Our Programs

University of Phoenix was founded as a degree-completion institution, and our initial business-related programs required that learners transfer the equivalent of an associate degree upon entering the University. Over time our programmatic array has changed in two significant ways. First, we have expanded our curricular offerings to include health care, counseling, education, information technology and criminal justice. We have also developed a solid set of foundation courses in general education, and in 1995 established what is now the College of Arts and Sciences as we became a four-year institution. Second, we have become a comprehensive university in the sense that we now offer programs at the associate, bachelor, master and, beginning in 1998, the doctoral level. In 2002, we established the School of Advanced Studies, which houses our four doctoral programs. In 2006, we incorporated Axia College into University of Phoenix, with its rich offerings at the associate degree level. In these two ways, the University has continued to remain responsive to our learners over 30 years by providing a breadth of programs at the level appropriate to fit the needs of a dynamic society.

 

 

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Business Education for Today’s Learners
What does it take to be a successful business manager?

- by Brian Lindquist, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Graduate Business & Management - University of Phoenix

I used to ask every student I met, “What should we be teaching you in a business program?” I’m still very interested, but I redirected my question when I got the perfect answer from a student: “Don’t ask me; ask my employer who will offer me new career opportunities once I get my degree.”

The University of Phoenix did ask a large sample of employers from industries that are rapidly growing in the United States. They said they wanted employees who demonstrate good communication and interpersonal skills, have an aptitude to continuously grow, can work collaboratively, and who can creatively solve problems. It is interesting that each one of these skills, highly valued by employers, was ranked ahead of the technical knowledge in the discipline.

So how does the University of Phoenix develop these skills in its learners? Communicating ideas, listening to others, and learning how to work collaboratively with a wide range of colleagues has long been a hallmark of the University of Phoenix model. We also recognize that while it is important to master the knowledge that a business manager needs, it is far more important for students to “learn to learn”, so they can continuously add to their knowledge. Successful business managers not only solve problems, but they recognize opportunities that arise from all the information that confronts them daily. They develop a reputation for creative problem solving by developing imaginative solutions that not only help their organization through the problem, but also by realizing the opportunity that lies within the problem. Remember the old adage, “When served lemons, make lemonade”? That’s what employers want. The University of Phoenix blends theory and practice in its curriculum to help its learners “make lemonade”.

The goal at the University of Phoenix is to create as authentic a learning process as possible to prepare our students for success as business managers. The University attracts students who are already in the business world and develops those skills that will take them to the next level. We emulate how a successful business really works, with faculty who have demonstrated success in the business world, and a curriculum that mirrors the situations that real managers face.