Does the U.S. government and the U.S. military recognize doctoral degrees from UNISA? I know UNISA is accredited by DETC, but not through the doctoral level. The UNISA Web page states their accreditation, but I can’t seem to determine if the U.S. government and the U.S. military accept doctoral degrees from UNISA for promotion purposes.
Point out to whomever makes the decision in the military that UNISA -- and its doctorate -- is accredited by the South African equivalent of the U.S. Department of Education's Council on Higher Education Accreditation... the highest form of accreditation there is in that country. Point out that, therefore, even without the DETC accreditation, the U.S. Department of Education recommends that U.S. employers, government and postsecondary educational institutions treat such a doctorate as though it were regionally accredited. If that's not enough, find out which degree evaluator's opinion of same it would accept: Either AACRAO's, or that of one of the NACES member agencies. An evaluation of that sort should only cost from maybe $300 to no more than $500 or thereabouts, and would probably be a good investment for any foreign degree holdr in the U.S. just so it will be available when and if needed. In fact, I recommend spending from $600 to $1,000 to get one's foreign degree evaluated by both AACRAO and the biggest and best known of the NACES member agencies so that all bases are covered. It's a one-time expense that's good for the life of the degree(holder).
I'd say that this is good advice. If someone were to enroll in any non-US educational program I would advise them to build this expense into their budget from the outset. Jack
Point out to whomever makes the decision in the military that UNISA -- and its doctorate -- is accredited by the South African equivalent of the U.S. Department of Education's Council on Higher Education Accreditation... the highest form of accreditation there is in that country. Point out that, therefore, even without the DETC accreditation, the U.S. Department of Education recommends that U.S. employers, government and postsecondary educational institutions treat such a doctorate as though it were regionally accredited. The problem is there are many organizations within the government and the military and each one of them does things a little different. I was hoping to hear from some current or former government/military employees with experience in using foreign degree to advance their careers. I suppose I could send some enquires to various HR departments and get their take on foreign degrees. If that's not enough, find out which degree evaluator's opinion of same it would accept: Either AACRAO's, or that of one of the NACES member agencies. An evaluation of that sort should only cost from maybe $300 to no more than $500 or thereabouts, and would probably be a good investment for any foreign degree holdr in the U.S. just so it will be available when and if needed. This is great advice. I've never heard of these organizations...no wonder I love this forum! I was, however, hoping to get more information about the acceptance of an UNISA degree before the completion of the degree. Nonetheless, if I decide that UNISA will work for my purposes and I complete a degree from UNISA, then I will definitely do the evaluations. In fact, I recommend spending from $600 to $1,000 to get one's foreign degree evaluated by both AACRAO and the biggest and best known of the NACES member agencies so that all bases are covered. It's a one-time expense that's good for the life of the degree(holder). I agree.
This is news to me. Do you have a source for this assertion? Until late last year, the universities were exempt from accreditation by South Africa's HEQC (a committee of the South African Council on Higher Education). Full-scale audits of non-merged universites were scheduled for 2004-6. But merged universities (which would included Unisa) were given a 3-year settling-down period during which there would be no more than cursory visits. So, as far as I know, it's not correct to say that Unisa yet has HEQC accreditation. Rather, again as far as I know, they are still operating under an exemption. So please provide your sources so that we can all come up to speed.
Hi all, I got my PhD degree from University of Pretoria and then sent it (with my other certificates) to AACRAO and they sent me a report declaring that my PhD degree is equivalent to a PhD from a regionally accredited US university. Thanks God. So I think a UNISA degree will be treated similarly. Best wishes
If what you're saying is correct, then I clearly can't because I'm wrong and/or was under a wrong impression and/or misunderstood the South African system. Now I have to go research it and figure it all out and see where, if anywhere, my error was, aren't I. Dammit.
I agree with muhammad_alhor. The South African universities have all been established by Act of Parliament, and the recognition of their degrees should not be in question. But I'm not sure that it's yet correct to say that they have "accreditation" since this is a new concept for South African universities.
That is good news! Your post on you finishing your PhD from the University of Pretoria coupled with the University of Pretoria dissertation Web site rekindled an interest I had in South African universities since 2001. I agree with you on UNISA more than likely being treated similarly to the University of Pretoria - they are both reputable, established, well known universities.
South African University accreditation Is your Universiteit van die Vrystaat operating with an exemption or did it receive accreditation from the SA HEQC? Was it involved in the SA university merger process? Just wondering ...
Very true, indeed! Thanks, PhD2b, Oxpecker, Muhammad, Greg, and others, for letting the facts (yes, the "truth") about UNISA be widely known. Thanks.
