Advice on UK and Australian Uni's.

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Silent_Bob, Jan 31, 2004.

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  1. Silent_Bob

    Silent_Bob New Member

    Hi all,
    I found this site a few days ago after nearly enrolling in the University of New Castle (the degree mill version).
    I am an Australian citizen who wants to do a bachelor's degree. Thing is, my father is English and I plan to move to England next year so I was thinking of starting a degree from a UK university by distance education so I can finish and use it over in the UK.
    I'm not sure if this is the best option though. I just want to do the degree, and do it as cheaply and quickly as possible. I don't really care about the reputation of the university, I would also seek to get some credit for courses completed previously in both business and justice. It's basically a look great on paper when applying for jobs overseas type thing.
    I've also considered US university's, in particular Fort Hays but with the Aussie dollar being what it is, it probably wouldn’t be financially viable. And if I study in Australia either the fee will be massive or I will be left with a HECS debt and it will stuff with my Tax whilst I'm in England.
    I would appreciate any advice, ideas or suggestions you could make.

    Thanks,

    Rob :confused:
     
  2. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    The Open University and the University of London come to mind first.
    Jack
     
  3. George Brown

    George Brown Active Member

    Hi Bob,

    Whilst you may think a HECS debt is not what you want, I seriously doubt you will find a cheaper and more convenient option to finalise your degree. There is no reason why you cannot study by distance from an Australian university and concurrently live in the UK.

    Cheers,

    George
     
  4. ebbwvale

    ebbwvale Member

    Why not try the University of South Africa? The Aussie dollar goes further in South Africa. The reputation of UNISA is excellent and you will be able to continue your studies whether you are in Australia or the UK.
     
  5. etech

    etech New Member

    University of Sunderland and University of Derby in the UK has some DL options you may want to consider.
     
  6. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    If you think Australia is expensive, you might want to listen to those suggesting South Africa. I have a friend who evaluated programs worldwide and settled on a South African one as the best value available by far.

    The U.S. dollar's not exactly skyrocketing these days either, though. I'm an American evaluating postgraduate business programs (with priority of RA/equivalent, distance okay, and less expensive in that order) and while I'd been leaning toward Southern Queensland's MBA, now I'm considering Amberton in Texas as just as cheap for me.

    -=Steve=-
     
  7. Silent_Bob

    Silent_Bob New Member

    It wasn't the actual debt that worried me, it was more the fact that I would be living in England and yet having to also pay tax in Australia for HECS. To be honest I'm not even sure how that would work. I might be able to formally defer it whilst still paying it off and therefore not be burdened by two sets of Tax documents.

    I have taken your advice to heart though and contacted Charles Sturt about their Bachelor of Policing. I was advised today that my correspondance is with the Head of School. I'll let you know how it goes.

    Rob
    Do you have any advice on this degree or would you recommend any similar ones?
     
  8. George Brown

    George Brown Active Member

    Hi Rob,

    Sorry my friend, but your area is foreign to me so I cannot really provide any independent advice. In addition, I am unsure of the tax implications of you studying in the UK and incurring a HECS debt in Australia. I feel inadequate!!! Nonetheless,I really feel the cheapest option will be an online Aussie degree. With CSU, you will not have a problem re-recognition etc, so no problems in that area.

    Cheers,

    George
     
  9. mharoon

    mharoon New Member

    Re: Re: Advice on UK and Australian Uni's.

    I debated about these two schools for an MBA as well. While I would love to do my degree at a local school, USQ offers the following benifits:

    1) With Amberton, I will have to take about 12 credit hours of pre-requisite courses (my BS is in Computer Science from UT Dallas), extending my completion time by at least 1 year.

    2) USQ offers more areas of concentration.

    3) I can't find many people online who have experience with Amberton.

    4) I like USQ's online demo. Amberton does not have one.

    3) No GMAT. While I have no problems taking GMAT, I think that this is just a gimmick. I know people scoring high in GMAT, and are real failures in life. I also know people who didn't score too well in GMAT, and are doing much better in life. In my opinion GMAT does not guage one's ability to pursue a degree. I think all schools should admit all students on a probation. If they do not keep up their grades within the first 3 semesters or so, schools should kick 'em out. Schools have nothing to loose with this scheme since they get paid anyway, and it gives a fair chance to all student to pursue whatever they like.

    I am still researching, and haven't settled on one yet, but I will be making a decission pretty soon.

    Now a question for folks here:

    Q. How does transfer of credits work b/w U.S. and foreign universities? Lets say that I start at USQ, and later decide to transfer to Amberton or some other US RA school. How about the vice-versa? What if the US school is NA and not RA such as CSU?
     
  10. S. Cannaday

    S. Cannaday New Member

    When I checked last year, the Oz/U.S. exchange was about 2:1, which makes it handy to figure, I guess. I've liked what I've seen with respect to many of the Australian Universities; however, my employer won't pay for an offshore degree program. If I were paying for it all on my own, I'd be halfway through a Queensland or similar degree.

    I hear you on the GMAT and others being a racket. I took the GRE out of college, and it bears almost no resemblence to reality as most of us know it. The GMAT, so far in my studying for it, seems similar. ETS isn't so much concerned at testing your knowledge (of obscure subjects) as they are at making sure you don't accidently guess correctly on their tests. That, and making as much money as possible.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 9, 2004
  11. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Advice on UK and Australian Uni's.



    I would like point out that the USQ MBA is not totally online. It means that you will be required to take proctored examinations. The USQ MBA model is very different from the other online MBA programs like the one from Touro, NCU and similars where you only have to submit assignments and participate online. In the USQ MBA, you will be required to sit and take an examination at the end of the session. I believe this is a strength since I still have my doubts about the quality 100% online programs with no exams.
     
  12. Silent_Bob

    Silent_Bob New Member

    I havnen't heard back from CSU yet but contacted the University of New England. I requeted info about their Bachelor of Administrative Leadership and received an email back almost stright away.

    Anyone got opinions on this course or this university?

    Ta,

    Rob
     
  13. oxpecker

    oxpecker New Member

    University of New England is highly regarded (much more so than Charles Sturt - which I presume is what you mean by "CSU").

    A good source of information on UNE is Peter French. But Peter has not answered my emails recently.

    I know nothing of the specific program you mention.
     

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