A Glimpse at Berkeley Online School

in Education by Salie — June 18, 2011 at 2:24 pm | 0 comments

Is Berkeley College your kind of school? Talk to an advisor today and find out!

Overview of Berkeley College

Berkeley College offers degrees in several different fields. In addition to offering a traditional education, this college also offers online courses. Internships are available to help students gain the experience they will need and the degree programs are regularly updated to reflect marketplace demands. Campuses can be found in throughout New York in Manhattan, Brooklyn and White Plains. They are also located in New Jersey in the cities of Woodbridge, Woodland Park, Newark and Paramus.

Academic Programs offering Bachelors and Associate Degrees
School of Business

• Accounting
• Fashion Marketing and Management
• Management
• Marketing
• Financial Services
• General Business
• International Business

School of Liberal Arts
School of Professional Studies

• Paralegal
• Interior Design
• Justice
• Health Services
• Information Systems Management

Financial Aid Opportunities

Fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Berkeley has the same financial aid opportunities that are available to most accredited schools including Federal grants and military programs. They also qualify for state programs offered through New York and New Jersey as well as assistance that is unique to the college. Examples of school aid include the Woodland Park Scholarships and the Howard L. Newhouse Grants.

Tuition costs

The tuition is based on a sliding scale with the price per credit hour dropping as more classes are added to the schedule. Students studying on a part-time basis will be charged $480 for tuition. Students attending full-time will be charged $6900 for 12 – 18 credit hours. Excess credits are charged $350 per credit up to 18 credits. Students wishing to take more classes will be charged $7600 plus $480 per additional credit hour. There are also quarterly fees for administration expenses, technology and the final graduation fee.

What Students Say about Berkeley

Thumbs Up

The students who reported they would return to Berkeley cited the small class size and schedule flexibility that includes availability of evening courses. Other reviewers also like that the professors work in the local New York industries and felt that they were highly qualified.

Needs Improvement

Berkeley College looks fine on paper, but the reviews on this institution tell another story. According to one survey, only 46% of students would be willing to return to this College. Several people cited poor customer service as their primary reason for being dissatisfied. Lost transcripts and administration’s failure to follow through on issues caused problems for many people. Some former students question not only the education they received at Berkeley but also the admission process. Several reviewers felt that the material was far too easy and that they were not learning anything new or useful to their career path. Some students also reported that blackboard, which is an essential part of the online program, was regularly down and could not be accessed. This simple technical issue can prevent a student from effectively completing a course.

Like other online schools, Berkeley has its unique highlights, but for some people, this school may be the best. If you are focusing on online education, you might want to hold off until all the technical issues have been cleared and resolved.

Contact an advisor today to see if Berkeley College is right for you. Find out all this school has to offer you.

Tags: Berkeley Online reviews students tuition