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[zharkov]

What I don't understand is how these programs stay open if people do not respect the degrees. I always see commercials for the university of phoenix while watching msnbc. One of them focuses on a woman who got a Ph.D from the university of phoenix and ended up as head of a highly respected nurses program. It was pretty inspirational. I know advertisements lie, but these were claimed to be real life testimonials.

Many people do not understand the academic job market, and are often clueless about the credibility of this school or that program or whatever degree.  So people sign up for UoP and other online for profits, and may realize too late of the low respect that program has, and how hard it will be to use such a degree to get a job.

About the nurse with a PhD, I have seen that ad, too, I would bet that she was already in place with a master's in nursing, thus the PhD was a matter of credentialing. 

Question:  Are you actually familiar with this nursing program?  Or are you going by the ad's description of "highly respected"?  I respect nurses a whole lot and all nursing programs need to meet strict requirements in curriculum and such.  But I don't think we are talking about Boston College here.
 

[kaysixteen]

Indeed.  Most of these 'schools' use the students and are used by many of them in return, students who simply need an 'accredited' degree X in order to get job Y, promotion Z, automatic raise, etc... not to mention the added bonus of being able to call oneself, and force others to call one, 'doctor'.

[polly_mer]

What I don't understand is how these programs stay open if people do not respect the degrees. I always see commercials for the university of phoenix while watching msnbc. One of them focuses on a woman who got a Ph.D from the university of phoenix and ended up as head of a highly respected nurses program. It was pretty inspirational. I know advertisements lie, but these were claimed to be real life testimonials.

Many people do not understand the academic job market, and are often clueless about the credibility of this school or that program or whatever degree.  So people sign up for UoP and other online for profits, and may realize too late of the low respect that program has, and how hard it will be to use such a degree to get a job.

About the nurse with a PhD, I have seen that ad, too, I would bet that she was already in place with a master's in nursing, thus the PhD was a matter of credentialing. 

I agree.  Our nursing program is headed by a woman who started her doctorate after becoming head of the nursing program and getting the program through the initial stages of the accreditation process.  That doctorate is still in progress, but that doctorate in nursing in progress is through a school that isn't UoP, despite our nursing program having all online classes.  We're a regional comprehensive university with master's level/ABD folks as permanent faculty in many subjects, but even we don't consider UoP and similar programs to be academic credentials.