease. The studies are very shallow and the content leaves you with very little knowledge of what you will need in the future. Everyone I have researched says basically the same thing and they would not recommend this school to anyone. This is a sham for the amount of money they are charging for top education.

dlbczb2

300402969

I recently completed my doctoral program at the Argosy/Sarasota campus.  Classes were engaging and challenging.  Lecture notes were detailed and provided opportunities to apply teaching/leadership theories to various work environments.  The professors at Argosy/Sarasota were very responsive to student needs.  Papers were graded in a timely manner and contained comments suggesting improvement or noting areas of strength.  Argosy/Sarasota follows APA strictly and expects students to adhere to this format when submitting written work.  Colleagues were supportive, even when challenging different points of view.  This type of academic exchange made the Argosy/Sarasota program quite valuable, especially when it came time to write my dissertation.  My dissertation committee was supportive as well as demanding.  All of my interactions with the registration department and business department at Argosy/Sarasota were very professional. 

GrandView

North Providence, RI

The PsyD (Clinical Psychology - they are offering one in School Psy) program at the Argosy Sarasota Campus was unexpectedly dropped. Students were told to apply to other Argosy Programs, if they wished. There was no plan other than "we will teach the program out". They were on track to pursue APA accreditation, and when the Orange County and Seattle Programs failed or were declined the accreditation process with APA - the national Argosy got scared and decided to focus on only the alreayd accredited programs (thus Dallas did not pursue accreditation). National Argosy in essence closed the program in Sarasota - and orphaned the students in the program (of course this was not their perspective) - to them it was strickly a business decision, which is what Argosy is about (now that EDMC is Goldman Sachs cash cow). Most campuses have major turn over in the management (Presidents last 2 or 3 years and then are terminated) ... Argosy seeks to homogenize all of its programs. The PsyD programs have maximized and now are not growing like they once were. The facult at most of the southern PsyD programs like younger students (20s to late 30s) who can be molded to their image of a psychologist - very psychodynamically oriented with lots of emphasis upon the Rorschach and its use, when as a practicing psychologist you would never be reimbursed for this. There are bright spots in this mess - mostly in the counseling programs both the Masters and Counselor Education and Supervision doctorates. The faculty at the Sarasota program are outstanding in their work with students - holding students to high standards, yet supportive and humane. If you are considering any of the Argosy Campuses investigate it fully ... go beyond the admissions tour, and the interview. Talk with former students, graduates, current students. Check out any investigations going on at the campuses (check out the Attorney General's Investigation in FL regarding propritary institutions - Check out the GAO testimony before congress - August 2010 - read Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director Forensic Audits and Special Investigations) NOTE - Arogsy increases tuitition every Fall Semester, currently this is significantly more expensive than a local public university. What you are paying for is convenience - being able to do your weekly work online during your down times. In saying this recall that 50% of your course work must be done in some residential format - weeklong residences on campus, or weekend residences (Friday through Sunday). There is then the travel, lodging, and other expenses. Argosy is going to an all ebook format so there is an extra charge built-in for this, currently these ebooks are only good for 3 to 5 years and then they are no longer yours, so it is more like an extended rental fee - they say they are working to do away with this - this fee currently is reported to be required, so you will not have a choice). These are expensive programs requiring a large committment from you for your time and resources, so fully investigate this and become an informed consumer. Good luck

JimSmith05

Sarasota, FL

It will cost you over 100,000 $ to receive you PsyD degree at Argosy only to have to jump through hoop after hoop in order to get a practicum site.  This adds up to more money.  Read the lawsuit on MagerLawyers.com to get a real picture of what happens at that University.  This girl is not alone.  There are many others who have invested alot of money only to fail their CCEs twice after all their course work is completed. 

Muskateers

Satellite Beach, FL

I am a first year MA student and have attended a top 50 University for my undergraduate work, as well as completing a Jurist Doctorate.  Argosy is what you make of it.  Get in there....mix it up with your professors, raise your hand often in class, get known, study hard and make good grades.  There are plenty of "bumps on a log" in my classes and honestly, they never make a peep.  I have a high GPA and plan to keep it that way or very close. If you don't give a crap about your education, nobody else will either.  There are plenty of successful PsyD grads from Argosy University.  Again, there are 1000's of other schools I have never heard of either, producing Ph.D.'s and Psy.D's.  Nobody will ask you where you got your degree from.........and even if they do, I'd be proud to tell them, not embarrassed.  It is not easy. Life and work are what you put into it.  Poo-poo'ing a school because of a few lawsuits, (every college has them) and most are based upon the fact that the school was "provisionally APA approved," is foolish.  Also, there are no guarantees you are cut out to make it.  If you began with a non-APA program and hoped it would be accredited, that is your fault.  Nothing is guaranteed.  Same goes for ABA approved law schools. If you were that "bump on a log" and never learned a thing in your life about networking, getting work, finding work, finding sites, that is your fault.  Life is short and tough, so it is what you make of it.  If you sit in the back row, have your head down, expect to make $100k in 5 years for showing up, you are sadly mistaken. All grad schools are money rackets - but they should be.  $100k is nothing compared to what you will make over your lifetime.  Today, med schools are $250k++ on average now.  Neurology, $300k+.  Dentistry, $200k++ However, psychology is a vast field and you can work almost anywhere.  The risk of being sued and malpractice insurance is much less than that of a D.O., M.D,  or whatever else you are in the medical field.     

TonyMeoli

Smyrna, GA

As someone who believes education should challenge, I approached my choice of online schools based on three foundational considerations: I wanted to be challenged; I wanted the material to be internalized; and I wanted it to contribute practically toward my career success. Granted, this is my first master's degree. But in a discussion with classmates online, the consensus from others who have done master's degrees at brick-and-mortar institutions across the country was that our online class was MORE challenging than the physical classes experienced by those who had other master's degrees.  (Some were taking classes at Argosy simply to maintain their certification in practice). Of course, Argosy began as a brick-and-mortar institution. There are two within reasonable proximity to me--but as a mother of three with a full-time job, the online option was far more convenient than the commuting option. And in the end, I'm glad it turned out that way. I remember working for my BA--falling asleep occasionally in classes, drifting off in a daydream. Raising my hand and BS-ing my way to my class participation credit. None of these pitfalls is an option in an online course. At Argosy, your class participation credits cannot be earned without research and good documentation for your opinions. Every class participation post to the online classroom MUST have citations in APA style--and must be well thought out. I learned as much from the research I did for my class participation posts as I did from the reading and research for the 3-times-a-week papers we had to post showing we'd digested the required material. I have internalized far more from my instruction at Argosy than from any brick-and-mortar classroom experience I've ever had.  I highly recommend this form of learning--above that of the traditional methods. But you only get out of it what you put into it. The results are self-dependent on your motivation. But be warned you can't get away with laziness in an online school

katesredmandolin

Pasadena, CA

I earned my doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from Argosy/Sarasota in 2003.  MY courses were challenging and meaningful.  My major professor was knowledgeable and an expert researcher.  My dissertation yielded several publications and a book.  Actually I found my experience at Argosy to be much like all of my othr educational experiences.  At Argosy, I did receive more attention from my professors.  It was great!

SchoolPrincipal

Kingwood, TX

I am enrolled in the clinical psych program at argosy. I got my MA and am almost done with the psyd. I am do not know if ppl on this site are aware of the history of how argosy was formed. Argosy was originally individual state schools of profesional psychology. ISPP, the illinois school of proffesional psych was the first profesional school of psych that existed period. Ask ppl in the field, psychologists, they will tell you that ISPP has a good reputation. during the 90's the psych schools and the u in sarasota and a medical school in mn, i think, formed together and made "agrosy unuversity"(If I messed up some small detail in describing this dont crucify me.) The PSYCHOLOGY PSYD program is in a different league then the rest of the stuff going on at argosy. The Psyd at argosy is based on a very solid and reputable program that has been around since the APA created the Psyd degree. I know a number (about 5 or 6) graduates of ISPP (argosy) who are very gainfully employed, you can do your own google search, instead of typing in argosy, type in ISPP and you wil find many gainfully employed respected psychologists. That being said, I am in the program now, and I know the ups and downs of it. we just had match day for internship a bit over a month ago, and on my campus the match rate was 96%. We only have one student now without a site and that is bec of her geographic limitation. What are the negatives of the PsyD program here? 1- It is very competitive to get practicum sites, keep in mind you need 2 or 3 of them b4 internship. 2- Argosy does not have their own counseling site.3- Tuition is out of control I think argosy is trying to piggyback business and education programs off of the Psych programs good record, and that is not fair to us psych students who work off our tails and hear that other students are getting an easy ride from argosy.

transfer

Phoenix, AZ