I think this ain´t fair!

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by Disciple, Dec 20, 2003.

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  1. Disciple

    Disciple New Member

    I learned many things on this board concerning accreditation in the US, diploma mills etc. I understand that a RA degree is the best you can get because of its acceptance and standards. But I alos learned (and this is my question) that every college or university has to start unaccredited. Is this fair? Everybody told me that although there may be some good unaccredited schools it´s always better to get a RA degree. But without students it is hard to earn the money necessary to pay teachers and buy buildings.
     
  2. galanga

    galanga New Member

    jump start?

    Hi,

    States which impose accreditation requirements will generally allow a school to operate for a while w/o accreditation, but do require that the school become accredited within a specified time period.

    You ask about fairness. I think you're really commenting that it's unfortunate that a brand new school may have a hard time attracting students since it hasn't been operating long enough to have demonstrated its methods and practices.

    It's a risk for a student to enroll in an unvetted school-- it costs time and money and there's no assurance that the school will last long enough to grant a degree, or that the school will choose to follow acceptable policies.

    If the possible down side were as small as trying a new restaurant (a bad meal, delivered after an hour's wait), that would be one thing. However, if the risk is a few thousand dollars and the time spent on partially completed courses, that's another matter.

    I suppose a new school will try to demonstrate that it has assembled an impressive group of faculty (with advanced degrees from RA universities), a sensible set of curricula, and the financial backing to reassure the entering class that the school will operate long enough to award them meaningful academic credit.

    G
     
  3. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    On the surface it does appear unfair but the goal is to get schools to start pursuing accreditation. States do realize that new schools need to get a start and the overall interpretation comes down to the specific state education boards.

    John
     
  4. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    The way that it generally works outside the USA is that when a new school is proposed, the people that are starting the new school must present their plans to the government. The government will look at the plans, look at the financial backing and look at the individuals' background to make sure that it will be a good school then give the approval or reject the proposal.

    Both methods have an element of "unfairness". Which do you feel is more unfair?
     

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