University of Phoenix Brings Higher Education to Deer Valley

Although Arizona's higher educational opportunities may at first seem limited compared to the Ivy League colleges of the northeastern US, there is actually a lot going on here.

 Our three largest cities are home to our three largest state-run Universities, respectively. Tempe has Arizona State University, Flagstaff has Northern Arizona University, and Tucson has the University of Arizona. Each of these schools offers both Bachelors and Masters degree programs in over 100 different fields of study. So, what else going on in the Phoenix area?

The truth is that higher education in Phoenix is spreading like wildfire. All across the valley, the ten main campuses of the Maricopa Community Colleges system bring "university transfer, career and job training programs" to over 122,000 students each year. In fact, many of the larger campuses have opened satellite campuses of their own. Glendale Community College has its own offshoot located on Happy Valley Road between 57th and 60th Avenues, right in North Phoenix.

Another huge presence in the valley's educational industry is the University of Phoenix. This group of schools and learning centers includes over 200 locations in 38 states, and services over 280,000 students. The University of Phoenix is the largest privately-owned university in the world. They offer the full range of associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in over 100 disciplines.

The University of Phoenix made headlines in 2006 when it paid $154.5 million for the naming rights to Glendale's Cardinal Stadium, outbidding the Pink Taco restaurant chain whose offer of $30 million dollars was largely viewed as a publicity stunt. The stadium bearing the University's name was the host of SuperBowl XLII in February 2008 and was a source of much publicity for the school.

One of their newest campuses, the Northwest Learning Center, is located adjacent to the Honeywell property at 25th Ave and Union Hills Road, just east of Interstate 17. It has 78 degree programs available, some as ground and most as online courses.

The University is geared towards working adults and those returning to finish a degree they may not have finished previously. With this new campus and other schools, the educational opportunities for Deer Valley residents have been greatly expanded.