Very confused, need help.

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by wfisher698, Dec 29, 2003.

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  1. wfisher698

    wfisher698 New Member

    After spending days reading post on this forum, I am very confused. Is there any way to tell if a DL school is ok or not?Some schools I thought were accredited, are discussed like they may diploma mills, NCU for example. I thought it was reginally accredited, but many threads seem to think it is a mill.

    I want a DL doctoral program that is truly accredited and challenging. I am not interested in a school that I can get my degree quickly and easily. The only reason I am considering an DL program is I must work and don't have time to take off and go to a brick and mortar college.

    So is there a way to find a DL doctoral program that is accredited and not a mill?
     
  2. italiansupernova

    italiansupernova New Member

    If by NCU, you mean Northcentral University, then yes it is regionally accredited. http://www.ncu.edu

    The problem with NCU, at least on this forum, is that a lot of folks seem to feel that their academic quality isn't on par with equivalent schools, e.g. I once read a post by a user who felt the Ph.d program was not at a Ph.d level. They felt it had a "lower-level" feel to it.

    As far as universities are concerned (however, there are a few foreign programs accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) ) they *MUST* be recognized by the US Dept. of Education.

    The DOE's current list of recognized accreditors can be found here:

    http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

    I've sent you a private message containing my e-mail address, so that if you have any further questions please contact me. I have tons of free time on my hands and I'll help where/when I can.
     
  3. MarkIsrael@aol.com

    [email protected] New Member

    Northcentral University is "truly accredited". There are very few Regionally Accredited schools that most people here would disparage, although Northcentral University may be one.

    At the doctoral level, I don't think you should be looking for a school first. Look for the kind of professor whom you would like as a supervisor. Once you have established a rapport with a professor, he can steer you toward an appropriate school. You might even be able to work out something special with him, the way John Bear became an adjunct professor at the Union Institute, solely to supervise Rich Douglas.
     
  4. wfisher698

    wfisher698 New Member

    question

    I am just beginning the process of pursuing a doctoral degree. I feel dumb, but what do you mean by "a professor to surperivse me"?
     
  5. MarkIsrael@aol.com

    [email protected] New Member

    In a forest a fox bumps into a little rabbit, and says, "Hi, Junior, what are you up to?"
    "I'm writing a dissertation on how rabbits eat foxes," said the rabbit.
    "Come now, friend rabbit, you know that's impossible! No one will publish such rubbish!"
    "Well, follow me and I'll show you."
    They both go into the rabbit's dwelling, and after a while, the rabbit emerges with a satisfied expression on his face.

    Comes along a wolf. "Hello, little buddy, what are we doing these days?"
    "I'm writing the second chapter of my thesis, on how rabbits devour wolves."
    "Are you crazy? Where's your academic honesty?"
    "Come with me and I'll show you."
    As before, the rabbit comes out with a satisfied look on his face, and now with a diploma in his paw.

    Finally, the camera pans into the rabbit's cave and, as everybody should have guessed by now, we see a mean-looking, huge lion, sitting, picking his teeth and belching, next to some furry, bloody remnants of the fox and the wolf.

    The moral: It's not the contents of your thesis that are important -- it's your Ph.D. advisor that really counts.
     
  6. wfisher698

    wfisher698 New Member

    Are you assigned an advisor or do you have to find one yourself?
     
  7. MarkIsrael@aol.com

    [email protected] New Member

    You can ask to be assigned one, but that's usually a bad idea. At the doctoral level, most students know what specific topic they want to do research on, and they take the trouble to find out, on their own, which professors are best in that specialty.

    If admissions to the university are competitive and a professor has a favorable impression of you, he can often use his influence to help you get admitted to the university.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 29, 2003
  8. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    Correct, it is one or the other. The importance of your advisor cannot be over stated. Therefore, students will sometimes request specific people to be their advisor.
     
  9. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    so, this thread is business 101? It's not what you know but who you know? How many credits for this lesson?
     
  10. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    While Mark's story was really quite funny, I think you've drawn the wrong conclusion. In the business of earning a PhD the first step is to get accepted and then to get your proposal accepted. If your interests converge with a powerful, well-known member of the faculty, then you may stand a better chance of being accepted (although these people tend to attract many graduate applicants and so it can become rather competitive). If you get throught those stages then you've actually got to produce a dissertation that will not embarrass this powerful, well-known person as their reputation becomes connected to your work to some extent. They may, for example, be interested in promoting a certain specific theory and the extent to which you can help them in this endeavor you will be considered "a good student." If your research seems shoddy, or even if it diverges from the accepted norm, you may run into more difficulties If we remain positive and assume that things go well, then you can expect that your powerful advisor will escort you through the process unscathed and there will be no nasty surprises along the way. You can easily imagine other scenarios that are less happy. These all involve an advisor who is more or less interested in your work, more or less interested in actually helping you through the process, more or less willing to let you pursue your own ideas, etc. So, the powerful faculty member can be a powerful ally but they can also be a powerful obstacle. To return to Mark's story, you have to ask yourself what happens to the rabbit when there are no more foxes or wolves about.
    Jack
     
  11. Mike Albrecht

    Mike Albrecht New Member

    Okay, that narrows it down to about 1,000 choices. More important than anything else, what area are you interested in studying?

    Ther are several ways, one useful tool that I like is Peterson's Distance Learning Site where you can search by degree and topic.
     
  12. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    The rabbit had his diploma at that point!

    Seriously though, unlike other degrees, a Ph.D. is usually not a sure thing (except at diploma mills). It takes not only hard work and tenacity but an element of luck, being in the right place at the right time with the right idea. The more that this path can be smoothed out at the beginning the better the chance of success.
     
  13. wfisher698

    wfisher698 New Member

    Re: Re: Very confused, need help.

    I am interesed in public health or public admin. I have an MPH in Health, Policy, & Managment and work in Public Health.
    At this point I am leaning heavily toward enrolling in Walden University.
     
  14. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Very confused, need help.

    You could do far, far worse than Walden.
    Jack
     
  15. wfisher698

    wfisher698 New Member

    walden

    I checked out Walden with the Better Business Bureau and there were no compaints against them.

    I have checked out the school with the accreditng agency and the BBB, and found no negative comments (except cost) on this website, is there any other ways I need to check out Walden before trying to enroll?
     
  16. anthonym

    anthonym New Member

    These are the regional accreditors:

    1. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

    2. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

    3. New England Association of Colleges and Schools, Inc./Commission on Institutions of Higher Education

    4. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges

    5. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Commission on Colleges

    6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges


    You can search for their individual websites and then search their individual databases or call them to verify a school is accredited and not on some type of probation. If the school is in good standing with an RA agency, it is not a degree mill.
     
  17. Ike

    Ike New Member

    Re: walden

    Both NCU and Walden are properly accredited, however, in terms of reputation, the latter definitely has an edge over the former, probably because Walden has been around for a longer period of time. You also have to be mindful of the fact that all DL degrees especially those earned from DL-only schools are still looked down upon by denizens of the academia and in fact by the general public. If your intention is to earn a degree that is devoid of any stigma, I will advise you to look elsewhere but if your goal is to pursue and earn a legitimate degree with recognize accreditation, both NCU and Walden will be ok.


    Ike Okonkwo, PhD
     
  18. wfisher698

    wfisher698 New Member

    Re: Re: walden

    I want a legitimate degree. I don't want to get a degree through Walden and find out that it is not accepted in the work world. It costs a lot of money and time to get a doctoral degree. I work in public health and want to work at the state level setting policy and evaluating programs.
     
  19. Ike

    Ike New Member

    Re: Re: Re: walden

    Walden degrees are legitimate. They are as legitimate as degrees from Harvard University.

    I totally concur that Walden's tuition is a somewhat prohibitive. You may try other properly accredited DL programs from Touro, NCU, Nova, etc. Godwin (oko) is currently enrolled in Touro’s health science program and I am certain that he will furnish you with Touro’s tuition and program information if you send him a private message.

    Ike Okonkwo, PhD
     
  20. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Very confused, need help.

    If you are at all open to the prospect of a degree from a non-US university, then you might want to check out the following:
    U of Luton (PhD in PA)
    U of South Africa (PhD in PA)
    U of Melbourne (PhD in PH)
    Good luck,
    Jack
     

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