I finally graduated today from the University of Phoenix with a Masters in Business Administration focusing on Technology Management, MBA/TM. The program took me twenty-two months to complete forty-six credits. As a part-time student, I had to balance my time between work, family, school, and recreation. Fortunately, family only consists of my wife and dog right now. I could not imagine finding the time and discipline to dedicate to school while raising children.

The University of Phoenix’s main campus is located in Phoenix, Arizona of all places, but they have satellite campuses in 33 states. Their programs are offered in three ways, Online, Flexnet, and Campus programs. Online is where the educational experience occurs completely via the internet. Typically students will not meet their classmates nor instructors face-to-face. Campus programs are where the classes are offered in a traditional classroom. Flexnet combines the two, so a six week class will consist of campus learning on the first and sixth week, and internet learning during weeks two through five. For my MBA/TM program, eleven classes were Flexnet, and my last five, which happened to be my specialty, were Online. I prefer Flexnet because it gives students the opportunity to meet classmates and present their work in a more formal setting.

The beauty of the online education is that students can adjust their schedules to meet their needs. In addition, all students are working adults, contributing more in-depth knowledge and experience in classroom discussions, adding a greater value to the program. The transition to the virtual classroom is certainly a disruptive technology with a continually growing demand. More universities are offering an online educational experience, E-Learning.

For anyone interested in pursuing a degree, I like the programs the University of Phoenix offers because of their quality and flexibility. Sure it is an “online” university which differs from the more traditional setting for education, but this transition from the classroom to the virtual is a revolution capitalizing on new technology. My classmates each contribute unique perspectives on various topics which is quite different from my undergraduate degree with a more homogenous student population. As students, we learn from each other, and bring real-life experiences to each class.

A college degree is not a sign that one is a finished product but an indication a person is prepared for life. - Reverend Edward A. Malloy

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. - Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)