Argosy University

Argosy University - Atlanta is a good school. I obtained a Doctorate in Education, Instructional Leadership at Argosy - Atlanta and it was, as with any course of study, largely up to me to the degree to which I recieved maximum value for my money, time and effort. I have seen many posts (a significant number of which are very poorly written and have spelling and grammatical errors... hmm... telling)that are negative and speak to experiences in which the student was failing or is no longer in their degree program. To this I have to say, Argosy University holds it's student body to a level of academic rigor that is appropriate for the level of study in which you are engaged. I would not have wanted to attend an institution of higher education that did anything less. I worked diligently for my degree and no one held my hand (as no one does at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.) in a graduate degree setting, you are at the next level and are expected to function as such. Your success is up to you. Moreover, I attended 3 different universities for my Bachelor's (University of South Florida), Master's (University of Scranton) and Argosy (Specialist and Doctorate) and I have yet to hear of the University that is not a large bureaucracy where documents get lost and phone calls are not promptly returned. This "Utopian University" does not exist. All financial aid offices, admissions offices, registrars offices are the same, welcome to higher education. If you plan to stay, plan on being diligent, patient and working hard and you will be fine.

I am so happy Argosy Atlanta is "sunsetting" the Education Department. This is something that should have happened years ago. I have recently earned my Doctorate degree from there but it was PURE HELL! Not to mention extremely expensive. I did not expect the program to be easily, I wanted a challenge. My problem was the inconsistency of the program and the attrition of the professors. During my final dissertation process I had five dissertation chairs because of chairs getting fired, quitting, case overload, or illness. Each time I received a new chair of course that meant new changes to my dissertation. It took me years to finish and thousands dollars. I am glad I am finish, but I REGRET ever enrolling in Argosy.

The classes, both online and on campus (Sarasota, FL), were well prepared and facilitated. Professors were supportive; provided timely feedback with embedded comments within written assignments and email correspondence. Staff at the Argosy/Sarasota campus were extremely friendly and helpful. During the dissertation process, I found the library database to be extensive, and librarians were only a phone call away when I needed assistance. I travelled a great distance to attend my blended courses in Sarasota, and I was never disappointed.

I have recently graduated from Argosy/Sarasota with an Ed.D. in Instructional Leadership. The course material was demanding and relevant. Lecture notes provided outstanding information that was relevant to each course taken, and the information could be readily applied to work situations. The Argosy/Sarasota library was outstanding...especially with the support from "real live librarians." The Argosy/Sarasota online library included a wide array of journals and e-books which made research for my literature review and my comprehensive exam much easier. The professors at Argosy/Sarasota were attentive and supportive. Papers were graded in a timely manner and returned with personalized comments to help improve the submitted work or to point out particularly good perspectives. Argosy/Sarasota has become very strict with APA requirements, so be prepared to get cozy with your 6th edition APA Manual when taking courses. In each class that I took, there were at least a few colleagues who respectfully challenged my thinking and encouraged me to reexamine my position on certain education issues. This was incredibly refreshing and exciting. My dealing with the registration and business departments were unremarkable...everyone I dealt with was courteous, friendly, and quite helpful.

Argosy University provides an opportunity for the student to receive a rigorous education which can be personalized. There is a wonderful blend of full-time experienced professional professors and passionate adjunct practioners who are successfully engaged in the field. NCA Accredidation from the Higher Learning Commission assures a quality and respected degree. As a practicing high school principal, consultant and college professor, I can attribute continued success to the academic experience and the doctorate credentials from Argosy University - Twin Cites.

Argosy Sarasota is the best online degree programs available for the degree fields offered. Just check out the 2007 Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac where it lists Argosy Sarasota as one of the top 300 research institutions offering a doctorate degree program out of more than 3000 research universities. I had a great experience at the Sarasota campus which requires more than 50% of course work to be completed in residency. The doctorate program is not all online. To all of the naysayers in this review, I have found that they are usually the students who get out learning and education exactly what they put in to it.

I looked into enrolling into Argosy. It looks like a very bad risk to me. There are soldiers who succeed in crawling through minefields and go on to win the Congressional Medal of Honor, but I don't recommend crawling through one just in hopes of getting one pinned on your chest. Online education is so new, it is caught in the larger tides of economic, social, political, and cultural forces, and it can't yet figure out what it is or which way it's going. The guys I talked with in "Admissions" (a euphemism for sales) tried the hard sell on me, and got their pelvic girdles on their shoulders when I didn't bite. They picked the wrong fish to feed that shoddy bait -- I worked professionally with felons so many years that I find con games entertaining to a point, then boring - especially second-rate con games like these guys were playing. Facts: I copied and pasted Better Business Bureau evaluations of Argosy, two of which were a grade of "D" (for the Santa Ana campus) and "Unsatisfactory" (for the online program). These guys tried every way imaginable to discredit the BBB, their results, and my ability to intellectually grasp the information without getting confused. It was at that point I began losing my patience. I also copied and pasted posts from a different forum, as a way to illustrate my concerns. One fellow tried to make believe he thought those posts were about University of Phoenix - a pariah among online schools. Con games? Nope. Just second-rate *attempts* at con games -- and I speak as an authority on that subject. The tragedy is that these two clowns would not let Argosy's good reputation for it's psych programs speak for themselves. Nope. They had to challenge the BBB and my ability to understand it. Wrong move. If $50 is not posted back to my account by 1:22 pm tomorrow afternoon, two letters are going to be mailed and faxed - one to my bank, and the other to the local prosecuting attorney. Games? I don't have time.

It served its purpose. I have lots of experience in education (corporate world) and only wanted the M.Ed. behind my name to add some value. In my environment they care more concerned with your real life experience and knowledge gained from those practical experiences; the credentials just help to add a pretty ribbon to the package. AU served its purpose for my needs. I was in and out in less than 12 months. Truth be told, if I had the time I would have taken my GMAT scores, which were above avg., and simply persevered through a two year program. It is a business and they (the compnay (it's not a school)) are not concerned with you as a student but rather the revenue you bring in. That said all of my professors great. Something I just could not wrap my brain around was this one student I worked with on a group project who signed her name Jane Doe, Ph.D. Two problems with that....her grammar was horrible and she hadn’t yet completed the masters program we were enrolled in. How did she justify having a Ph.D. behind her name? I never asked.

Professors, curriculum overall outstanding! Administration and student support terrible. Change after change by staff persons with little tact displayed by some. Too expensive but a high quality curriculum in instructional leadership.

My experience at Argosy/Sarasota was both positive and typical of all of my other graduate education experiences. I had great professors who were very credible teachers and researchers. My major professor was a national officer with the AERA. My courses were demanding, substantial and useful. I would stack my dissertation/research against anyone's. I took classes on campus and through distance tutorials (i.e., 1 on 1 with a professor)and I never had any online courses. I think I had more interaction with these folks than other professors at any other time during my past education. I found the program demanding and I would say that some folks that I met never earned their degrees (i.e., because they did not complete the requirements--- just like any other program). I've never had anyone question my degree and I've work for a large school district in Texas and routinely teach for traditional univeristies and community colleges in the Houston area. Lastly, while the education was expensive, I think it was no more expensive than most universities. Doctoral level study is not cheap.

I recently completed my EdD Online through Argosy University. I found the faculty to be top notch, the modules to be thought provoking and the university as a whole to be VERY supportive. My adviser was available to me when ever I had a question. I highly recommend this school. I'm sorry others have had negative experiences.

Field trips to petting zoos are more educational than any course taught at Argosy. I am transferring because I am too embarrassed to admit that I am a student here. It disgusts me that my transcripts will have Argosy on them at all. The professors are morons and the students have the brain functioning of amoebas. I honestly believe the only acceptance criteria is a pulse and available financial aid funds.

Thank you for your service. I hope it helps students to decide about their future and prepare for the online college experience.