Pennsylvania State University World Campus

While the education being conferred is mediocre, my professors have almost all been dialed in, engaged, and very willing to help. The courses are busywork heavy, with required discussion posts and disengaged required responses as a standard. On the positive side, you can take online courses at any of the PSU campuses. I've found the quality of instruction much higher outside the World Campus. I've been able to consistently take 25-29 credits each semester, make Dean's List, and hold down a full time executive job. So while the courses do require a lot of writing, with good time management, it's tedious but doable. However, the World Campus administration is absolutely THE WORST! My transcripts have been conveniently "lost" a number of times and the advisers are demon spawn. I don't know if it's incompetence, laziness, deliberate maliciousness, or a very unethical business model at play, but it seems like they throw hurdles and "policy" at every turn to slow down academic progress to keep you paying tuition longer. I had paperwork go "missing" for two months that conveniently prevented me from challenging a course in time for the semester, and requiring me to take the course to continue progress. My transcript has been "not received" 3 times, thus rendering my transfer courses ineligible to qualify for pre-requisites. Even with an instructor waiver of pre-requisite requirements, the academic advisers still refused to register me. In fact, with full knowledge, my adviser frequently MOCKS the lack of received transcript saying, "Well, why don't you take the CLEP for this course(the one she knows I already passed)?" "Wouldn't it be great if there were evidence of your CLEP score?" Lady, I could fax/email/courier you a copy of my proven transcript, if your administration team had the capacity to receive or process it. Luckily, being able to schedule online courses at any PSU campus has allowed flexibility to work around the World Campus academic blockade. I've found the administration at other campuses friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The other campuses seem genuinely interested in the success of students, using their knowledge to critically think and help find options/solutions to student concerns. If the World Campus Academic Advisers weren't such malevolently nasty pieces of work, the World Campus education would have been a positive experience. Unfortunately, the overwhelming quantity of time, effort, and mental stamina needed to manage these people while advocating for yourself takes MORE time than 26 credits of coursework. No joke.

Penn State world campus is amazing, I wish they had it years ago. You get the Penn state education standards, ciriculium and challenges but the ability to do it online. Like any real college you are not hand walked through it, you make your own choices about classes and have to work hard to do and accomplish the work but if you do you will have a degree in your hands from Penn State! I would put the effort in and get a Penn state degree actually doing the work over any of the fly by night online school that are out there. I have tried others like AIU and its strictly a paper writing push you through school. Thats not a solid education you need to be tested and learn and really able to feel like you accomplished something. Thats what Penn state online has done for me, Im about 18 credits away from finishing my BS degree. If your looking for a real school that will give you a real education go here! if you want a fly by night school that will hand walk you through your classes and be a worthless education go to one of the three that are constantly advertised on tv