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For those of you thinking of obtaining a graduate degree, online programs seem to be a convenience solution for working adults. However, not all online schools are alike. Most are private institutions that are about making money rather than providing a quality education. Northcentral University (NCU) is one such case.

NCU is a for profit business owned by a private equity firm. The focus of NCU is revenue generation derived from continuous enrollment and high retention numbers. For high enrollment, NCU will admit anyone with the required degree for the graduate program even if they cannot write a grammatically correct sentence. For student retention, NCU faculty engages in grade inflation. NCU used to have a policy where if a student did not pass a course the instructor would not get paid, which means a lot of undeserving students passed courses.

But a focus on revenue generation, easy enrollment, and retention are not main reasons to shun NCU and select a more reputable university. The following are 10 reasons why pursuing a graduate degree at NCU is a waste of your time and money.

1. Unfortunately, โ€œAsโ€ and โ€œBsโ€ given at NCU will not take you far. Rampant grade inflation ends when you enter the comprehensive exam (comps) phase. In most cases you will not be able to successfully complete comps, as you have not been properly prepared by your prior course work.

2. One reason you will not be prepared to pass comps and complete your dissertation is because most instructors (a/k/a mentors) are not academically qualified to teach the courses they have been assigned. Although NCU markets that all faculty hold doctorates, faculty are assigned courses where they have limited professional experience and little or no academic qualifications. I personally know of 12 instructors who teach courses where they have zero academic or practical training in the subject. I know several more who have never published a peer-reviewed article.

Most of the faculty from NCU graduated from inferior schools. For instance, you probably will notice that Harvard and Yale graduates arenโ€™t teaching and designing courses at NCU. Few faculty members graduated from state colleges either. Most faculty members come from other online universities and degree mills. I knew of one โ€œdoctorโ€ who obtained his degree from an unaccredited school located in Costa Rica. I knew of another โ€œdoctorโ€ who actually bought his degree and obtained transcripts from an online service. Because instructors at NCU are not familiar with the material they grade, faculty serve as mere graders.

3. Another reason you will not be prepared to pass comps or complete your dissertation is because students are not prepared for the rigor of completing their dissertation during the coursework phase. Statistics indicate only 2% to 3% of all business doctoral candidates will receive their doctorate. If you do not graduate youโ€™ve blown thousands of dollars for absolutely nothing.

4. If being unprepared by unqualified faculty was not bad enough, these same instructors hold students in contempt and distain and do not care about student success in spite of what youโ€™re told. Many NCU students who enter a doctoral program cannot write or read English even at a grammar school level. Management has told me they are fully aware of the problem but do not care -- after all NCU is about profit. If faculty cared about student success they would not placate students by giving undeserved โ€œAsโ€ and โ€œBsโ€ rather adhere to minimal academic standards of writing and critical analysis skills.

5. The reason most students want to obtain a degree is to get a better job. The challenge is no value exists to a NCU degree in private industry. Your degree will not impress employers and could negatively affect your ability to secure a job especially if you do not have professional experience in your field. Because NCU is an electronic correspondence school, employers do not consider the degree on par with state schools. NCU has earned a bad reputation among many employers. I am familiar with 8 instances where employers refused to accept candidates who hold NCU degrees.

6. Many NCU courses are using course materials that are outdated, irrelevant to the subject, and or do not provide the student with a base of knowledge to successfully complete the weekly assignment.

7. Most courses are poorly designed, likely because the course designers are not subject matter experts either academically or through work experience. Most course content in the business programs are not even appropriate for the specific degree program.

8. Each course is set up so students can earn a maximum of 100 points. I taught a doctoral level accounting course where the total points a student could earn was five points less than the NCU requirement. No instructor noticed or bothered to report the discrepancy until I came along. The mistake had continued for five years โ€“ in an accounting class where the instructors are supposed to be detail oriented and able to add. Either the instructors did not notice or simply didnโ€™t care -- another commentary on the attitude instructors have toward student learning.

9. Do not be fooled by the Teaching Through Feedback method at NCU. Faculty is supposed to provide you feedback on your work and instill in you what you need to do to improve on your next assignment. Although the Teaching Through Feedback method is part of instructor training, few instructors adhere to the teaching method and do not give useful and actionable feedback. Considering faculty is paid $25 per week per student, you canโ€™t really blame them.

10. Through the grapevine I was aware of at least one case where NCU did not abide by state labor laws.

I know the preceding because I was a faculty member in the School of Business and Technology Management at NCU. I have also worked at other online universities and the differences between NCU and those schools were phenomenal and striking. You will be treated as a revenue source not as a student. You will have instructors who often will know less about the subject matter than you. You will be held in contempt and distain. If you still want to attend NCU, you have been warned.

Reason of review: Bad quality.

Location: Arizona, United States

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Guest

Join the fight! Real law suit filed! ncuclassaction.com

Guest

This review couldnโ€™t be more accurateโ€”the โ€œNCU verified representativeโ€™sโ€ response is typical for this โ€œschoolโ€ and their focus on protecting their cash stream from new โ€œlearnersโ€. I, too, was a mentor and dissertation chair for over a decade for NCU. Their constant administrative and personnel changes to increase profit and their difficulty with maintaining regional accreditation drove me to exclude them from my reputable schools where I teach.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1182011

ncuclassaction.com

Guest

Well done

NCU_Team

This post is by a past faculty member who is no longer employed at NCU. We do not agree with anything he/she posted and we are reviewing it to see what, if any actions need to be taken.

Northcentral University is dedicated to providing our students with a premier educational experience. Current students with any concerns can reach out to us at 888-327-2877 x8300 or send an email to learnerservices@ncu.edu so we can more specifically address any concerns you may have.

Prospective students can call 1-866-776-0331 to speak with an Enrollment Advisor to learn more about our programs.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1128406

You are going to take action against someone who is telling the truth? I've experienced everything the post includes, along with the deception of the financial aid people. Be careful who you threaten, it might come back to *** you in the behind.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1129839

This school is full of crooks. I tried to withdraw but couldn't.

My only option was to fail and now they claim I owe them $5,000. They'll be waiting forever and I'm filling official complaints with my elected officials plus the US Deparment of Education.

Their deceptive practices must end. CLOSE THIS ONLINE SUBQUITY SCHOOL.

NCU_Team
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1162181

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We regret that you have these concerns.

Northcentral University is dedicated to providing our students with a premier educational experience. Please reach out to us at 888-327-2877 x8300 or send an email to learnerservices@ncu.edu so an Academic Advisor can specifically address this matter.

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