DETC Graduate Considering RA School

Hello Everyone,

I just recently completed my MBA/Public Administration degree with Columbia Southern University. I also completed my BSBA with CSU.

The more I read about DETC limited acceptability in academia and certain companies, I'm wondering if I should go back to school and complete an RA masters degree.

I'm having a hard time justifying repeating all my MBA classes with an RA school just to prove that I achieved a reputable MBA program. I completed my DETC MBA with a 4.0 GPA (Magna Cum Laude).

I would like to teach after I retire from law enforcement and work in corporate security.

I appreciate any input.

 

Jamie,

Have you considered transferring to an RA university and going through a Ph.D. program instead of doing a master's degree all over again?

 

Actually I have....I was thinking about Northcentral University. My father was a professor at University of New Hampshire and has his Ph.D. from UNH in mechanical engineering.

As funny as this may sound, my father has recommended I stay with my MBA and not go for a Ph.D. His Ph.D. has made employment opportunities extremely limited and he is no longer in academia.

Speaking from your expereince, being a graduate at CSU (DETC) and graduate at Northcentral University (RA) are there any significant quality differences?

 

The PhD in Business Administration at Northcentral University offers a concentration in Criminal Justice Management and they just recently achieved RA through the North Central Association. Check it out! - Theo

 

I have my BA in History/Political Science from Western State College and MBA degrees in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from City University (both RA) and am pursuing my MA in Civil War Studies from American Military University (DETC) and find no significant difference in the quality of the education provided. The threads here on RA vs. DETC are basically about the fact that DETC may have more limited utility because many RA schools can be a bit snooty about accepting DETC credits/degrees for transfer or graduate admissions.

And why would your father's PhD in Engineering limit his employment prospects when he would certainly be qualified for any job that requires an MS in Engineering, a BS in Engineering, or even an AS in Engineering? - Theo

 

Jamie, if you decide to redo your MBA, go check out Western Governors University's MBA program. With WGU you could likely enroll for a single semester and just take assessments as fast as you can. After completing the twelve sub-domains through examination, you would have a regionally accredited MBA for about $3500.00. Since they are both nationally and regionally accredited, your undergrad degree should get you in. The only caveat is that I believe you need to reside in the USA.

 

Before you rush out to replace your hard-earned degree with another one, you might want to wait to see if there are any actually situations where your degree is insufficient.

Because I did the research and published the results, I'm often one who points out the limitations involved with a degree from a DETC-accredited school. But that doesn't mean those limitations apply to all people or even most situations. I'm sure many people achieve their desired goals using such degrees, especially if those goals are attainable through such means.

Take that degree out for a spin and see what it can do.

 

Northcentral is a good option. As Ted indicated, they have excellent Criminal Justice and Homeland Security specializations. You can transfer in 6 credits for the MBA program from CSU. 18 of the 30 remaining credits would be your specialization. The 12 credits left would be program electives.

You still may want to consider going the Ph.D. route. You can then transfer in 30 credits into your program and move forward.

In regards to Northcentral vs. Columbia Southern, I have enjoyed both programs and there are no significant quality differences. I thought both schools were great.

It would be difficult to compare them on their academic rigor as I did undergraduate coursework at CSU and graduate work at NCU. So naturally, NCU seemed to be much harder for me.

The issue at hand is that if you want to teach, in most cases, you will need an RA graduate degree. There are some great schools to consider. I think you would enjoy the program at NCU.

 

Don't listen to these folks. Go get a nice, shiny J.D., the ULTIMATE in human academic achievement!

 

I couldn't agree more!

 

Of all the advice given in this thread, Rich's advice comes closest to agreeing with my own. Before you decide to go out and earn another degree in anything, at any level, why don't you just go get a job and see how that works out? You may find that everything is great just as it is and that you don't need to do anything further. If you want to teach at some point in the future you might find that you need no further qualifications.
Jack

 

Yes... I strongly agree. Do some research first.

 

Perhaps you might get an RA Masters in Management, or Professional Studies, or Applied Science to compliment the NA MBA that you have, rather than repeat anything. You can get a MPS in Humanitarian Administration or Human Resources from UCONN online with a two week residency at the end of the program.

Not a bad thing.

 

Thank you all for your input and insight. As someone stated, I may either go for a M.S in Management or Leadership from an RA university or go for a Ph.D in the near future.

As for job prospects, I've been working as a police officer for six years now and my MBA and BSBA from Columbia Southern University as worked out just fine.

My department helped pay for part of my tuition, which if the school was not properly accredited they would not have paid for it. The school had to be approved by the State of California for me to advance with higher level certifications in law enforcement.

In California, you get a Basic certificatiion through POST (Peace Officers Standards & Training) after you complete a six month academy and four month field training program (no easy task!). You can advance to a Intermediate and Advanced certification after a certain number of years. You can reduce that time with an under graduate and/or graduate degree from an accredited school.

My goal is to advance in my department into Investigations and Administration. I've worked patrol and SWAT.

If advancement looks bleek, I'm going to look at becoming a District Attorney Investigator with a local County.