I was reading up on the accreditation of APUS (American Public University) (American Military University).........has anyone heard what the status is? Is it looking good? I've noticed they've trimmed their offerings a bit.
If you do not see Michael Mitchell, aka Tireman4 and Tireman44, materialize on this thread very soon, you might try PMing him or emailing him. You might also check out degreeboard www.degreeboard.com , degreediscussions www.degreediscussions.com , and Distance Education www.aimoo.com (go to the search function in their bottom left corner and type in 'Distance Education'). Tireman also goes under the name ballboy at one of the other boards (Distance Education, I believe?). I know American Military University had a recent site visit from the North Central Association www.ncacihe.org and apparently that went well. Michael Mitchell is working on his Master of Arts degree in Civil War Studies at American Military University www.apus.edu and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in History at the University of Houston www.uh.edu . Yes, it is often a good sign if a school has trimmed its offerings a bit. The American Public University System should be listed at the North Central Association website as a candidate for regional accreditation.
They had a news bit on the site following the visit that said it went well and that they should hear someinething in a couple of months...May maybe? I just went back through their site and for hte life of me cannot find it now though.
Thanks for the introduction Ted. Wow. I have been sick, so I could not jump in. According to those in the know, the visit went very well. They should know something in late April to early May. I set up a poll about a PhD program at APUS and have given the results to the provost. He does and continues to read the threads here. I left a message with him yesterday and hope to catch him later today. He has a MA in history, so he is well tuned to the needs of the lack of PhD programs in history in the United States. One last word of note. There is a thread at APUS on doctoral programs. This is generating interest within the school as well. The students would really like this as well.
PhD in History I can tell you one thing - if they begin to offer a PhD in History, I will definitely switch schools. Being in the military, I can't go to school during the day to study what I want, which is history.
When you say, "There is a thread at APUS www.apus.edu on doctoral programs," do you really mean that there is a thread at the AMU website? If so, is that for students only, or can the public join in? Or did you mean to say, "There is a thread on doctoral programs at APUS (at degreeinfo [and, by the way, at other dl discussion fora, too])," like as in, these threads here: http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23646 http://forums.degreeboard.com/showthread.php?t=9910 www.degreediscussion.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=200 www.degreeforum.com/theforums/showthread.php?t=376 www.aimoo.com/forum/postview.cfm?id=684455&CategoryID=47357&startcat=1&ThreadID=2435860 http://forums.prospero.com/usn_elearning/messages?msg=493
There is a thread on the APUS website. It is in the student lounge. I noticed it on Saturday. Subject: Adding Doctorate Progams Posted by Fri Dec 2 13:45:15 2005. Message: Could APUS and AMU consider starting Doctorate programs? Many of the Ph.D. programs for distance learning are limited to a small selection of specialties such as business and education. Ph.D. programs such as history, international relations, political science, and strategic intelligence would be a huge boost for many of us professionally. I am close to finishing my MS in Strategic Intelligence and would like to further my professional education, but I do not live near a university that offers a Ph.D. in a field related to my work as an intelligence analyst. The Ph.D. programs that are offered require full time study for the first 2-3 years before candidacy is considered for dissertation work. AMU’s study environment works well for someone working full time with a family. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following replies have been posted: Posted by Sun Dec 4 14:06:54 2005. Message: I'm also interested in a PhD program if offered by AMU, and second the notion that such a course offered by this college really does suit someone who works fullo time and has a family to look after. Form a subthread -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by Mon Dec 5 08:45:32 2005. Message: I agree, a PhD program would be wonderful. I blotted out the names. This was one thread. This is in the student lounge for students only.
Hey Ted! I have not thought of a dissertation topic yet. I still have five classes to go before starting my research, comp exams, and writing the dissertation. Still plodding along though. Thanks for asking!!
Say, Tireman! Did you notice in the threadlinks I posted re your four AMU doc polls at degreeinfo, degreeboard, degreediscussion, and Distance Education, I also included links to threads threads I started asking opinions on AMU docs at degreeforum and usnews.com education? (Unfortunately, I'm too dense to figure out how to start an actual poll.)
Gosh, on second look, that introduction now seems so inadequate! I should have noted also that you have the BA in History from North Carolina Wesleyan University, the BA in Social Sciences from Thomas Edison State College, the MA in History from North Carolina Central University, and the MLS (Library Science) from North Carolina Central University (which they can now see from your signature line). It should also be noted that Michael Mitchell/Tireman wrote his master's thesis on the WPA (Slave Narratives) in North Carolina and is currently writing his doctoral dissertation on the WPA in Texas. By the way, Tireman, how are you doing on that WPA video? For whom is it being produced? When will it air?
Cool! How's that going? Does their MA in Political Science still have the Holocaust Studies concentration?
It's going great thanks for asking. I don't think they offer a concentration in Holocaust studies anymore. They have made alot of changes to various programs in recent months I guess because of the whole regional accredication process. I've been a lurker on this board for quite a while and I always find your posts to be very informative Mr. Heiks
Ok. Now I am just blushing. Attention, Ted is not on my payroll, at least I dont think he is. LOL. Yes all is true. The documentary on the Federal Writers' Project will air in May of 2007. It is being directed by David Taylor. The title is American Voices From The Project. It is going well. My dissertation is coming along. I have sputters and starts, but I am getting there. I am also trying to produce a journal article on the Houston City Project of the Federal Writers Project. One correction. My thesis was over the North Carolina Federal Writers' Project. (A New Deal For Writers: The Role of the Writers of the North Carolina Federal Writers Project 1935-1941) (1996) I dealt with the writers. Jerry Hirsch did his thesis over the administrative part of the NC FWP. Neither one of us really got into the Slave Narratives. My dissertation will just touch on the Slave Narratives. It will not be an in depth look. Ted, you are just too kind and I do appreciate. I am not my own cheerleader, so it is refreshing to see someone so interested in my research. Like I tell everyone I know, this is the writers story, not mine. They are the heroes here. I am just telling the story. If it gets more publicity for them, them I am happy. American Voices In the grip of the Great Depression, unemployed men and women joined an unlikely program to document America in guidebooks and interviews. With the Federal Writers Project, the government pitted young, untested talents against the problems of everyday Americans. From that experience, some of America's great writers found their own voices. Co-produced by Nebraska ETV and in partnership with the Library of Congress, American Voices, from the Writers' Project is a two-part documentary, which looks at the deeply personal stories behind the familiar images of the Great Depression and shows the vitality of a democracy built on a diverse citizenry. For more information, please see our American Voices Story Treatment and our American Voices Outreach Summary (PDF). This program is funded by National Endowment for the Humanities, the Illinois Humanities Councill, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Idaho Humanities Council, the Maryland Humanities Council, Humanities Texas, and the Wisconsin Humanities Council. http://www.sparkmedia.org/current_projects.htm
Tireman, my advice to you is that you need to learn to be your own cheerleader. Once you've completed your PhD and you are out there looking for that first professorship, your job in trying to convince so many history department chairs that one of them ought to hire you is to learn how to sell yourself. When you reach that stage, you will have to realize that the department chairs that are interviewing you are in a position to purchase the services (i.e., to hire) one of so many future history professors and you will have to be able to justify why they ought to hire you in terms of what is your unique selling proposition. In essence, whether you are selling a product, selling a service, or selling yourself, you need to enter the buyer's (or future employer's) mind and figure out why they should buy from (hire) you rather than the next guy. Obviously, you have some prior teaching experience, you have been involved with your friend's Voices From The Project video, and hopefully you will get that article on the FWP in Houston published. Your MLS degree and your experience as a photo librarian for NASA may very well be useful insofar as adding historic archives to your teaching portfolio (perhaps even designing an entire public history program if you can find other professors for historic archaeology, historical editing & publishing, museology, and historic preservation) and your studies at AMU may come in useful to you in helping your future department develop DL graduate history programs. Cheers!
