Capella University (Graduate) Reviews

Ph.D. from Capella

By Anonymous - New York on October 17, 2008

I was at a local traditional university before Capella. I have to say it was difficult at the traditional university as there was not a one on one feel and balancing it with work was near impossible. When I searched online schools and narrowed it down to Capella, I was skeptical at first. I found Capella to be very rigorous and challenging. For one you cannot be passive in an online course as you are in a classroom and it required at least 20-25 hours per week of preparation and research. Every online interaction at Capella must be well thought out and backed up with peer reviewed research. It was tough! The comprehensive examination phase is quite similar to many traditional programs and as in traditional programs, many people not get to the next phase and do not graduate(ABD). I realize that Capella is for profit so that means they take in more students than a non-profit school . I think the blogs of complaints are from those who feel that because they paid for an education they should graduate, well dream on. Nevertheless, the poor students are weeded out but they do get a fair chance. I assure you this is not for everyone. I repeat it this is not for everyone. My degree has already helped me gain a competitive teaching position and I am on a tenure track. So of course, examine all universities when searching and consider Capella, phoenix etc. you will find that many traditional universities are modeling schools like Capella but can not get away from the liberal traditionalism and get rid of the walls. I believe Capella is best for those who have a solid work history and experience and need an accredited degree for promotion. Capella graduate 2008

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Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior

By Marcy - Scottsdale, AZ on July 14, 2008

I am in the Ph.D. program for Organizational Behavior with an emphasis on Leadership. Thus far, the program has been challenging, I have mixed reviews on the instructors. I would not necessarily say the instructors are good or bad, but I do believe being more attentive and more willing to provide scholarly feedback is appropriate. The school as a whole is being attacked for the delivery methods, which I am not entirely sure, is fair. I have taken online courses with tradition brick and mortar campuses and I earned my MBA from a brink and mortar campus that started in 1877, so it had a long and excellent history. However, even their delivery format online left a bit to be desired. I think Capella does the best they can with the learning environment and the real question surrounding the school may not be the quality of education as much as the format (it seems other brick and mortar campuses are having similar difficulties). From my early experience with Capella, the education is fine, but I will need more time to evaluate it. In the meantime, you must decide for yourself and realize that just because websites are started by a person does not mean that reflects the majority of students, alumni, and prospective students. In addition, one site, http://www.capellauniversity.org/ and its alternate name http://www.capellauniversitysucks.us/, should tell you a lot about the intelligence level of the creator. Any person who has to use this type of propaganda and language to relay a point suffers from their own handicap. Finally, these sites claim to be responsive to all viewpoints, but thus far, they have failed to respond to my constructive questions. I suspect this is because they see things only one way, launching a smear campaign against the school, shutting out any other opinion or viewpoint in the process. I do not put up with this in politics and I will not in school. However, I digress, and I encourage you to do you OWN research and talk with graduates and alumni from any school you are considering before making a final decision.

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MBA

By Thyra - Seattle, WA on July 14, 2008

Capella's MBA program was a great choice for me. Being a frequent traveler in my job made it impossible to meet traditional classroom requirements, but I found Capella's schedule, though rigouous, encompassed all the flexibility I needed to complete a graduate degree. I specifically enjoyed the variety of professors teaching the various classes in the program, who came from top ranked universities across the nation. I found their teaching styles to be stimulating and thought-provoking - particularly the professor from Stanford. The courses in the program that sealed my belief in Capella as the right choice for me, were the in-depth courses in business ethics and diversity. The final project was an amazing experience; designing a company or division of a company from scratch, including creation of presentations to potential investors or board, an intricate detailed business plan and financial spreadsheets. The research required for this final piece of the program was amazingly rigorous and included many visits via the Capella link to the library at Johns Hopkins University. The 2-year course demanded hard work, but I found the challenges and learning from the courses and the interaction with other students extremely invigorating and enlightening. I've also used many of the techniques and processes gained from the program in my current career. I would recommend the MBA program to anyone with a bit of writing skill, as well as a lot of self-motivation and personal discipline. I wouldn't change a thing about the program I encountered at Capella.

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PhD, Educational Neuropsychology

By Fontaine - Online on July 9, 2008

I received my PhD from the School of Education last June. Previously, I'd dropped out of two other doctoral programs: one at the University of Maryland and the other at George Washington University (both respected schools. I lost interest in the problem I originally wanted to explore.) So, I have some basis of comparison in terms of program quality.

I found Capella to be every bit as good--actually, better--than either UMD or GWU. However, online schooling is quite different from a "brick and mortar" school and I was in a different place in my life that made attending classes in my bathrobe with no commuting or parking hassles the way to go.

I did have one "luxury" (for which I paid a hefty price--heart failure) that allowed me to replace a job with school (work disability). Most learners have a problem balancing school, family, work, community, etc. I only had to stop to play with the cats! (I plan to teach at an online university. My mind's fine--it's just my body that's cranky.)

My program within the School of Ed is called Professional Studies. What that means is that you are allowed to take courses outside of education. I choose psychology courses and ended up with a specialization in educational neuropsychology--a new and rather demanding interdisciplinary subject I find utterly fascinating. Capella provided me with the freedom and support to pursue an area outside the academic mainstream. I couldn't have been happier!

Personally, I suspect that name recognition only counts if you're the grad of an Ivy League school. I read dissertations from graduates of Harvard and have no doubt (nor did my committee) that mine was as good or better. And Capella prepared me to be able to say that honestly. (Loving my topic so much didn't hurt either. I think that's a key to motivation and success). I can't imagine receiving the kind of support and flexibility I did in either of the other doctoral programs I was in. My mentor was and still is one of the "angel people" in my life.

Bottom line, I had a wonderful experience with Capella and recommend it without hesitation. But as all things in life, you need to be proactive about getting what you need and letting folks at the school know what that is so they can help you achieve it. I would only add the caveat that I graduated a year ago and since then, Capella has changed some of their program requirements.

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