Syracuse University

The online IDDE Masters program at Syracuse U is one of the worst attempts at higher-level education instruction I have had the misfortune of committing to. The overall instructional goal is to teach how to develop instruction, yet none of the classes come close to displaying a standard I would hope to emulate. Every class's blackboard layout is different, and most are missing crucial information. I am constantly spending more time looking for turn-in dates and rubrics than I am doing the work. The... Read More only uniting factor in the entire system is a set of video lectures that have all-natural pauses removed and are narrated so quickly they are almost unwatchable. The chosen text are ok, but we were literally reading articles on "emerging technology" written in the 1990s. On the plus side, I was taught about the new thing called "social media" and even given myspace as an example. Sadly, several of the teachers seem to really care but they are stuck regurgitating a curriculum that has not been updated for decades and is so disjointed that is loses any appeal or instructional value. The only thing I have learned so far is how much is wrong with the Instructional design of this degree path.

I would NOT recommend attending this online program. The curriculum is fine; However, the hoops they make you jump through to complete your degree are not worth it. The school enrolls online MBA students and then forces you to fly to 1 of 2 destinations to complete the 3 required in-person residencies. The only locations they offer are New York and New Orleans They start on a Thursday and end Sunday evening; this means you are missing Wednesday-Tuesday. They only allow you to REQUEST admittance to... Read More these residencies a couple of months ahead of schedule and there are limited seats, therefore you CAN NOT plan ahead for travel or other commitments until you are admitted to the residency. Additionally, the 3 required residencies are only offered once a semester, so if the weekend they choose is impossible for you (typically never fits with my schedule as a business owner). There is no alternative to this and I am registered for my last classes, yet have been unable to attend residencies elongating my completion. I requested the first residency and was denied and have not been able to attend one since. They have zero solutions for this issue. Find somewhere else, honestly unless you are able to fly across the country and miss a week of work at the drop of a hat with the current prices to travel find another institution.