National Accredited Agencies Comparision?

Hello Everyone!

I am wondering if there is a big comparision between these National Accredited Agencies; ACICS (Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools) and DETC ( Distance Education Training Councils); which agency degree is more valueble than another?

Many thanks....
Tekman

 

In my survey of HR managers, they rated (in terms of acceptability) ACICS significantly higher than DETC when no descriptions of them were provided.

When descriptions of each were provided, the gap narrowed and the difference observed was not statistically significant. No difference.

I suspect the difference is the word "Distance" in DETC, but that's just my experience talking. I didn't measure it directly.

 

ACICS is a much larger accreditor, so it's probably better known.

But all in all, I doubt if there's a big difference between them. Neither one is prestigious in an academic sense, but they are recognized accreditation and count where that's a criterion. Both have vocational college roots, though both seem interested in expanding beyond that.

As Rich says, there's the 'distance' factor. Since DETC schools are DL by definition, they may be subject to whatever anti-DL prejudice exists out there.

Which degree is more valuable? I'd guess that woud depend more on the individual school than on the accreditor.

 

ACICS may be a much larger accreditor, but their website leaves a lot to be desired. Almost every link I clicked on was broken.

 

My two cents:

I have been a Regional Director for a large property management firm for the last 5 years. I served as a Vice President for an even larger property management firm from 1994-1999. In my personal experience, there is no distinction made between DETC, ACICS, AABC, TRACS, ATS, or any of the regional accreditors. Frequently, a degree referenced on a resume is never even checked to ensure its existence. On occasion, an applicant may be asked to furnish proof of a degree, but I have never seen the credentials of the school checked. When advertising a position, most employers/HR departments ask that applicants have "an accredited degree" but the accreditation is never checked. I would go so far as to say that 95% of all employers don't even know how accreditation works. I have talked to many of my colleagues on this issue. Most of them can't tell me which accrediting agency accredited the school/program they personally attended. Most believe that accreditation is provided by the USDE. There is a startling amount of ignorance out there with regard to this issue. Those few that seem to have some basic understanding of accreditation seem to use recognition by the USDE and CHEA as their measuring stick. That being said, it is possible that one could be questioned on an interview, and there is still a stigma out there regarding DL, so if possible, I would avoid DETC schools (simply because "distance" appears in the name), at least for the undergarduate degree.

Our firm has hired individuals with degrees earned at RA schools, AABC schools, and ATS schools. There are so many people that are switching fields these days...there is little concern for the major being specific to a desired position. In other words, our firm only has a handful of people that actually hold Management or Business degrees. We have Education degrees, Literature degrees, Biblical Studies degrees, MDiv's, Economics, etc. Employers are generally looking to see that someone has successfully completed a college program, period. There is a general consensus that any college program will lay the basic foundation needed to be successful and well rounded. The finer points can be taught through professional training seminars or other professional certifications that are unique to the chosen field. (The only exception to this would be a position where a license or certification is required, like a CPA for example.)

I realize that my experience on this issue may differ from others that are employed in different fields. I'm curious to read the experiences of others.

Tony

 

Our HR department looks for *accredited degrees*. They check and the degrees can be Regionally Accredited or Nationally accredited as long as they are accredited. From that point of view they are all on equal footing (RA or NA). No UnA (unaccredited) is acceptable in any form. You get tossed from the pile of applicants.

Now, that is not to say that a Harvard degree will not stand out but when I am hiring that plays little significance when other factors are taken into account (experience, performance on in basket tests, performance in the interview, etc).

North

 

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the valueable information; which helps me to make a final decission to apply at Grantham University for Computer Engineering Technology. There are many reasons I am choosing this school. Most of the regional and ABET accredited schools requires lab works; which has to be done at a local college or University. And that's not an option for me. According to Grantham University curriculums that I am more than half way to B.S in Computer Engineering. Beside that all the tuition, books, as well as learning materials are FREE for military member. I found out that many schools accept unaccreditted B.S (Grantham U is National) for graduate school admission, but GRE exam is required. Especially there are courses that can be earned through examination without taking the class.


Many Thanks,
Tekman

 

Pugbelly writes:

> Most of them can't tell me which accrediting agency
> accredited the school/program they personally attended.

Now that you mention it, I have 16 graduate-level credits from Harvard (Extension) and credits from 3 other Boston-area colleges -- but I'm damned if I can remember whether Harvard is accredited by New England or Middle States or what.

(My degrees are from Canada.)

 

Yes, Harvard is accredited by the New England Association for Colleges and Schools.

 

I am not really able to say how well a DETC accredited degree will be accepted compared to an RA degree. One thing you should be aware of is the word "Technology" in the degree title. The goal of an engineering degree is to prepare the student to enter the engineering profession at the highest level. The goal of an engineering technology is to prepare a technologist who would be a sort of super-technician; not necessarily able to function at the top of the profession.

That said, the background of computing professionals tends to be more varied than other areas of technology, and individuals often achieve more than you would expect if all you knew was the title of the person's degree.

Gerry Ashton PE
BSEE USC, MSEE Syracuse