New federal degree rules

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by Alan Contreras, Feb 1, 2005.

Loading...
  1. Alan Contreras

    Alan Contreras New Member

    The following was issued by the United States Office of Personnel Managment on Monday, January 31, 2005, and applies to the use of degrees by federal employees.

    intro material deleted owing to message length limitations.


    Agencies should use the following criteria to determine the acceptability of post high school education or training at an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide documentation or proof that he or she has met the applicable educational provisions described in this subsection. An official transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable. Agencies must ensure that the applicants’ education or credentials meet the criteria below.

    Acceptability of Higher Education for Meeting Minimum Qualification Requirements
    (a) Accredited and Pre-Accredited/Candidate for Accreditation—This category includes only those institutions that grant academic degrees. Such institutions must meet one of the following criteria for Federal employment:

    Conventional/Accredited Institutions—At the time the education was obtained, the entire institution, applicable school within the institution, or the applicable curriculum was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Military schools or military educational programs that meet this criterion are also acceptable. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov/admis/finaid/accred/index.html. A complete listing of all institutions accredited by recognized agencies, including those located outside of U.S. territories may be found in Accredited Institutions of Post-Secondary Education, a handbook published annually by the American Council on Education (ACE). Institutions located within the United States that have attained accreditation as well as recognized accrediting agencies are listed on the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov/offices/list/ope/.

    Correspondence or distance learning course work is also acceptable if the applicable school within the institution or applicable curriculum is accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. The distance learning courses should indicate the credit hours for each course and be indicated on the degree transcript together with traditional course work and credits.

    Pre-Accredited/Candidate for Accreditation Status—At the time that the education was obtained, the entire institution, applicable school within the institution, or applicable curriculum had acquired “preaccreditation” or “candidate for accreditation status” that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

    Exceptions: Preaccredited or Candidate for Accreditation status is not acceptable for the following Federal programs:
    ·Student Loan Repayments; or
    ·Academic Degree Training.
    For the above programs, the institutions must be fully accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education at the time the education was obtained.
    (b) Non-Accredited/Other—This category includes institutions that do not meet the criteria above but offer a curriculum which is equivalent to “conventional/accredited institutions.” Such institutions are either outside the jurisdiction, or have decided not to seek accreditation from accrediting bodies recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Examples of “Non-Accredited/Other” education or institutions include, but are not limited to:
    ·USDA Graduate School;
    ·Foreign education [see paragraph (c) below];
    ·Non-accredited military education or schools;
    ·Continuing education units; or
    ·Academic credit for work or life experience.

    Non-Accredited/Other Education may be considered during the rating/ranking process when evaluating qualified job applicants who already meet minimum qualification standards. Such education may not, however, be used to meet minimum qualification standards, unless it meets one of the following criteria with respect to a college, university, or institution accredited as described in (a) above:

    ·The specific courses have been accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university, or institution because they would be creditable if the student were to further his or her education at that institution.
    ·The academic credit earned through a special credit program such as the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) has been awarded by an accredited college, university, or institution.
    ·An accredited college, university, or institution has identified the course work area(s) or courses for which credit was given for life experience. There must be a direct link between credits given and the course objectives or syllabus, i.e., the course and the life experience must be comparable in nature, content, and level. Life experience credit for courses that are not identified in its course catalog as part of a college or university's curriculum is not acceptable, unless the college or university is giving credit for course work that is a prerequisite for more advanced courses included in its curriculum.
    ·An accredited U.S. university or college reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at that university or college.

    (c) Foreign Education—Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. A few medical schools are accredited under country standards that have been determined to be “comparable” to U.S. standards by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation. For foreign education that is not so accredited, agencies should follow the provisions below before considering such education for Federal employment.

    Unless the foreign education meets the criteria in paragraph (a) above, applicants must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential evaluation service. To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe:
    ·The type of education received by the applicant;
    ·The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the U.S. National Council for the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials;
    ·The content of the applicant’s educational program earned abroad and the standard obtained;
    ·The status of the awarding foreign school’s recognition and legitimacy in its home country’s education system; and
    ·Any other information of interest such as what the evaluation service did to obtain this information, the qualifications of the evaluator, and any indications as to other problems such as forgery.

    Foreign credential evaluations that do not contain the above information or that state there is insufficient information provided by the applicant on which to base an evaluation should not be accepted. If the requested evaluation shows the foreign education to be legitimate and comparable to that expected of a candidate with U.S. credentials, it may be accepted at the discretion of the agency. For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, refer to the U.S. Department of Education’s web site at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Information on foreign accrediting bodies may be found at: http://www.chea.org/international/database/index.cfm.

    Professional Licensure: Possession of a valid and current U.S. professional license by a graduate of a foreign professional school or program is sufficient proof that the foreign education has been determined to be equivalent to the requisite U.S. professional education in that occupational field.

    (d) Non-Qualifying Education—Non-qualifying education is education that is not accredited or determined to be equivalent to conventional, accredited educational programs as described in paragraphs (a), (b), or (c) above. This category includes educational institutions or sources commonly known as “diploma mills” which are defined as “unregulated institutions of higher education, granting degrees with few or no academic requirements [Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (tenth edition)]”.

    For more information on the subject of diploma mills, refer to the following web sites: http://www.ed.gov/students/prep/college/consumerinfo/considerations.html or http://www.chea.org./ Agencies must not consider or accept such education, degrees, or credentials for any aspect of Federal employment, including basic eligibility and the rating/ranking process.
     
  2. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    It looks good to me. Will they now enforce it?
     
  3. Gus Sainz

    Gus Sainz New Member

    The regulations employ the phrase “at the time the education was obtained” rather than something akin to “at the time the degree was conferred or awarded.” This may present some interesting problems.
     
  4. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Bill,

    the agencies I have worked for have always had this policy. And if you read this new set of guidelines it has only minor changes to the old guidelines to reflect the distance learning and to close the loophole that KW seemed to have used.

    Gus,

    I think this is closing some loopholes on folks trying to wait out the status from unaccredited to accredited. This part would most likely apply to those areas of employment that require specific credit hours in subjects. For example, an internal review auditor is required to have 24 semester hours of accounting. In this instance the unaccredited classes would not be allowed. It will be difficult for HR to evaluate this area.



    I think all of this emphasis is without merit if we do not clean the ranks or require folks to fix academic issues. My perspective is that this guidance will apply to new hires and if time and personnel permit then trickle through the rank and file.

    As I stated previously the effort to srutinize and evaluate academic credentials would be particularly well suited to outsourcing, it would make a great grant proposal for an academic institution that runs a public policy graduate program.

    Kevin
     
  5. oxpecker

    oxpecker New Member

    Looks like they've left a nice hole for a "private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials." Could be a NACES member. Also could be Sheila Danzig's organization.
     
  6. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    I haven't had the opportunity to study this in detail, but a quick reading suggests that it includes several glaring loopholes. Oxpecker has already identified one involving foreign credential evaluators.

    Here's another:

    I'm not sure what the words "rating/ranking process" mean.

    But it looks to me like possession of additional non-accredited 'life-experience' graduate "degrees" may be considered when choosing from among a pool of applicants who all have accredited degrees that meet minimum educational requirements.

    It's also conceivable that the non-accredited 'life-experience' degrees may be considered for pay-grade purposes, even if they don't satisfy the minimum educational requirements for a position. I can imagine a person with an accredited degree meeting the minimum standards, but qualifying for a higher pay grade based on possession of a diploma mill graduate "degree".
     
  7. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Rating/ranking are the order in which candidates are placed. Historically, althought this method is changing, only the top three candidates were presented for a position. To get to this point a rating/ranking must occur. From the list of highly qualified (normally top three) a selection is then made. I am speaking in general terms as each agency now has other options and latitudes as personnel systems change. Speaking generally again, life experience can include relevant volunteer work that qualifies for admission. It can also include certifications that don't necessarily carry academic weight but do have standards, PE, RA (Registered Architect), PMP, CISSP, RCDD, for example. With the various computer/networking certifications available these must be given some value.

    There are only a few instances I know of that require a graduate degree, I have yet to see any of these announced that did not require a RA degree, and in some instances from an ABET, ABA, etc... accredited school. I don't see an unaccredited degree qualifying for a higher paying position in any position where the graduate degree is a requirement.

    Every agency has some type of continuing education for their employees, many employees cannot meet the criteria for academic training so outside non-academic, or agency developed programs are utilized. Good examples would be CIO Cerification, Advanced Leadership, SES training, etc... Due to the nature of these programs many universities have agreed to provide academic credit if the individual enrolls in and successfully completes a course of study. Since most employees do not enroll in an academic program upon completion of the training the acceptance is made for this work.

    As for entire life-experience degrees. I don't see how these can be accepted based upon the curriculum clause. Of course outright falsification can happen, until caught.
     
  8. Kirkland

    Kirkland Member

    I think it's interesting that the Feds do use Merriam-Webster.
     
  9. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Rod,

    not me, I miss a bunch of misspellings and grammar errors and have been collecting my mistakes for years, keeps me humble.

    Hope life is treating you well,

    Kevin
     
  10. Kirkland

    Kirkland Member

    Hello Kevin, that's a good hobby. I like to collect technology industry and cultural buzzwords... the big one a year ago was "passion". Everybody seemed to be passionate about something, especially their work. They didn't seem to realize that passion is an abandoned and unreasoned emotion quite different from enthusiasm. This year the big saying seems to be "At the end of the day...". Wonder what happens at the start of the day?
     
  11. plantagenet

    plantagenet New Member

  12. Kirkland

    Kirkland Member

    Thanks, great site. Guess it's time to start a new thread on the language of business consultants.
     

Share This Page