Kennedy-Western University

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by jennyj, Feb 24, 2004.

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  1. jennyj

    jennyj New Member

    I have been searching the web for factual information on Kennedy-Western University. One site referred to it as a "diploma mill" while another said that it is below standards for higher education. I have an acquaintance that received a JD from there, but I notice on the website of Kennedy-Western that degree is no longer offered. Why? It seems they have also changed their location several times. Why? I'm new to the concept of Distance Learning, so someone pleaseeee help. Any and all websites, books, articles, and information will be helpful. A friend of mine and I are having a severe disagreement on the validity of this University. I noticed some postings on this site from a couple of years ago. Does anyone have any newer information along with past history? Thanks for your help! :confused:
     
  2. BobC

    BobC New Member

    Oh no....!!! Another KW Thread!!! Everyone head for the hills!!!

    Hehe.

    Jenny, KW has been talked about extensively. Both good and bad (mostly bad).

    If you click on this link:

    http://forums.degreeinfo.com/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=177222&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

    It will invoke the search function on this forum and I'm sure a lot of your questions will be answered.

    Good luck in your debate with your friend!!!
     
  3. PaulC

    PaulC Member

    As Dave Hayden recently put it:

    "...if you want a degree that consists of 5 course of very little work, that is illegal in several states, that if put on a resume/cv may come back to haunt you, that is often described as a degree mill, whose parent company has moved from state to state to escape regulation THEN K-W may be just what you want!"


    In my own experiment, KW was eager to waive all but four courses toward their "Executive MBA Program" based on a two-page resume. In a typical EMBA program, that would equate to between 7-10 Master's level courses for that simple two page resume. It might be tough to defend academic integrity based on that policy.
     
  4. Jeff Hampton

    Jeff Hampton New Member

    Ask your acquaintance in which states a K-W JD degree qualifies him/her to practice law. The answer will tell you a great deal about the legitimacy of this school and the utility of its degrees.

    By the way, the correct answer is "none." Either your aquaintance will tell you this directly or will try to obfuscate this fact. In either case, it says a lot about this "school."
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 24, 2004
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Kennedy-Western University

    California, for one. I believe Kennedy-Western was listed as a bar-qualifying school for awhile, but I could be mistaken.

    Kennedy-Western University operates from Southern California, but is not approved or licensed by that state. They have a license from Wyoming, but no real presence there. Wyoming licensure clearly states that it is not to be construed as approval.

    All of this, coupled with the fact that Kennedy-Western is not accredited by any recognized agency, means any degree you take from there will have no meaning academically. It might help you in the workplace, but my research indicates that's due mainly to employers who don't check. You can get the same effect from just buying a degree from a diploma mill.

    Hope this helps.
     
  6. Jeff Hampton

    Jeff Hampton New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Kennedy-Western University

    It is not currently listed as a bar-qualifying school. It's possible that it was in the past, and that this person got grand-fathered in. If that is that case, I still wonder if this person would admit that. And either way, it still says a lot about the current legitimacy of the school
     
  7. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    I can't resist the urge to post in a thread with this title.

    There has been no indication brought to light on this forum that might indicate that the reputation of this degree mill is on the mend. :p
     
  8. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Kennedy-Western University

    Absolutely true and a fine bottom line summary.

    One minor "side effect" difference I've noticed in victims of KWU compared to most other degree mills is that the KWU victims are much more resistant to admitting that their alma mater is a degree mill. This is due to the fact that KWU requires a large amount of work compared to most degree mills but this amount of required work is still miniscule compared to an acccredited degree.

    P.S. Note that Rich and I use different definitions of degree mills. KWU is a degree mill in my book but not in Rich's but I believe that our overall assessments of KWU are the same though.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 25, 2004

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