Funny you should ask. I received it today on microfiche. It took me all of 30 minutes to read the 99 pages, double spaced. And what was it about? Well, the best I could surmise (between nodding off) was it was an excuse for an out and out bitch fest against previous administrators of Warnborough College, how mummy was such an absolute wonderful person, and that accreditation should be an immediate concern. No shit Sherlock! It was, IMHO, an absolute joke. No theoretical framework, research questions you could drive a truck through, and a complete rant about nothing new. It was basically one case study (well, supposed to be a case study, but never got close), on the history of a school in the UK, which just went on and on about absolutely nothing!!! It contributed a big fat 'zero' to the body of knowledge it was supposed to be written for (and I have no idea what that was!). It bored the pants off me, rambling on and on about non-sensical action plans and immaterial stabs at the British higher education system. It's totally beyond me how this could have passed muster, and been externally examined (which I seriously doubt). At best it was a 2nd year undergrad paper, which I would have thrown back at the student to be redone. The appendices consisted of some rules and regulations of the student council, and two newspaper stories (yes, photocopies out of the paper) about degree mills in the UK. Oh, and the 20 references (yes, 20) really made it all come together. All in all, if this is the quality of work produced by George Washington University, then heaven help us all. Cheers, George
GWU is definitely not a degree mill, they hold regional as well as several professional accreditations (AACSB for one), however I cannot defend their doctoral programs as I am an MBA student. I respect what Mr. Brown says, and despite GWU's reputation, they aren't without their flaws. Not to mention $912 a credit hour for graduate business!! thank god for scholarships....
Not sure what you are trying to get at with that comment, but I believe they have quality programs and some of the best instructors in the nation (according to the US NEWS world report). As I said before, I have no comment regarding the dissertation George is talking about, it may well be a bunch of crap; it still doesn't take away the prestige a GWU degree carries with it.
1. but seriously where is the difference then between a degree mill and GWU if they both graduate a student who has produced sub-standard academic work? 2. how could this happen to GWU? adelheid
My theory is this - Tempest-Mogg received ABD at GWU for his prior MA and MLitt degrees. The MLitt was probably a full research degree, so he probably just had to top up with another mini-thesis. Pure speculation, and I could be totally wrong, but that's my theory. I would also be very interested to know if the Ed.D dissertation was externally examined. Cheers, George
Well, Tempest-Mogg credentials himself (is this the right wording?) with a EdD from GWU, such as in the Warnborough website. Can one use an "Ed.D." as a credential if it was ABD? adelheid
Sorry, I don't think you followed my reasoning. For the Ed.D at GWU, I am 'speculating' that he would have not had to do any further coursework and would have received ABD upon enrolment due to his two prior Masters (which appear very strong). To fulfil the requirements for the Ed.D he did the dissertation which fulfilled the requirements for the Ed.D award. Again, pure speculation, but that's my guess. I have come across a few cases of those with strong commonwealth based Masters degrees enrolling in US doctoral programs and receiving ABD for a US PhD. Cheers, George
