Walden University

I had completed my Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration at Walden University. The course work required at Walden is quite substantial, but you can learn a lot from the course material, academic research, professor feedback, and class discussions. I am uncertain about the motive behind the criticism written by some students against Walden, but I presumed that they were expecting an easy degree and became frustrated when they needed to work for it. Walden requires hard work. Anyone who thinks that Walden would be an easy route to obtain a degree is misguided. During my study at Walden, my professors were very supportive and the academic office was also very responsive; however, I still had to work my butt off in order to graduate. As a result of my Walden degree, I have been able to work as a senior executive both in the government and the private sector. Because of the credibility that my Walden degree offers, I have also been able to teach at a highly respected brick and mortar university. In conclusion, if you are looking for an easy degree, go elsewhere. If you are self-motivated, will not engage in procrastination, and willing to work hard and succeed, then the flexibility of the Walden online program is a perfect option for you. Good luck to you!

I am finishing up my PhD this quarter and it has taken me five years to complete it, when I thought it would only take three. Face it, online learning is difficult but it's not impossible. You get out of it what you put into it. Yes, I was often highly frustrated, particularly in the dissertation process. I even had to employ a consultant for help with my statistical analysis, That said, now more than ever Walden provides all types of resources to help students out. Those resources were not available to me when I first started the program. Yes, there are delays in the process but you know that going into it. The faculty have deadlines to turn your work around and if they don't meet them then report it. The PhD is hard work but I have learned ALOT and am a much better writer and critical thinker now. I don't care what co-workers or employers think of the Walden degree. Walden is an accredited university and at the end of the day, I'll be a PhD. To be clear, no one paid me to endorse Walden and I'm not faculty (as someone suggested in another review).

This is an outstanding school with a wide range of curriculum, and most importantly in my case, very well educated faculty. My experience is that both in the coursework and the residencies, the faculty are interested in seeing the student succeed, willing and able to communicate both by email and telephone, and have excellent academic qualifications from some the finest, most reputable "brick and mortar" public and private institutions in the country. This is not your typical so called "for profit". It is very professionally run, with first class advisors, an excellent and very expansive library to include peer-reviewed publications, and specialists for every phase of the instruction and learning process. I am proud to have received my Ph.D. from this institution and have received feedback from several schools regarding teaching/ research opportunities. I suggest that students work hard to do the research and writing and don't be hesitant in seeking advice, assistance and feedback from the faculty. It is essential to take the initiative in communicating. I personally received more feedback from faculty from Walden than attending any of my "brick and mortar" schools, at times sitting in a room or auditorium with 100 plus students listening to a lecture. Also making the postings to the instructor and fellow students of relative small class size keeps you involved in discussions regarding the coursework. You definitely earn your degree. I frequently asked myself, why do such excellent faculty, with great credentials teach at this institution? My answer is that they too are proud to have their name and reputation associated with Walden University (Walden Pond of Henry David Thoreau fame), and the Laureate Universities International organization. I would not let the words "for profit" deter you from investigating this school. It is unique, well run, and in my estimation, very competitive with many highly rated public and private, also very expensive institutions in the country, many of whom have for many years begun offering on-line advanced degrees as well. Good luck!

Agree with All Negative Reviews (AVOID TO EVERY EXTENT) Walden University doesn't value their students to no degree. There is absolutely no support system for students. Many of these instructions give whatever grade they see fit. It’s useless far as filing grade appeal. Basically, it works against the student. Faculty is all part of this behavior. Mind, you my grade weight percentage was at 95.00 percent, and then email the instructor asking to give me few hours to complete the assignment, her reply was sure thing. The instructor stated it would be a small penalty. Like you won’t believe, thereafter, I receive a zero grade, which drop my weight percentage down to lower 80% range, attempted to email her along with her original email explaining why you would tell me a small penalty, then do the unthinkable. This instructor reply was sent back to me in bold italic with a sarcastic tone. I also, attach a copy to the Associate Dean, School of Psychology department and waited 3 months for a reply, my grade was never change. Encounter 2 majors’ issues with this institutions and neither concern was not address accordingly. The financial Aid department is unprofessional and has no telephone etiquette. The reviewer was right, can’t hardly ever reach anyone in that department. However, now in my last course, the discussions post are due on 4th day which is Thursdays, no later than midnight eastern standard time; the written assignments are due on the Sunday by midnight. The grades suppose to be posted no later than Monday and Tuesday within that week. This instructor is posting grades at the very end of the second week. According, to Walden’s guidelines all grades are posted that follow Monday, no later than Tuesday. What is going on here? When I approach the instructor in reference to grading scale, reply was grades are not posted until the end of the second week. I attach the grade posting guidelines, to provide differently. I never receive a follow-up reply regarding matter. This only goes to show, these instructor’s do exactly what they want with no regards for anyone but themselves. A few of my associate’s were interested in the Public Policy and Administration program. I clearly explain don’t waste your time; you will experience nothing but nightmares for the most part. I told each and everyone them to look elsewhere. There are a range of problems and wrong doing that is going-on at Walden University.

I have just completed my Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration at Walden University after 6.5 years studying part-time. I had previously earned my Bachelor and Master degrees in a traditional state university. I can attest that the course work at Walden University is just as demanding, if not more demanding, than a traditional and reputable university. The fact that it is an online institution requires the student to be more self-motivated because there are no professors and other classmates to remind you on a daily basis in a face-to-face setting to complete your assignments. Further, in an online environment, you cannot hide in the back of the class and not participate in class discussions and debates because every word is posted online in the classroom forum and you simply cannot hide or only pretend to participate. The course work and requirements at Walden are quite rigorous, and demanded substantial self-motivation to complete, although support from the professors and others from the university is always available. Online universities are still a new phenomenon to many students and at times scare them because of the uncertainty of how an online learning environment compare with a traditional classroom setting. I have seen some of the negative comments posted about Walden, and I speculate that these negative comments are from students who had expected an easy ride from an online university, but only to find that they had to work hard to earn a degree from Walden. In the end, these students are either expelled, dropped out, or given low grades for not being able to keep up with the rest of the class, and they turned to writing negative comments about Walden to vent. I must say that it is sad to see students who do not want to invest the time and hard work into earning a degree at Walden, but who can only invest time into badmouthing a school that refused to give them an easy ride in earning a college degree or high GPA. Overall, I am very happy that I had attended Walden, which provided me with the knowledge and skills to continue my academic and professional endeavors.

Walden University is what you make of it. Do not forget the goal you set for yourself. Having obtained my AA, BS, and Master's online from four different schools, I find WU just as challenging. It has also allowed me to take a deeper look at public policy and administration. I will agree that the school is more liberal than I would like, but have never been faulted for my point of view supported by researched facts. In regards to financial experience, it is the students responsibility to know what money they are spending. In regards to advisors, it is the students responsibility to obtain their education and ask the right questions. You don't buy a house or car without reading the contract of sale. In regards to instructor feedback, how much feedback do you need if you are meeting the standards of the rubric, besides a grade. In regards to the dissertation, which I will begin soon, it is my responsibility with mentorship from the chair and committee to complete. Choose wisely. In regards to accreditations and recognition from potential employers, if the organization does not equally consider the degree obtained, it is that organizations loss and a place I would not care to work. Lastly, I do understand each and every bad review; but what I see is a reaction to what could have been avoided with more prior in-depth research. Walden is a good school, which complements those with on the job experience future self betterment, while at the same time allowing the student to give back to the community in some way by producing a published document highlighting a social change issue.

In 2013, I completed the PPPA PhD program at Walden. I found the academic rigor of the program comparable to brick and mortar schools. Many of the professors also work in industry, bringing their non-academic knowledge and experience into the classroom. Fellow students reside throughout the United States and the World, bringing with them points of views that, combined with the professors, stretches your thinking, developing you into a more critical and strategic thinker. During the KAM and Dissertation phases of the program, I used the scholar/practitioner skills further developed while completing coursework. The faculty and staff at Walden University are not hand-holders. Successful completion requires self-motivation, self-regulation, independence of thought, and a willingness to independently investigate and find solutions to your questions and challenges. That being said, the support services at Walden, ie Financial Aid, Student Support, Writing Center, Advising are all excellent. Whenever I had a questions, I usually received a response within 24 hours. The Walden Library is wonderful, and I miss having access to the wonderful journals and other information it provides. I highly recommend Walden.

I would like to state that I was[ ] a student in attendance at Walden University, (WU). Any student considering taking classes this university should read all reviews; in my honest opinion they are accurate. I strongly believe that individuals who have written A1 reviews; are staff and have probably been paid to write the review. The student body appears to be made up from a high percentage of African American, Hispanic, and White individuals from middle to low income communities. The other small percentage are from other countries. This determination is based on statistical reviews and observations at residencies. The staff or at least those attending the residencies are at least 99% lily white. You will waste your money at WU—point blank! If you want to take a course here or there—okay. As for a real career move, and to become the recipient of an outstanding degree; or help with social change, this is not the place. I cannot begin to tell you the racism that I experienced when if first enrolled. It’s not important so I will leave it at that. Walden is basically a trap that sucks the life out of the financial aid and loans that students are granted. The financial aid office is a joke. You cannot get through on the telephone without speaking to student support first. The student support team, like academic advising, technical support and all the other live chat prove to know absolutely nothing but script reading. Let me add, they sound sleep or waking up off of some high as a result of drug use. My experience with financial aid, and the fact that I have taken out personal loans to fund my education are for some reason always on hold. After waiting literateraly until the next term for money that I will need to pay back; not to mention approved as a result of my credit, and by the DOE; I get a nasty response from the support team when I question. The first thing that is mentioned is that your refund blah, blah, blah , ;when my primary reason for my calling was to determine the date the tuition will be applied to my account. The financial aid office continuously communicates information via email “there is a hold on your account…”. With this being the case, if the funds were sent to the school, why aren’t the funds released? Attendance at residencies is truly a shame. How many times do you need to speak with an academic advisor? Not to mention, standing in the long childish lines, and free coffee is what you get for the high tuition students’ pay. The same information and speakers year after year. A real waste of money; this is both actual and the now virtual. If you would like to go to Spain, go for fun; not to go over APA’s Manual again. The designated hotel, very expensive. The flights, very expensive. These residencies make absolutely no sense. They really need to be for free or always online. Securing a Mentor and Chair Committee is the third joke; it might be the 20th joke to some; or perhaps the impossible dream [remember the song]. I have been trying to get a mentor for almost two years now. I am seeking to enroll in a traditional university; in this case I can back track what I missed. This is not to state that all online schools are bad. Taking electives while waiting to secure a mentor and chair committee are not all bad because you are initiating continuous class room learning. If I had to do this all over again, I would not choose WU.

First, I can't say I have been disappointed in the learning aspect. Online schooling is what it is. I have had a few classes where I really enjoyed the approach. Second. In regards to the support....THERE IS NONE! I am in my 5th class now and have not been able to purchase one book now. The financial aid office is absolutely horrible!!! I am in week 3 of classes and my financial aid has still not been processed. When I called, the girl on the phone told me that I should get used to it because they have so many students. WOW! nice thing to tell a customer. The issue with that is, if I decided to drop a class because my financial aid package was a joke (which it is), then I would owe because I had to wait to actually see what it was. Walden as a business sucks! They are truly about money and don't care for their students. I made a bad mistake choosing Walden and will soon correct that mistake. Hoping to hear back from 3 other schools so I can transfer.

Walden accepts anyone with a pulse who can qualify for a loan. When it comes to graduation, then the standards become like Harvard's. They won't let you graduate until they milk you out of every penny. It is a scam and online degrees are worthless. Not even Walden would give me a position as an assistant. They turned me down repeatedly as soon as i applied.

I began the process of completing my Doctoral degreeat Walden University. During my second quarter, I was advised by a very reliable source that Walden along with a few other online universities allow individuals without a Bachelors degree to enroll in the Doctoral program. I called Walden and asked if this were indeed the case. I was told that an individual need only be able to prove they have a Masters degree. In my opinion, one should have to show that they have completed both a Bachelors and Masters before pursuing a Doctoratal degree. I was troubled by this and decided to pursue my degree elsewhere.

I have to sit here and laugh at some of the reviews that I have seen on this post. For those that probably have the biggest complaints I seen one post where someone complained that the professor wanted the student to actually do a few citations; how dare they! I have been going to this school for the past 4 years and have had my ups and downs just like most but for the most part it has been a very good experience. I am pretty sure that most of the complainers on here got their first wakeup call when they read the syllabus and seen that there was a 25-30 page paper due at the end of each class and that didn’t count the title page, abstract, or the references. If you are really lazy and don’t want to have to work to achieve something go ahead and look else ware. The professors are top notch and all have years, and years in the field and are there for the students. I find it funny that the biggest complainers about Walden are the ones who thought the degree was just going to be given to you. I wish it was just given to me as well but they actually make you do some work for it. I did notice that some professors spend more time than others but isn’t it the same way at a normal institute? Not everyone is the same. I had one professor write a 3 page critique on a 25 page paper; I wondered if he did that for everyone? Online school is not for everyone, you don’t get a babysitter to explain when things are do. Now the bad! The Residencies suck! The KAM's really REALLY suck, and I am in the initial part of my Dissertation. The school is EXPENSIVE!!! I kind of look at it as you are getting what you pay for. The research Seminar classes were helpful but in reality they did not help me all that much when it came time to do the actual Learning Agreement for my KAMI had to switch my mentor because the first one was taking 10 days to get back submissions from my KAM; my current mentor takes 2-3 days depending on the size of the submission. Did I happen to mention that the KAM's suck! Basically they are a Thesis on steroids that take 3-4 months to complete and they suck. For anyone who actually thought that you could get a PhD in less than three years needs to take the back of your hand and slap yourself a few times because where did you actually hear that this could be done? The residencies are "OK" the thing that I disliked the most about it is having to listen to what everyone was doing their Dissertation on even though they just started the program. There is different milestones and it seems that they need to keep the milestone 3 and 4 together and let the newbie’s hang out and talk about how much they still have to go. All in all I really don’t mind Walden, I HATE SCHOOL and cannot wait to be completed and have some free time to myself without having to write all the time. There is no way you will succeed in this school if you cannot dedicate at least 8-10 hours a week for normal classes and 14-16 a week while you are in your KAM phase.

As someone who received their Masters from Walden in 2005, I can say with all honesty that it is not worth the paper it is written on. Sure I received the promotion and salary bump that originally inspired me to get this degree, but there is no way that this degree compares to almost any others school. The classes were easy and obviously written by an outside company and were definitely not of graduate level standards. I wish now that I had not decided to go for convenience over quality in selecting a school. Walden University is a poor choice for anyone who can get into any other school.

Walden University's school of Public Policy is comprehensive and competitive. There may be a number of students who start the program but not all of them finish the program. I find that classmates who entered the program with me left because the program required a lot more time, energy, writing, and challenges that they were not expecting. The School of Public Policy requires A LOT of reading, writing, and critical thinking. This is certainly not a program that you can just do minimal work and get by. It requires all the same expectations that traditional universities require except you can do it on your own time. The professors come from universities all over the country and have diverse backgrounds that add to the dynamics of the program. You can not enter Walden as a poor writer and leave the same way. The school is very challenging with regards to writing. If you can't read or write, you will never make it through the program. The PhD program tends to be 4-5 years. You can't possibly do it less than 3.

Walden University's PhD program in public policy and administration has been challenging and indeed I have developed as a scholar. I'm currently entering my 3rd year of the program and I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Folks, if you're looking for a degree that has snob appeal or you want be a senior professor at State U, this isn't your school. Whether you like it or not, there is still significant institutional resistance to these types of learning modes. But institutional resistance is not the same as institutional quality. Walden University delivers on its mission: to provide a quality doctoral learning program via the web with some short-term residencies to supplement the learning instruction (as well as develop a live network). Walden University is excellent at teaching the skills of scholarship via the web. The biggest difference between this type of program and a traditional one is the intimacy of the small and shared experience that occurs in that format. So clearly you need to know what and WHY you are pursuing the degree before you enroll. Finally, online learning isn't for everyone. You have to truly do a self-assessment of your motivation and individual learning style before taking courses in this format. If you're lazy or lack self-motivation or disorganized, then move on. There is no easy road to the PhD and you should look elsewhere if you think WU is your quick path to doctoral land. It's isn't. Also, just because it is online and therefore more "convenient" (no parking problems), don't think for a second that the program is completely flexible to your needs. Classes are packed into 12-week sessions and the agenda is quite aggressive. If you have "real life" issues like too much work or parenting responsibilities et al, then move on. WU will roll over you like a truck doing 85 at 2am on I-85. The best parts of WU include an extensive online library, fast response time from librarians and excellent academic counselors. The residencies are also a strong point, as you get to network and form learning communities with other scholar-practitioners. My primary problems with WU include non-academic factors such as having a more coherent branding strategy. I would also like to see WU establish an online student lounge for students with facilitating the connection with fellow students from the same state, program, etc. This can still be accomplished through Facebook, but it's not the same (in my view). Finally, I would also like to see WU establish regional learning centers (or campuses) like Argosy, as I believe that would quicken the pace to which students would meet their residential requirements. Overall, WU is a very good school if you are motivated to learn and have the time to fully commit to the take of doctoral work. I hope my assessment has been helpful, as I tried to be honest and not a "homer".

First, some of the negative reviews are just plain silly. A professor asking for citations? What was the reviewer expecting? An online education is not for everyone, if you need hand holding, this is not for you. If you need a professor that you can talk to for several hours for guidance, this is not for you. Read the program descriptions and research your field licensing requirements (if applicable). Walden requires course work and participation, it is NOT a degree mill. Support is actually great for my program. I have called academic advising with general questions and quickly got a person to talk to 9 out of 10 times. The tenth time I left a message with a question and I got an email response with the answer in about a day.