Section 94310

I noticed that PWU and NCUSL on thier websites state that their schools are approved by the provisions of Section 94310 of the Education Code of the State of California.

NCUSL states, in oder to comply, the school must disclose and gain approval in the following areas:

The Objectives of the University
The Proposed Methods of Achieving those Objective
The Curriculum
Instruction
Faculty Qualifications
Physical Facilities
Administrative Personnel
Educational Records
Tuition and Tuition Refund Policy
Scholastic Regulations
Degrees to be Conferred
Graduation Requirements
Financial Stability

Based on such strong guidelines, it seems to me that such compliance is not all that much stricter than Regional Accreditation. What are the opinions out there, and why the bashing of CA Approved Schools by certain members of this forum?

Thanks,

 

Section 94310(b) was the section of the education code that described the standards for State Approval of degree programs. It has since been replaced.

Seldom is it that the state approval process is "bashed." Even state-approved schools get a generally better treatment than other unaccredited schools. But the process was never comparable to the accreditation process, and is much less so since the change from approving a few programs to approving a few thousand schools. It is much more a consumer protection and regulatory process these days.

Pacific Western University didn't have any programs approved under 94310(b). That the somewhat-slimmed-down school can be approved (while most of its programs are offered through its Hawaii license) says volumes about the state's diminished process.

But even if you argued successfully that the state approval process is comparable to the regional accreditation process, it is almost never accepted as such in academia. And that's why people who try to show otherwise find their opinions refuted.

It just ain't so.

But if you say it is, the burden of proof is on you. So prove it. Or drop it.

 

Approval to confer VS Program Approval

Here is what PWU Describes:

http://www.pwu-ca.edu/home.asp?ID=8

California State Approval
Pacific Western University is approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education to grant degrees under the provisions of the California Education Code, Section 94310. Approval under this section indicates that the institute has been visited and reviewed according to specific standards and that the curriculum is consistent in quality with curricula offered by appropriate established degree granting institutions.

California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC)
The Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education Reform Act of 1989 requires the California Education Commission to conduct a review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the Reform Act and its implementation. Through this review, the Commission concluded that the Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education Reform Act should be continued indefinitely, and that the Commission should review the law's implementation on a periodic basis. The Commission also recommends specific legislative revisions and administrative changes. (A Report to the Legislature and the Governor in Response to Education Code Section 94345, August 28, 1995, Draft).

Is there a difference between approval to grant degrees under the code, and program approval? What is then the code that 94345 has been replaced with, and what are the differences?

Thanks,

 

RJT,

Why do you seem to have an overwhelming desire to justify your choice of CA/state approved schools?

I graduated from CCU with a BS and I am one class from my CCU MBA. I feel comfortable with my choice and don¡¦t feel a need to convince other people that I made a good, sound choice.

I think the fact that you seem to constantly try to convince others that ¡§your degree is a good as theirs¡¨ adds to the doubt that people may have about CA/state approved schools and may give others the impression that you have second thoughts about the school you graduated from.

If you graduated from Penn State, would you spend time trying to convince people that it is a good as Princeton?

This is not meant to depute the CA vs. RA vs. NA issue or to offend you.

 

I would suggest RJT read prior Bears' (and Bear's) guides to get a flavor for what California Approval used to mean.

A perusal of the BPPVE website should give anyone all there is to know about the current approval process.

Regardless, what matters is how others receive your degree. And that has now been pretty well established.

 

RJT,

It still comes back to the same question: If CCU's California approval is equal to the standards of regional accreditation, why doesn't CCU simply apply for it? They and their students would be more respected.

 

Are you saying that you don't respect me because I graduated from CCU

 

For comparison's sake, here's what's included in SACS' "Criteria for Accreditation"

Section I: Principles and Philosophy
of Accreditation 1
1.1 Institutional Commitment and Responsibilities
in the Accreditation Process 5
1.2 Application of the Criteria 6
1.3 Separately Accredited Units 8
1.4 Conditions of Eligibility 9
1.5 Initial Membership 14
1.6 Representation of Status 14

Section II: Institutional Purpose 15

Section III: Institutional Effectiveness 17
3.1 Planning and Evaluation:
Educational Programs 18
3.2 Planning and Evaluation:
Administrative and Educational Support Services 19
3.3 Institutional Research 20

Section IV: Educational Program 22
4.1 General Requirements of the Educational Program 22
4.2 Undergraduate Program 22
4.2.1 Undergraduate Admission 22
4.2.2 Undergraduate Completion Requirements 25
4.2.3 Undergraduate Curriculum 26
4.2.4 Undergraduate Instruction 27
4.2.5 Academic Advising of Undergraduate Students 29
4.3 Graduate Program 29
4.3.1 Initiation, Operation and Expansion of
Graduate Programs 29
4.3.2 Graduate Admission 30
4.3.3 Graduate Completion Requirements 32
4.3.4 Graduate Curriculum 33
4.3.5 Graduate Instruction 35
4.3.6 Academic Advising of
Graduate Students 36
4.4 Publications 37
4.5 Distance Learning Programs 37
4.6 Continuing Education, Outreach
and Service Programs 38
4.7 Student Records 39
4.8 Faculty 40
4.8.1 Selection of Faculty 40
4.8.2 Academic and Professional Preparation 41
4.8.2.1 Associate 41
4.8.2.2 Baccalaureate 43
4.8.2.3 Graduate 44
4.8.2.4 Distance Learning
Programs/Activities 46
4.8.3 Part-Time Faculty 46
4.8.4 Graduate Teaching Assistants 47
4.8.5 Faculty Compensation 47
4.8.6 Academic Freedom and
Professional Security 48
4.8.7 Professional Growth 48
4.8.8 The Role of the Faculty and
Its Committees 49
4.8.9 Faculty Loads 49
4.8. 10 Criteria and Procedures
for Evaluation 49
4.9 Consortial Relationships and
Contractual Agreements 50
4.9.1 Consortial Relationships 50
4.9.2 Contractual Agreements 51

Section V: Educational Support Services 53
5.1 Library and Other Learning Resources 54
5.1.1 Purpose and Scope 54
5.1.2 Services 54
5.1.3 Library Collections 56
5.1.4 Information Technology 56
5.1.5 Cooperative Agreements 56
5.1.6 Staff 57
5.1.7 Library/Learning Resources for
Distance Learning Activities 57
5.2 Instructional Support 58
5.3 Information Technology Resources
and Systems 58
5.4 Student Development Services 59
5.4.1 Scope and Accountability 59
5.4.2 Resources 60
5.4.3 Programs and Services 60
5.4.3.1 Counseling and Career
Development 60
5.4.3.2 Student Government,
Student Activities
and Publications 60
5.4.3.3 Student Behavior 61
5.4.3.4 Residence Halls 61
5.4.3.5 Student Financial Aid 61
5.4.3.6 Health Services 62
5.4.3.7 Intramural Athletics 62
5.5 Intercollegiate Athletics 62
5.5.1 Purpose 62
5.5.2 Administrative Oversight 63
5.5.3 Financial Control 63
5.5.4 Academic Program 63

Section VI: Administrative Processes 65
6.1 Organization and Administration 66
6. 1.1 Descriptive Titles and Terms 66
6.1.2 Governing Board 66
6.1.3 Advisory Committees 67
6.1.4 Official Policies 67
6.1.5 Administrative Organization 68
6.2 Institutional Advancement 68
6.2.1 Alumni Affairs 68
6.2.2 Fund Raising 69
6.3 Financial Resources 69
6.3.1 Financial Resources 69
6.3.2 Organization for the
Administration of Financial Resources 69
6.3.3 Budget Planning 70
6.3.4 Budget Control 70
6.3.5 The Relation of an Institution
to External Budgetary Control 71
6.3.6 Accounting, Reporting and Auditing 71
6.3.7 Purchasing and Inventory Control 73
6.3.8 Refund Policy 73
6.3.9 Cashiering 74
6.3.10 Investment Management 74
6.3.11 Risk Management and Insurance 74
6.3.12 Auxiliary Enterprises 74
6.4 Physical Resources 75
6.4.1 Space Management 75
6.4.2 Building, Grounds and
Equipment Maintenance 75
6.4.3 Safety and Security 75
6.4.4 Facilities Master Plan 76
6.5 Externally Funded Grants
and Contracts 76
6.6 Related Corporate Entities 77


And these are not vague requirements. For example, section 4.8.2.2 Baccalaureate states, in part:

"At least 25 percent of the discipline course hours in
each undergraduate major must be taught by faculty
members holding the terminal degree, usually the
earned doctorate, in that discipline. In some disciplines,
the master's degree in the discipline may be considered
the terminal degree, such as the M.F.A., the M.S.W.,
and the M.L.S.; in others, a master's degree in the dis-
cipline, coupled with a doctoral degree in a related dis-
cipline, is considered appropriate. However, it is the
responsibility of the institution to justify the master's
degree, or master's in the teaching discipline coupled
with a related doctorate, as the terminal degree for fac-
ulty members teaching in these disciplines. The above
requirement also applies to each major offered through
distance learning, including those offered at branches or
other sites."


Are the standards for state approval comparable to this? No.


Jeff

 

To the best of my knowledge, the number of registrars who have a policy of routinely accepting Pacific Western or California Coast degrees is zero. The percentage who routinely accept Edison or Excelsior is 93 (and 7% usually do).

That would seem to suggest one significant difference between California licensing and recognized accreditation.

Let us not forget that on the day Ernest Sinclair was convicted on many counts of fraud and sent to federal prison, his "university" (which had earlier sold a Ph.D. to Mike Wallace, live on 60 Minutes camera) had the highest level of licensing available from the state of California.

 

Here's the relevant section of the CA Education Code concerning approval of degree granting schools:

http://www.bppve.ca.gov/reform_act/act29508.htm

RJT has the code section wrong, but the content is similar to what he/she posted.

In my opinion (for what that's worth) I think that the state interprets these things much more loosely than WASC.

For example, Northern California Graduate University, located not far from my home. This is a CA-approved psych school, granting non-DL Psy.Ds and preparing its graduates for state licensure as clinical psychologists.

What are its physical facilities? Four rented rooms in an office building. One room is their classroom, one is a reception area, one is their administrative office and one small room next to the classroom is their library, with ~1000 volumes.

http://www.ncgu.edu/cat2.htm

I suppose that they are reasonably successful in accomplishing what they set out to do, but I really doubt if WASC would accredit such a minimal operation. I also assume that NCGU's little administration there in its office has reduced the many functions that accreditors expect to absolute minimums.

Another example is the CA-approved Intercultural Institute of California, that operates out of a house in San Francisco. They applied for regional accreditation from WASC, entertained a site visit, but were not approved for candidacy, apparently due to their limited resources rather than their academics, which were fine. The IIC has since entered into a cooperative arrangement with the California Institute of Integral Studies to offer their masters degree in Korean Studies jointly with the RA CIIS. (It's available by DL.)

http://www.iic.edu/

 

I would have to say that I don't have an opinion about you, because I don't know you. And if I did, I don't think it would matter to you anyway.

My comment was not that non-RA graduates are not respected, but that RA graduates are more respected when it come to employment and college admissions offices.

For further details on how some of us have come to that conclusion, see the many posts by John Bear and Rich Douglas.

 

RJT,


ps. You have yet to answer the question. Why doesn't PWU seek regional accreditation?

 

PW and possibly why

I am not the school so I can not say for sure, but, like all it comes down to $$.

PW would likely have to drop it's doctorate programs and eliminate all programs but Business, which has the CA approval.

On the other hand, the school seems satisfied with being legally State Approved/Registered. It recently put all its CA courses on-line, and is working on doing the same in HI. They'll send you the textbooks, and you attend on-line seminars and testing on-line. The MSc requires 9 courses and a Thesis. There is a nine-month minimum for program completion.

Similar issues likely surround Century, Central State, and SCUPS; Cal Coast and South Western have made the moves towards accreditation. Therefore, one can never say never...

PS - PW claims to have over 25,000 graduates.