Hello everyone! I love this website! I'm looking for a PhD program for my husband(computer science). In several directories, a university named Atlantic Int'l University is listed...has anyone heard of it? It's the only university that seems to have a large selection when it comes to a PhD program. Also, I've read on this board that unaccredited isn't necessarily a bad thing, right? Or did I misread somewhere? If this universiy is a scam, they're pretty convincing. They have a well educated faculty, an impressive website, and a nifty looking campus. Also, if they are a scam, how do they get an .edu extention? I'm confused, since I heard that it's near impossible to get an .edu extention for a website unless they're a real school. Someone please enlighten me! Thanks in advance for your time. Janna
Atlantic International University "[claims its] accreditation through the nonwonderful and unrecognized Accrediting Commission International of Beebe, Arkansas" and "degree-granting authority through a convenience address in Hawaii" (Bears' Guide, p. 206). Avoid like the plague. I predict that this Ph.D. will be useless in an academic setting, and is very probably illegal to use in at least two states. There is at least one low-residency U.S. regionally accredited Ph.D. in computer science, offered through Nova Southeastern University, and there are at least a half dozen non-U.S. research programs in the field (see the University of New England in Australia and the University of South Africa, for instance). Best of luck to your husband -- but steer clear of AIU. If he must go for an unaccredited degree, he might try California Coast University, which has the virtues of being 27 years old, California-approved, and legitimate. The Ph.D. will probably still be close to useless, but at least CCU has some credibility. Peace, ------------------ Tom Head www.tomhead.net
AIU's website is attractive -- but if you read it closely, you will find cause for concern. On the accreditation page, they state: This betrays a lack of understanding of accreditation. The U.S. Department of Education does not accredit schools or programs; it does recognize accrediting agencies determined to be reliable authorities. See http://distancelearn.about.com/cs/accreditation/ for links to more info on accreditation. AIU also says: Well, no, not really. As John Bear notes, "in some countries, the word accredited is not used, although that country's evaluation process (e.g., the British Royal Charter) is accepted as 'accredited' under GAAP" (Generally Accepted Accrediting Practices). See http://www.degree.net/guides/accreditation_guide.html The faculty list includes many who have no degree higher than a master's. As to how they got a .edu domain -- this has been poorly regulated. ------------------ Kristin Evenson Hirst DistanceLearn.About.com
One of the reasons that I recommend lifelonglearning.com with reservations is that AIU is a hit on almost every program search, with no explanation that it isn't accredited. If your husband is looking for a doctorate simply to hang on the wall or impress people, then an unaccredited school may well do the trick. But, if he plans to actually use the degree, it most likely will have all the value of a roll of Charmin. Bruce
Hello again! I really appreciate everyone's input. Oh, my husband thanks you all too, he says he definately wants an accredited school, and um, not something worth a roll of Charmin. So I've just ordered him the Bear's Guide off of Amazon. I'm really surprised that the government doesnt crack down on these more! This website though, is quite entertaining, not to mention addicting - I must admit, its hard to read all these posts without laughing pretty obnoxiously. You all have a great sense of humor about this(I think I would be furious if I found out the school I was attending was a degree scam), and I still havent figured out who Sheila Danzig is, but I think its best to steer clear of her! (I can't remember who, but earlier today, I read something in reference to Macarena lessons, and it was one of the funniest things I've read all week. It made my day) I can't thank you all enough - please keep up the great work, and especially the sense of humor. I'll definately be around here more often, especially since I'm enrolled in a DL program myself(I picked COSC by pure chance! Lucky me didnt get scammed) Happy studying! Janna
What's so attractive about this web site? May be I didn't search carefully enough, but I couldn't find any information on specific degree requirements, or courses offered. May be all this information is hidden somewhere, but it doesn't look like it is readily available, and this should be a cause for concern. A faculty list doesn't look impressive either. Only very few people with PhDs. How can they offer PhD programs then?