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Capella University Review
Capella University Review
February 02, 2021 / Sarah Pritzker
Capella University Review
February 02, 2021 / Sarah Pritzker

In a Nutshell

With high acceptance rates, multiple financial aid opportunities, and two learning styles to choose from, Capella University is making it easier than ever to earn your degree online. An accredited and highly-recognized university, Capella has a reputation for properly preparing its alumni for taking the next step in their careers and applying the knowledge taught in real life.

Pros

  • FlexPath & GuidedPath learning options
  • Highly-recognized, accredited university
  • Lots of support and guidance
  • Good student community & social life

Cons

  • Not all courses available in fast-track

Capella at a Glance

Best for Fast-track, cost-effective learning
Financial aid available FAFSA, work-study, student loans, scholarships
Available degrees Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, Certificates
Number of majors/programs available 53 programs
Outstanding features 2 online learning formats

Why Capella?

Capella is a big name in education, and its online program is no different. Employers and continued learning institutions all recognize degrees that come from Capella because of its strong reputation and commitment to quality education.

Capella has two learning tracks available to online learners, each one catering to a specific learning style:

GuidedPath

If you need some guidelines to get work done, this is the program. Capella’s GuidedPath lets you do assignments on your own schedule. It also has weekly deadlines, so the work doesn’t get ahead of you. GuidedPath has message board discussions so students can interact with one another if they want, and the faculty is always available for questions. You’ll take up to 3 classes per quarter and follow a 10-week class schedule.

FlexPath

Alternatively, the FlexPath is just what it sounds like: flexible. Designed for people who want to learn at their own pace, this program allows you to learn and finish courses as quickly or as slowly as you want. This way you don’t have to wait for others to finish a course to move on to the next one. You also aren’t tied to a specific timeframe, schedule, or deadline.

FlexPath is also a good option if you are highly motivated and looking to save money. Why? Because you’ll pay a flat fee for the entire 12-week session and take as many courses as you want during that time. If you are motivated, you can conceivably finish multiple courses in that time and only pay the single rate.

How much you’ll pay will depend on which degree you’re interested in and how long it takes for you to complete the coursework. It’s worth noting that not all programs are available on the FlexPath track. Best to check availability before you get excited.

Guidepath Bachelors admission requirements:

  • Certificate and individual-course students must meet the minimum education requirements determined by the degree level of their course registration.
  • Bachelor's students must be least 24 years old (may be waived for military/veteran applicants, and those with at least 24 quarter credits of prior college/university coursework), and must have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Flexpath Bachelors admission requirements:

  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • 45 applicable college credits
  • Recommended minimum college GPA: 2.8 Applicants with a lower GPA may be considered by providing additional documentation for a holistic review

Social life, even when learning remotely

What’s also nice about this university is that Capella has the option for a friendly student body social life if you want it, despite the fact that you are learning online. There are group discussions, learning groups, and even local meet-ups for those who are looking for a more interactive, social experience from their college.

Finally, Capella has a competency-based education model. In short, this gives students real-world skills and tools they’ll need to do their jobs properly. So it’s not just facts and useless information. It’s applicable learning.

Capella Affordability & Aid Options

Annual tuition ranges considerably for Capella students, depending on the degree, program, and learning track you opt for. For example, the FlexPath program has a flat rate of approximately $2500-$3200 for a 12-week session and that includes as many courses as you can handle. Meanwhile, individual courses can run in the range of $357-$411 per credit. So you’ll need to use the online calculator to know exactly what you’ll be paying per year at Capella. There are also other fees that may apply including an application fee, international transcript evaluation fee, undergraduate prior learning assessment, documented credit prior learning assessment, resource kit, and more.

Capella has several scholarship opportunities as well as federal grants. For starters, students who maintain a reasonable GPA and meet the requirements can get a tuition reduction. Capella also has several scholarships including the Diversity in Counseling scholarship for counseling students with diverse backgrounds, Fellows scholarship, and Behavior Change for Sustainability Research scholarships. There’s even a referral scholarship for referring friends to the college. Some scholarships are not available for FlexPath students.

Capella will also let you transfer credits for courses you took at other institutions, accept workplace experience credits, and prior learning assessments. Additionally, Capella students can apply for federal grants, join a federal work-study program, or be eligible for student loans.

Capella Programs & Majors

Capella has a tremendous variety of courses and degrees you can choose from, including:

Doctorates:

  • DBA: Accounting Doctor of Business Administration
  • DBA: Business Intelligence, Doctor of Business Administration
  • DBA: Global Operations and Supply Chain Management, Doctor of Business Administration
  • DBA: Human Resource Management
  • DBA: Information Technology Management
  • DBA: Leadership
  • DBA: Project Management
  • DBA: Strategy and Innovation
  • DHA: General Health Administration, Doctor of Health Administration
  • DHA: Health Care Leadership, Doctor of Health Administration
  • DHA: Health Care Quality and Analytics
  • DHA: Health Policy and Advocacy
  • DHS: Leadership and Organizational Management
  • DIT: General Information Technology, Doctor of Information Technology
  • DIT: Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
  • DIT: IT Project Management
  • DNP: Doctor of Nursing Practice
  • DNP: Doctor of Nursing Practice Preparatory Program
  • DPA: Public Administration
  • DrPH: Public Health
  • DSW: Doctor of Social Work
  • EDD: Adult Education Doctor of Education
  • EDD: Curriculum and Instruction, Doctor of Education
  • EDD: Educational Leadership, Doctor of Education
  • EDD: Performance Improvement Leadership
  • EDD: Reading and Literacy
  • PhD: Accounting
  • PhD: Advanced Studies in Human Behavior, Doctor of Philosophy in Advanced Studies in Human Behavior
  • PhD: Behavior Analysis, Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
  • PhD: Counselor Education and Supervision, Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision
  • PhD: Developmental Psychology, Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
  • PhD: Educational Psychology, Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
  • PhD: General Business Management, Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management
  • PhD: General Information Technology, Doctor of Philosophy in Information Technology
  • PhD: General Psychology, Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
  • PhD: Human Resource Management
  • PhD: Industrial/Organizational Psychology
  • PhD: Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
  • PhD: Information Technology Management
  • PhD: Instructional Design for Online Learning
  • PhD: IT Project Management
  • PhD: Leadership
  • PhD: Leadership for Higher Education
  • PhD: Leadership in Educational Administration
  • PhD: Multidisciplinary Human Services
  • PhD: Nursing Education
  • PhD: Project Management
  • PhD: Social and Community Services
  • PhD: Special Education Leadership
  • PhD: Strategy and Innovation
  • PsyD: Clinical Psychology, Doctor of Psychology
  • PsyD: School Psychology

Masters

  • Addiction Studies
  • Adult Education
  • Analytics
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Applied Research
  • Care Coordination
  • Child and Adolescent Development
  • Clinical Counseling
  • Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Cybersecurity
  • Digital Forensics
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Early Childhood Education Studies
  • Educational Psychology
  • English Language Learning and Teaching
  • Enterprise Networks and Cloud Computing
  • Forensic Psychology
  • General Educational Technology
  • General Health Administration
  • General Human Resource Management
  • General Information Technology
  • General Psychology
  • General School Counseling
  • Health Care Informatics
  • Health Care Leadership
  • Health Care Management
  • Health Care Operations
  • Health Care Security
  • Higher Education Leadership and Administration
  • Human Resource Management
  • Human Resource Management Health Care
  • Industrial/Organizational Psychology
  • Instructional Design for Online Learning
  • Integrative Studies
  • IT Analytics
  • Leadership and Organizational Management
  • Leadership in Educational Administration
  • Marriage and Family Therapy
  • Master of Science in Education
  • Master of Science in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
  • MBA
  • MEd
  • MS in Psychology
  • MSW–Advanced Standing
  • Network Defense
  • Nursing Education
  • Nursing Informatics
  • Nursing Leadership and Administration
  • Project Management
  • Public Administration
  • Public Health
  • Reading and Literacy
  • RN-to-MSN Care Coordination
  • RN-to-MSN Nursing Education
  • RN-to-MSN Nursing Informatics
  • RN-to-MSN Nursing Leadership and Administration
  • Self-Designed
  • Social and Community Services
  • Special Education Teaching
  • Sport Psychology
  • Teaching and Learning
  • Training and Performance Improvement

Bachelors

  • Accounting
  • Accounting CPA
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Business Administration
  • Bachelor of Science in Business
  • Finance
  • General Information Technology
  • General Psychology
  • Health Care Administration Leadership
  • Health Care Management
  • Health Information Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • Information Assurance and Cybersecurity
  • Sport Psychology
  • Management and Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Minor: Data Analytics
  • Minor: Data Management
  • Minor: Network Technology: Cisco
  • Minor: Network Technology: Microsoft
  • Project Management
  • Sport Psychology
  • Psychology Pre-Counseling
  • Public Health
  • RN to BSN
  • Software Development

Certificates

  • Accounting
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Care Coordination
  • Contemporary Theory in Addictive Behavior
  • Contemporary Theory in Mental Health Services
  • Contemporary Theory in School-Based Services
  • Human Resource Management
  • Nursing Informatics
  • Nursing Leadership
  • Play Therapy
  • Public Health
  • Systemic Couple and Family Therapy

Capella Accreditations & Certifications

Capella University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of the six regional accreditation agencies that are recognized by the US Department of Education. Capella also holds accreditation for specific degree programs and certifications, including the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, to name a few.

What Capella Students Have to Say

“My Capella master's degree helped me to attain a significantly advanced position with a larger employer before I had even graduated.“

-Barbara Miller Hall

“After graduation and with increased counseling competencies from the superb teaching staff at Capella my salary for 2013 was $180,000 dollars.“

Craig Dossman

“While in my coursework I was promoted to School Improvement Specialist. When I was in the dissertation phase I was promoted to Assistant Principal.“

Aaron Randell

Capella Additional Support & Resources

Capella has a ton of support resources and guidance counselors. In fact, Capella puts together a team of advisors to help guide you through each step of the learning process and beyond. You’ll start with an enrollment counselor who is available to help you decide which program is right for you. There are also financial aid counselors who know how to get the funding you need to fuel your education.

As a student, you’ll have full access to the faculty. Teachers are well-educated, and most are doctoral degree holders or real-world practitioners. You can reach out to a faculty member and usually receive a response within 48-72 hours. Capella also provides academic advisors, tutors, writing support, and tech support (that’s 24/7, by the way).

Capella also has a massive online library, a database that’s filled with all kinds of information and useful resources for students to learn and grow from. Lastly, Capella has after-graduation support to help people prepare and get the job they’re looking for, including resume writing assistance, interview tips, and an alumni support network.

Bottom Line

Capella is a well-reputed online degree university with accreditation. The school offers a dizzying number of courses and degrees that you can take from home or while you’re working. Capella also provides loads of guidance and assistance for students during their learning journey, and helps with career advice after graduation. The FlexPath allows you to finish a large amount of course material in a shorter, more cost-effective way.

By Sarah Pritzker
Sarah Pritzker is a professional writer who loves scouring the web looking for the coolest products and services at the best prices. Sarah writes for www.compareonlinecolleges.com. Sarah has lived and traveled all over the world, but has finally settled down with her family in the Middle East - and yes, she misses winter!
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