Expert: Sue Kayton - 5/16/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I just graduated with my BA in Religion form American Public University, which is a regionally and nationally accredited university. I want to apply for Graduate school, but was uncertain which rout I should go, the online school in which I obtained my BA offers an MA in Humanities but didn't know if I should look elsewhere or just stay with the same school..What do you think? I've been told by multiple people that the main thing to look for is that the school is Regionally Accredited, and APU is.

ANSWER: I have a different recommendation.  I suggest you talk to some employers and see what colleges they hire kids from.  For something like religion, there are limited numbers of jobs.  If the employers don't like the university, even if it is accredited, they won't hire graduates from it.

Many online universities have poor reputations.  Not all, but enough that some employers won't hire kids from ANY online university.  

I also suggest that you try to get some work experience before getting a masters degree.  Good luck in your studies.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the response! Very quick..Actually, I'm a 34 year old man employed as an Engineer with NS Corp., I went to college just to get a BA degree, from a RA school, which APU is...not only does my Employer recognize it, at a job fair I went with my wife HR reps from: Dupont, First Solar Energy, Toledo Edison Co., Ford Motor, GMC, and a host of other local employers all recognize a online degree just like any other......as long as it was Regionally Accredited, they all said (paraphrasing here) "That the gold standard employers look for when it comes to degrees is the accreditation." I just wanted to ask you, what would be the best option for my MA...to stay at the same school or get it from another school which is RA also? Thanks!

Answer
I don't know anything about the university you graduated from, so can't give a specific answer. In general, people advise attending different universities to get different perspectives.  

But, caveat emptor.  Despite being regionally accredited, there are some universities that employers avoid like the plague.  Also, some universities are well-respected in some fields, but not in others.  Despite its formidable reputation for engineering, if someone graduated from MIT with a degree in ballet dancing, they'd find it impossible to get a job.