Help! Greenwich degree. Applying to PH.D. program.

What to do??

I got my MA (Psych) through Greenwich, finished it in 2002 (there were a LOT of hassles with them not having anyone to work with me for some years, actually, but they finally granted the degree). I paid them extra at one point to get my degree -- they said -- accredited with the Australian government. I just looked on the web, tho, and their website is shut down, and the discussions on the formus indicate they were never accredited, and apparently were lying to me (?). In any case, I did do some good work on the degree, though certainly with little supervision from them. It was independent study -- I studied

I'm interested in applying to UMich for a resident Ph.D. in information science. I believe the rest of my resume is good for the program (I've been running a database service for non-profits), but I'm very worried about the master's.

I would be most grateful for any pearls of wisdom from you all!

 

You are....

probably, out of luck with Michigan.

 

You are....

probably, out of luck with Michigan. Even if you had an accredited master's in psych it is unlikely it would get you into Michigan for a PHD in Information Science. I was told by one school that I MIGHT qualify for entry into the Public Management program with an MBA because of my years of work experience in Public Management but only because the MBA is so similar to an MPA anyway. One has budgeting the other financial accounting, one has administrative law the other business law, etc. Even then there was no guarantee that I wouldn't have to take some prereq's.

 

life would be so different if one could use unaccredited degrees for admission to accredited programs

 

Call, ask, negotiate, plead, beg, etc. Some schools will admit you with an unrecognized degree. They might ask you to do more coursework. They might not admit you at all. But as Bear often notes, graduate school is a lot about negotiation.

Consider other schools, too.

 

Michigan's School of Information is a prestige program and probably admits only a small percentage of its applicants, so in that sense most applicants are out of luck.

But I don't think that it's absolutely necessary to have a masters degree in order to be admitted into Michigan's doctoral program. They do say that a masters degree will increase your odds though.

http://www.si.umich.edu/admission/applying-phd.htm

I'm almost certain that UM won't give you any academic credit for the Greenwich work towards their own doctoral program requirements. But beyond that, I can't say. Will the Greenwich work strengthen your application or weaken it? Will they interpret it as admirable intellectual self-improvement, or will they interpret it less kindly?

Probably some of the others can give you better advice, but I'd probably list it, but I'd be careful to note that it isn't accredited and that it was undertaken purely for personal growth.

I'd also apply to some other programs besides UM, in order to be prepared for the rejection letter that most applicants to Ann Arbor probably receive.

 

My bad..

my comments also apply to your undergrad degree. Yes, you can get into a PHD w/o a masters. Some schools don't even offer a masters so it is unnecessary when applying to their program. University of Chicago does that as well. My point is they will look for studies at some level in that field. University of Michigan is an Ivy League level school and you will be competing with graduates from those schools. An application based on an unaccredited masters and life experience will have a very rough time competing if there isn't a BS in MIS or CIS in there somewhere.

 

Follow-up

Well, my professional work has been in the field of nonprofits and IS, which is pretty much what their program is about; not to toot my own horn, but I think my contributions here in Portland have been substantial, and my customers will recommend me.

But it is a bitter pill to hear everyone talking so casually about Greenwich being unaccredited. Like I said, I believed them when they said they had obtained Australian accreditation, and I paid extra to be included in it.

On the other hand, it isn't in the same field as the PHD. Perhaps it would be best just not to tell them about it? Bummer. n

 

Re: Follow-up

Apply on your accredited education background and professional strengths. Even if your GU credential was acceptable, which is not likely, you would basically need to start from 1st base anyway.

John

 

A PhD in Information Science would normally require a Master's in a similar field (Information Systems, library science). Even if your degree was accredited, I would expect a hard time to get into a PhD in Information Science.

Some schools don't require a Master's to get into a PhD program, but you would need a bachelor's in a related field and with an outstanding GPA.

 

Re: Follow-up

 

What you need to do is contact some professors at UMich (or other schools that interest you), and express an interest in their research. Every professor wants more grad students in his particular specialty, to help with his research. A professor who has a good impression of you can advise you on things like your chances of admission and whether you should list your unaccredited master's on the application, and may even have (unofficial or official) influence on the admissions decisions.

 

Thank you

Thanks to the group...you all have been amazingly helpful and information (even if it's basically bad news, it helps to see it in the best light!)