Does having an M.A. from an accredited online university still carry a stigma when applying to Ph.D programs?

Question:

I finished a B.S. in History with a "two-point low" GPA, not so much because I was a partier, but becuase I worked all the time. Finishing up an M.A. from American Public University, which is accredited, but only recently. Have a good GPA with them, wrote a thesis, the whole nine. I live overseas now, in beautiful suburban Kabul, Afghanistan, and have made enough $$ working for the Federal Government over the years that I won't have to work for another few years, and don't have to worry about funding my education. Thinking about returning to the U.S. and am really committed to finding an anthropology/archaeology program to complete a Ph.D. in. I'm passionate about late Roman-Byzantine History, and want to explore that further...just don't know if my academic "cred" is going to be enough to get me into a program. I know I'll shine if and when school is the only thing I'm doing, it's just a matter of getting in the door. Thanks in advance for the advice.

Answer:
Here's the bottom line.

Your undergraduate GPA will indeed hurt your chances for admission, and your APU Master's degree will not be taken as seriously as a "brick-and-mortar" M.A.

But here's what you should do in order to present yourself in the best possible light, and give yourself the best chances of admission into a well-regarded program:

In your statements of purpose (part of any graduate application), indicate the reasons why your undergrad GPA is low, and why you took your MA from APU. Definitely mention that you worked full-time while an undergrad. Were you overseas for the entire duration of your online study? Did the nature of your work prevent you from having access to an overseas "brick-and-mortar" university? In other words, was the online master's degree your only option for study, given your work situation?
If so, explain this!

Also, you may not like this, but in your statements of purpose, make clear your willingness to start at the MA level. Most programs you'll be looking at will be combination MA/PhD programs anyway, so be sure to give the admissions committee the option to admit you at the MA level.

In addition, be sure to submit a sample of your work (a chapter from your thesis, for example). That way, any skeptics on the admissions committees will be able to judge the value of your MA from the quality of your work, not just the (frankly, poor) reputation of your MA program.

Finally, in your statement of application, demonstrate your familiarity with current scholarship and theory as you delineate your research skills and interests. Also, if you already have the requisite languages (I would imagine you already have Greek and Latin, since you did complete your MA), HIGHLIGHT this fact.

Oh, one further note: what about your letters of recommendation? OUTSTANDING letters of rec will be necessary in your case. These MUST be from respected (at least reputable and published) scholars in your field. If you can't muster three of these, you might be in trouble, so don't be afraid to ask the professors with whom you studied Greek and Latin, or with whom you did your undergraduate work. You can email them, apprising them of what you've done since you graduated, and offer to send them copies of your recent work (like your thesis).

I really hope this helps! Best wishes to you.

Does having an M.A. from an accredited online university still carry a stigma when applying to Ph.D programs?

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