AIU Online - Accredited... Im Sure Obtained my "Degree" now I have to go to school all over again! Hoffman Estates Illinois

If your cousin took 10 years to get a teaching degree...there's something wrong with what your cousin was doing. I have a teaching degree via online; I'm state certified and can be certified in 48 of 50 states plus I teach at the university level at an AACSB school with Regional Accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission and North Central Association.

Did you think you could get a teaching degree in a year online? Really, come on! Now your bashing AIU because you thought you were going to skate through the whole thing. My cousin went to college for nearly ten years before becoming a teacher, so be happy if you only have to spend 4-5! It's like other people have said, depending on what you want to do for your career make sure you choose the right school.

I attended 2 other universities and a community college before I enrolled at AIU. When I transferred from the University of Illinois at Chicago to Illinois State University, many of my credits did not transfer. They have to get a catalog from the years of attendance, read class descriptions, and then find a class that matches. That doesn't mean the hours will transfer the same or that all the classes will transfer. That is just what we endure for being transfer students.

I had attended universities and had 113 semester hours of credit. I tried to transfer that to a community college and was told most of the classes would not transfer and that if I wanted to get an associates from the community college I would have to do another 60 hours of classes.

Few of my credits transferred to AIU from these colleges. Mostly because the classes reallly did not apply to the degree I was pursuing. In fact they adjusted and took a general communications class for a business communications class. They also accepted comp classes as business writing classes. Additionally, after my first class at AIU I recieved a call making sure that I understood I would be recieving a Business degree. I am not sure that AIU offers an education degree beneath the Master's level.

I have been reading many negative reports on this site about AIU that are not factual and desperately need to be updated. Such as the accrediation claim. It is true that the school was on probation with the accrediation committee. They kept the students constantly updated on the changes they were making with the committee and the probation was lifted around January of 2008. However, they never lost the accrediation. I would not be able to recieve federal grants and loans to attend a college that was not accredited. I have only had to take out an additional $3000 in private loans and I will graduate in September 2008.

At this point it seems most of the negative comments I've read about AIU (American InterContinental Universtiy) have been from disgruntled employees or confused and angry students. I'm sure if I do a search I could find negative reports about most of the online colleges around.

Shannon

Mel,

I understand your frustration at having to start from scratch in pursuing your dreams of becoming a teacher. The AIU Online programs are, first and foremost, Business programs. There are concentrations _within_ the business program that you can choose to further define your goal. However, the AIU Online Associate Degree is a Business Degree.

From what I understand about the education field of study, there are specialized courses required to become a teacher, and AIU does not offer those courses to fulfill enough of those requirements within their Associates Program. This is most likely the reason that most AIU Online Associate Degree credits will not transfer into a program that requires specific classes.

If an Advisor _knew_ of your intention to become a teacher, you should have been told this was a Business degree. If you did not tell an Advisor that your intent was to become a teacher, it is not AIU Online's fault.

As former Admissions Advisor, I had to disclose to potential students that the degree is primarily a Business degree. I also had to disclose that there is no guarantee that credits will transfer. No college or university can claim with 100% accuracy that credits obtained there will be accepted by another institution. It depends on the requirements of the program of study at the next school you plan to attend.

I worked for AIU Online during the time frame mentioned in your post. The tuition cost for an Associates was less than half of what you stated. Most of my students paid way less due to having prior transferable credits that AIU Online accepted; subsequently, they did not have to take all of the classes. As mentioned by the other poster, the Bachelor programs are around $30K, so no way could you be in debt for $45,000 from an AIU Online Associates Degree.

I have turned away students whose interests were not in alignment with the courses we offered; why set them up for failure? Again, the AIU Online Associate Degree is a Business Degree. Come to think of it, after reading your post, I miss working for AIU Online and CEC; however, I'd rather work as an Admin. Assistant.

I do wish you the best of luck, Mel!

First, AIU is regionally accredited working on a quarter credit system. Some use semester and some use quarter credits. This is no different than the many thousands of Universities and Colleges in the US. So, your credits will transfer. They key is the accreditation of the University. In AIU case it is the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges; the same for University of Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, etc.

Secondly, according to the AIU tuition schedule, an Associate's Degree from AIU only costs $20,430 for the whole program (90 credits) which includes text books. This is significantly lower than the $45,000 claimed in this post. Moreover, it costs only $30, 510 for a Bachelor's Degree (180 credits). The $45,000 seems to be greatly exaggerated to say the least.

Reading the Rip-Off Report, it is clear many people post unsubstantiated facts about AIU, CTU and other online degree programs out of pure ignorance and at a great disservice to working professionals seeking information on obtaining degrees on-line. AIU, CTU, Strayer, U of Phoenix, etc., are all fine Universities that offer a first rate education to those working professionals that need a more flexible schedule to complete their degrees.

I have attended both traditional and online universities and each have their pros and cons. However, the online credits and degrees are accredited and are just as accepted as a traditional university, both by educational institutions and employers. Any claim to the contrary is unfounded and without merit.

In fact AIU and others listed were named top universities in the following report. http://www.military-advanced-education.com/article.cfm?DocID=2294