What are your thoughts on this degree?

I received an e-mail from a person who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana Baptist University. He knows that this is an unaccredited degree. We discussed the fact that this degree is unaccredited and that this poses some problems. My question is should this person keep this degree and use it in the groups or places that would accept this type of a degree, or else should he just chuck it and consider it not worth the paper it is written on? I have received mixed messages about Louisiana Baptist University, and was not sure what your feelings are on this topic. The good news is this person has decided to pursue a degree with RA. Your comments and feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

LBU is a good religious based school in my old hometown of Shreveport. (I assume that's the one) My understanding from friends is that LBU has a fairly good curriculum, but they choose not to seek accreditation due to fears of the accrediting agency forcing them to accept practices contrary to Baptist Doctrine. These fears may or may not be justified, and the person who gave me that information may be wrong. That said, the utility of a degree from LBU is very limited unless one's career goal is as a Baptist Minister. What field does your friend intend to enter?

 

I hope the person first tries to get into an R/A masters. It can happen and would put them many years ahead.

 

Comments

This person is not interested in getting a Masters degree, as he is currently going to RA schools for his undergraduate work. We have been wrestling with this issue of whether or not he should have the degree or just to chuck it (throw it away) because it is from an unaccredited school. Sure, there are some good unaccredited schools, but what were interested in is getting some feedback as to what people think here on this discussion group. We did agree that it would not be a good idea to list the degree on a resume for professional or academia, because it would not be accepted. There are probably some groups in the Baptist circles that would accept a degree from Louisiana Baptist. However, he is no longer interested in the ministry. So, what are your thoughts, is it worth keeping the degree or just to do away with it? Thanks. (The courses were taken at LBU, and had to filfill requirements in order to get the degree. However, some people say that if a degree is from an unaccredited school, it should be chucked. Thanks again for your input. I hope more will add to this discussion and opinions about areas that we might not have thought about.)

 

Re: Comments

1) A 1 year masters would legitimize an unaccredited degree.

2) But these people would be asses. There is a big difference between an earned unaccredited degree anda purchased one.

 

Re: Re: Comments

Hi Dennis -

1) Can you name any RA 1 year Masters programs? This would be helpful to the questioner.

2) IMHO you would be better off if you did not refer to everyone who disagrees with you as an ass.
Jack

 

Comments

None of these posts are answering the question. I am somewhat surprised that nobody from this discussion forum would give their opinions or input on this question. Hopefully, some will contribute.

 

RA credits

Having read many college catalogs, I know that some RA schools will "consider" credits from unaccredited schools. This is on a case by case basis and is probably not many credits. My opinion would be to take it to his advisor at whatever RA school he is currently enrolled and see if anything is transferrable.

If there are places that he might consider applying for a job later, like a church, then he should keep the degree. It's not like it takes up a lot of room and he only need mention it in places where it would be viable.

 

My 2 cent - for what it's worth, since you asked.

If your friend learned anything in this program (anything at all) then it was time and effort well spent.

I don't know this school so I can't comment on whether the degree has any value in the business or academic world. It is possible that it does not -- it is possible that it does.

You don't mention what degree he earned. A BA in religion from a Bible college is probably as valid (if not more so) than a BA in religion from a state university. A BA in Music from a Bible college has more value to a church musician than a BA in Music from XYZ State Univ. In either of these cases as an example, it'd be worth keeping (and using) the degree. IMHO

Now, if your friend has a BA in a technical field or one that is licensed, and his degree is not accredited, then he's probably got a piece of paper that will serve him no use right now.

If your friend can use what he learned at this school to document his knowledge, then he can acquire an RA degree based on his present knowledge and have two.

It is possible to enter grad school with an unaccredited BA -- graduates of Bob Jones Univ. do it all the time.

The point of my post is that the utility and value of the degree depends entirely upon the use one wishes to put to it. For personal satisfaction, I wouldn't mind having an unacreditted BA from a Bible college. At least, I'd like to have one that provided some knowledge.

Just a few thoughts....

 

To those who do not believe that Master degree can earned/completed within One Year. Most Australian University's offer Master degrees that can be completed at that time frame due 3 semisters system.

Migara

 

Which ones?

Could you list some please? Are any DL? I want to start my master's next summer and one year sounds great.

 

Re: Re: Re: Comments

I would have trouble naming a masters program that was not 1 to 1.5 years. 10,12 or 15 course masters seem to be the norm.

But someone who recommends throwing away a 4 year degree that was presumably earned would be an ass. I simply provided the opinion that the poster requested.

 

COACH TURNER

"The point of my post is that the utility and value of the degree depends entirely upon the use one wishes to put to it. For personal satisfaction, I wouldn't mind having an unacreditted BA from a Bible college. At least, I'd like to have one that provided some knowledge."

I cannot imagine any situation where in dealing with a normal, rational human being any legitimately earned degree would be a negative.

Now I said normal rational human being, if the job interview is with a Nazi or other biggot who has a problem with Baptists, would your friend really want to work for someone like that? Or for an organization that tolerated someone who allowed personal predjudice to enter into workplace decisions?



And YES biggotry does qualify one not only as an ASS but for the esteemed title of IGNORANT ASS! (IMHO)


Any EARNED degree is an accomplishment! I know nothing of this school. But if it is not a degree mill, the degree should be listed PROUDLY on a resume or cv.

If questioned about it, your friend should say that at the time he was interested in the ministry, and when his direction changed he pursued his other degree(s), etc.

 

decision

We have spent a great deal of time debating this issue. The person who I was helping agreed that this degree should be chucked. The problem is even if the degree was legitimately earned -- the issue comes down to accreditation. The problem with a degree that is neither regionally or nationally accredited - or at least has an accreditation recognized by the United States Department of Education is that it is not worth the paper it is written on. It is too bad that this person wound up spending quite a considerable amount of money and time for this degree. If employers go to check on the status of Louisiana Baptist University, they will discover that it does not meet the accreditation standards. So, this person has learned the hard way, and now at least is on the right direction of earning degrees that are accredited. This should be a lesson for others to follow. If you really want to earn a valid and legal degree, then it has to meet the accreditation standards. It can also be said that in my opinion, a person who puts accredited degrees on a resume, and then has a non-accredited degree in my view, is only going to hurt their credibility and chances for employment. So, thanks for your input on this matter, and unless it meets the accreditation standards -- then it should be chucked.

 

Hello friends, sorry about my English.

Hello Deb, look at various accredited universities that accepts credits from Legal unaccredited institutions of higher education that was “legally authorized to provide an educational program beyond secondary education in the State in which the institution is physically located” (Code of Federal Regulations 34CFR600.4) Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1094, 1099b, and 1141(a)
http://www.collegehints.com/boards/showthread.php?t=578

 

Re: COACH TURNER

I take exception to being called a "biggot" and a "Nazi" because I don't have much respect for unaccredited degrees. I can't, however, argue with the title of "ignorant ass" (though I don't think my ignorant-assness is a result of my views on education).

ps. Please stop underlining every other word. It looks like you're shouting.

 

plumdog

I'm truly sorry if I offended you!

A careful re-reading of my original post will show that I never suggested that a person who had little respect for an unaccredited degree was an ass, nazi or bigot, but rather that a person who had a problem with baptists was not only nazi and an ass but an ingnorant ass nazi.

As far as underlining, I WAS SHOUTING!

Thanks for catching it!

Best wishes!

 

Re: Re: COACH TURNER

Myopardalis pardalina (Biggot): Baluchistan fruit fly

Could be worse.

 

Re: Comments

Ii wouldn't wish a repeat of undergrad work on anyone. I find masters level courses easier as I am not required to take a bunch of required courses.

Depending on the field entry, entry at the masters level is possible and should not be discounted.

 

Dennis Ruhl post

From Dennis Ruhl:

Ii wouldn't wish a repeat of undergrad work on anyone. I find masters level courses easier as I am not required to take a bunch of required courses.

Depending on the field entry, entry at the masters level is possible and should not be discounted.

Reply:
I think the problem is even if he were able to be admitted into a Masters degree program, employers are going to be looking and asking in the future "Where is your undergraduate degree from?" He would have to say "Louisiana Baptist University" and then they would ask two things "Is that school accredited?" and also "What courses did you take from that school?" He would have to say "Bible courses."

This is not to put down unaccredited schools -- or anything to do with baptist, etc. The problem is that unaccredited schools are a problem that only leads to bigger problems. If there were two people going for a job and one candidate has his undergraduated degree from a regionally or nationally accredited school (recognized by the United States Department of Education) and has taken all the courses such as english, math, science, etc. and you had another applicant that graduated from an unaccredited bible degree -- with no english, math, science, etc., then you would probably not hire this person -- because there are two problems -- no accreditation (standards) and also they didn't even take some courses that require critical thinking and logic.

This is why I say that no matter what unaccredited degree someone has, if they put this on a resume, then they are only asking for trouble. You could have legitimately taken and earned the degree. The problem is that the standards and accreditation are not there. It is like when you go to try and sell an autograph of a baseball memorabillia. I would rather have something that has the MLB logo, to show that the picture is genuine and the real thing. Otherwise, it could be just a copy from a printer on a computer that someone did. Yes, it costs more money for this -- but like they say -- "You get what you pay for."

In conclusion, I would say it is also like having someone do your taxes. If you have someone who is a CPA, then you know that this person has met certain criteria and guidelines. Likewise, with your car, if you want to have a mechanic fix the problem, then you would rather go to someone that is ASE certified and shows that they have the knowledge and skills to fix a car. Otherwise, you are taking your chances. Let me know if you have any thoughts to add to this. The only logical conclusion in regards to an unaccredited degree -- is for personal enrichment. Otherwise, I think that it is too bad -- but really when it comes down to it -- it is not worth the piece of paper it is written on, and therefore, must not be allowed to be put on a resume or professional document, in my opinion. Thanks.