University of South Dakota

I was an online student in the Addiction Theory department. I withdrew after 1 month. I did so because it became evident quickly that USD didn't have the best interest of its students in mind. Let me explain. First, their graduate outline dictates that students aren't actually taught. They are supposed to teach themselves from the text books with occasional feedback from professors. Which works if the professors are responsive and give proper feedback. It fails miserably when they do not. One professor... Read More used her feedback to vent frustration. In my group of 4, 2 of us dropped and a third was in the process when I left. She drove us all out. And she only reached out to provide scathing criticism of our work. No instruction whatsoever. In the other class, we were using a text book from 2009 (this was this year, 2019) with Data from 2006. In a class about substance use. When data from six months ago is outdated on this topic, using a book a year or two old is understandable. But, in 2019, to have a text book on this topic discussing the physical addiction of marijuana (it isn't) with no mention of the sweeping legalization, nor any discussion of the opioid crisis, that's downright educational malpractice. When I raised these concerns both to the head of the department and to my adviser, BOTH said the issue was mine and if I wasn't prepared for grad school I should withdraw. Which, look, I admit some fault. Clearly I didn't do my homework. Every other grad level class I've taken included copious amounts of interaction from professors so no, I didn't think to ask about that before I applied. That's my fault. By allowing someone unfit to teach to do so and another to use a dangerously out of date text book with no instruction on what is no longer known to be true and what the book is missing, I refuse to allow them off the hook for that. That's losing accreditation worthy.

This program greatly helped to bridge the gap between the associate's degree in nursing and the bachelor's degree in nursing. For students who are pursing a degree in the non-traditional way, like this, the program offered by the University of South Dakota is highly recommended by myself. The program is offered online, making it ideal for non-traditional students who may already be working and for those who have priorities and responsibilities outside of school or for those with children. Personally,... Read More as someone with children and as someone who was already working as a nurse, this program was fantastic. I was able to continue working full time but still gain a complete education. After completing this program, I feel as though I am better able to conduct research and provide care for not only individual patients but also for families and communities which is very important for holistic care. The instructors knowledge regarding the subject matter was very evident and feedback was always provided and helpful. The classes and program were structured in a manner designed to ensure that students are successful in their endeavor of furthering their education. I appreciated that the classes were broken down into modules and each class was provided a schedule. This schedule had specific time lines for assignments regarding when each assignment would be due. Many places do not do this. This allows busy students to prioritize their time. I also felt more prepared as I entered a graduate program having finished my bachelors degree at the University of South Dakota.

I've now had to change my plan of study for graduate school twice in seven months. The course rotation provided is wrong and over half of the classes offered for my specialization aren't even really offered. "TBA" is listed behind 1/4 of the offered courses. Advisors recommend completely unrelated courses, just for you to stay full time. My course quality so far has been hit and miss. I have had one great course, and three courses that I learned nothing in. I feel that this graduate program is just... Read More in it for the money and don't care if I learn anything relevant or not. Faculty and advisors are not helpful, and it is like pulling teeth to get a response from someone. I graduated with two undergraduate degrees from USD. They provided me with so many wonderful opportunities, but graduate school has been a frustrating mess.

The MSA program needs a serious overhaul. The online classes are not challenging or engaging. Most graduate level classes have an undergraduate feeling by failing to challenge students and are lectured by the same professor. Students are expected to teach themselves by using the antiquated D2L system which does not allow adequate discussions nor is iPad or another device friendly. Severely limited class choices which will keep you from graduating on time. The MSA degree program has severe overlaps... Read More that fail to expand on proper real-world preparations. The English department and MSAS department have a disconnect issue with APA formatting. USD may appear to save you money, but with the course selection availability you may end up spending more than you anticipated. I would suggest looking elsewhere for a graduate program.