Columbia College

This school needs a lot of work, especially for the evening/online. My issue is that learning is way more difficult because most teachers are lazy and don't offer any true structure, guidance, or lectures. They expect you to read everything on your own and are terrible with communication through email. I feel as though I am paying Columbia College tuition just to turn around and have to be my own teacher. I feel I am not learning properly in none of my classes and that this is becoming a waste of... Read More money. I am in the middle of transferring and cannot wait. I also wish they would offer 16 week online/evening classes just so everything is not crammed and thrown together.

Columbia College is a place where students are nurtured and facilitated in all ways to achieve their highest academic potential. The classes are thoughtful and contributed significantly to the student I desired to become. The layout of the levels are logical, and an essential aspect of the coursework is the fact that the student has several available courses from which to choose. The classes are not pre-selected. Through the elective options, one can specialize the education to their particular needs.... Read More This feature is unique to some online universities.

Evening Campus - This school has gone to c***. In general the school has become a diploma mill. The instruction is pretty much non-existent between the change of in-seat courses being one night a week for 4 hours instead of the old 2 nights a week for 2.25 hours. The teachers just read previously written notes, or power points, and when you ask for help tend to hush you because they say it is the only way to cover all the material with the minimum amount of time. Furthermore, with the new setup homework... Read More seldom receives feedback before actually being tested on the material. The online campus is even worse. Instructors are glorified graders and seldom can offer any help to the assignments that are generated from a purchased program. The program provides syllabi in which instructors are not allowed to change, and in which do not change from course to course. The school knows there is problems with the learning systems, for example the proctored test that the majority of students score less then 80% on because the whole text is tested over, with no idea which parts are actually important.

I attended the world campus of Columbia College of Missouri as an active duty member of the United States Coast Guard and obtained my BA in Criminal Justice Administration. While I was stationed in Key West, Florida, I was introduced to the school through the Education Service Officer (ESO) who was attending the school himself. The application process was extremely easy and they accepted almost all of my accredited military experience which helped to eliminate almost all of my lower level and core... Read More classes. This helped to save me a considerable sum of money by not having to take unnecessary classes. It also helped to speed up my ability to graduate within a reasonable amount of time. Tuition was reasonable and I was able to fit it into my budget. Through the years I was a student, there were several times that I was simultaneously deployed and taking classes. There were some times when I did not have internet connectivity and the professors were extremely accommodating when it came to turning in assignments. All the professors were willing to work with me within reason- and seemed to have my best interest in mind. Class work was challenging and you are expected to participate in discussions throughout the 8 week classes. Assignments, projects and papers were both topical and relevant to current events of the time. Discussions could at times become lively but were always respectful of differing opinions. Obtaining my degree helped me lay the foundation to start working on my Masters. This will help me to significantly increase my future earnings once I retire from the Coast Guard and transition to the civilian workforce.

Going to the school really sucks, the teachers are really full of themselves because they been in the military or the police and they think they know it all. Going to the school is very stressful because the assignments are really hard and the reading material that they choose is not adequate enough. The readings are professors truths are more for somebody that has been teaching the class for 30 years and not for somebody that is entering into the course. The cost of attending the school is very... Read More high considering that you don't not get a lecture. The exams and tests in this school expect you to remember everything so that you can write a paragraph for every question on an exam with no multiple choice or true or false. If you want to go to the school you better be ready to remember the whole book and wish they give you a book that has a thousand pages. This is really a disappointing experience for me and I really do not recommend going to Columbia College online because honestly you may not even be able to get a job with this degree. And if you go to the school, you will have the teachers treat you like you are stupid.

The only positive thing I have to say about this program is that the cost per credit hour is cheap. The materials that the school uses are at least 10 years old. The things that you are learning about are also outdated. The courses are all disorganized and the website is a mess. You never know which set of standards you are being graded by or even what your assignments will be. Every class uses a different schedule for due dates although they are all basically the same structure of material and all... Read More are on the same 8 week program and it takes searching through all the different pages on the website to figure out what exactly is due. The assignments are often a complete waste of time discussion board questions. In these discussion board posts you are forced to answer a yes or no level question and then respond to multiple peer posts. These posts are normally just end up being the equivalent to random words used to reach word count. In summary - Pro: Cheap Con: Outdated Busy Work

Due to my line of work having rotating shifts and off days, I was able to complete my degree completely online through Columbia College. I liked the eight week classes, although they were fast paced. Online classes are not for everyone, as one needs a lot of self discipline. Just like the in seat courses some professors were better than other, I had difficulty with only two professors. I received my degree in American Studies, and minored in Human Resource Management and Management, earning a certificate... Read More in both. My degree from Columbia College has now made me eligible for advancement in my work place and field. I recommend Columbia College.

I transferred to Columbia College after completing a few courses at my community college because Columbia College offered my degree 100% online while my community college didn't. Professors for online courses are all adjunct, and as such they have other jobs- 90% of the time this is obvious. While I didn't have to wait more than a week and the professors answers to students were often generic on message boards. I hated most of my professors and I do not feel the education I received prepared me for... Read More anything other than the ability to say I have an associate degree in something. It has not advanced my career or been of any real use. The only real change in my life of having my associate is my resume has additional education and I am $12,000 in debt. My community college education, 1/8th of the cost, was much more applicable to education I can and do actually use in my job field. I am seeking to return to college now and Columbia College is not one I am considering. All that negative, I will say there were 2 professors I do recall really enjoying (though sadly I can no longer recall their classes), and my academic advisers were responsive and helpful to the questions I asked.

What a terrific experience I had with Columbia College. I attended for just over 3 years and completed my degree in Human Services with a 4.0 GPA. That wasn't an easy accomplishment. The format (8 week semesters) helps accelerate the process while keeping the classes rigorous. Academic advisers are responsive and committed to your success. Eservices does lack some functionality but there is help available. I developed real relationships with my professors, some of whom wrote graduate school recommendation... Read More letters for me! This is simply a terrific school with a great bricks and mortar campus, a large online presence, and the academics and integrity you want in a program. No, it's not a 'big name' school but it's respected. I wish I could go there for graduate school!