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This biggest issues I have is with the Administration and the poor customer service they provide to distance education students. I'm abhorred as to the treatment that I've been subjected to by their employees, which I can only assume are mostly part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The staff is profoundly incompetent and the administration seems to care less because they're probably vacationing in Adirondacks or Cape Cod for the summer and left the inmates to run the prison. I've literally... Read More had to coordinate my own financial aid between the Department of Veterans Affairs and SNHU because their military team's incompetence, so far every semester. Then after they screw up your account, they harass you for payment.

The courses are good, or seem pretty good, and some of the profs are very good. But there are major down sides. One is that you teach yourself. The design of the courses eliminates lectures and live discussion, which should be the heart of these courses. Worse, the vast majority of students in this program are unprepared. They mostly mean well, but have shockingly little writing or analytic skills, and many of them simply put little to nothing into the courses. Since the program is based on "peer"... Read More interaction, this is a serious draw back. If only SNHU would hold some level of admission standards.

The M.A. in English and Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University offers an appealing degree of flexibility in selection of courses, which primarily divide along a line between creative writing courses and literature courses. That aspect of the program is certainly a valuable asset to the student dedicated to developing the writer's craft. However, the problem with this educational model is that the student inevitably encounters inconsistency in grading and in requirements for the composition... Read More of academic papers, due to the fact that it is not an integrated program with oversight uniting all courses and instructor styles. Individual instructors, who are both M.A. and Ph.D. levels, are allowed to articulate their own policies on matters such as adherence to word limits, styles for making citations, and methods of argument within academic research papers. The effort to find out from each professor what he or she in particular wants or requires can become exhausting and even contentious. This lack of a coherent departmental policy guide is somewhat, therefore, of a drawback in the program. Further, individual courses vary markedly in the wisdom with which they have been designed. Many of the embedded questions to which students are required to respond are somewhat feebly worded, as are some of the weekly module overviews. Other content is completely acceptable, though there are some laughable links to non-academic material. Overall, the SNHU Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing can be said to offer the advantages that come with a flexible format, but it can also be said to suffer from the watchful gaze of a departmental head who does not mind enforcing meaningful standards.

Online graduate programs, no matter how you look at it, are difficult. Not having a teacher to talk to directly can be a drawback. However, SNHU instructors, from what I can see, are great with email and phone, and most are willing to help you along the way. They are understanding when things go awry. After all--most of us have full-time jobs on top of grad school. The most difficult thing is classroom discussion. No amount of blackboard discussion can replace peer interaction and good face-to-face... Read More discussion. Financially, the master's program is almost more than I can handle. I am hoping a great career change at the end of the program will help me pay off the massive debt I've accumulated for my education. However, I still think it's worth it. I love studying literature, and I hope I can still change the world one student at a time.

I love being an SNHU student. The only reason they don't have the full amount of stars is because I am an online student/distance learner and have not been to campus, so cannot rate campus safety, surrounding area, or transportation. My classes are engaging, challenging, and relevant. The University staff are helpful, personable, and kind. Furthermore, SNHU is a highly respected, accredited school, taking steps to make earning a graduate degree possible for adults who haven't the schedule to allow... Read More for actual class times and travel to/from school due to work.

I am a wife and a high school teacher. This means my life is very busy. Southern New Hampshire University is a great school that allows me to live my life and get a quality education. I talk with friends that are doing on campus programs and it doesn't seem like I am missing anything in the education I am receiving online. My academic adviser calls me once every two weeks to make sure I am on track, and she even asks me about my life. They are a joy to work with. My only complaint is there isn't... Read More a lot of financial support offered to those who are online graduate students. Despite this, I feel like I made the perfect choice for my busy life and schedule to get my Masters degree.