Approval of accreditation: Where is the line in the sand?

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by pacificamark, Mar 2, 2008.

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  1. pacificamark

    pacificamark New Member

    I am considering attending a school in the process of accreditation.

    If/when they are accredited, will this accreditation apply to degrees that were conferred before the accreditation date (if there is such a thing)? Or will it only apply to students who enroll after the accreditation date?

    P.S. Anyone out there good at digging up dirt on a school or its founder? I'm trying to get information on a school and can't really find anything good or bad. They've been around for a few years now. They are only approved by their state board of education currently.
     
  2. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    This subject has been discussed before. I suggest you do a search.

    Degrees awarded prior to accreditation are, technically, from an unaccredited school. In the real world, however, they tend to get treated the same as degrees awarded after accreditation. First, no one checks. Second, the rationale is that the school was likely performing at an "accreditable" level, since they went on to accreditation.

    Your risk is that the school in question fails to achieve accreditation. I taught at a school just like that. When they couldn't proceed to accreditation smartly, I stopped teaching for them.
     
  3. pacificamark

    pacificamark New Member

    hmm.

    Thank you.

    Which then leads to the next question of what percentage of schools apply for accreditation and then fail? It would be interesting to know.
     
  4. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    Is the school seeking RA or DETC?

    Shawn
     
  5. pacificamark

    pacificamark New Member

    In their own words they are unable to say, of the two choices available, who they are applying to. They say the application process prohibits them from mentioning a specific organization. Hmm.
     
  6. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member


    This is pretty standard.

    There is no way to apply a "percentage," as if success was a random event. You'll have to judge yourself whether or not you think the school will succeed. Or if they will even apply at all.

    A much better bet is a school that reaches candidacy status. For them, the vast majority go on to accredited status. But even then it is a (smaller) risk.
     
  7. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Well, you are going to have to name the school before anyone can comment on it.

    And why are you contemplating enrolling in it, if you don't know anything about it? It must have some feature that attracts you.
     
  8. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Exactly.

    The good news is that outright mills rarely, if ever, claim to have applied for accreditation; they just claim it from a bogus accrediting agency.
     
  9. dbahomeland

    dbahomeland New Member

    The easiest way to find out about a school is to first go to the regional accrediting body's web site and look them up. If they aren't regionally accredited, then you could see if they have a national accreditation. The school should have consumer information on the web site. If they do not say they are accredited, there is a high probability that they aren't because school generally like to announce that to potential students. You could also google the owner's name if you know the name. Good luck.
     
  10. dbahomeland

    dbahomeland New Member

    My understanding is that students would be grandfathered in once the school is accredited. But certainly check that out with the accrediting body. If a school loses accreditation, generally registrars at other schools will check to see when the person graduated. It becomes important if you want to adjunct or work in higher education. Businesses, often do not care, but you would want to check with the hiring HR department. If the degree is needed for the job, they will want it to be accredited, but often it is not important. It is a buyer beware situation.
     
  11. raristud2

    raristud2 New Member

    Is the school SCUPS/Calsouthern?
     

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