Are there any (accredited) SA schools which don't have far flung test centers?

It would seem that price wise the SA schools have a lot going for them. But the UNISA testing centers are far and between. I've tried to contact a couple other SA schools, but haven't had a lot of success. So I thought I would ask those who are in the know. (Psst. Maybe that's you.)

 

Additional questions...

Hi St. Jayne,

Really need to ask a couple more questions.....

At what level do you want to study??

What field?

 

Re: Additional questions...

Well, while I do have an interest in History/Anthropolgy I have been toying with the idea of Theology. I've read a bit about SATS and UZulu. Wrote both, haven't heard back from UZulu yet. Ideally the Theology program I would like to get into would be more of a studying of Divinity, religious beliefs and so forth from more than a Christian perspective. (More of a comparitive religons theology, if you will.) While that may prove hard to find, it would be ideal. Still, anything would be helpful.

 

I was very interested in UNISA's M.Ed. program... until I found that testing center nearest to me is in Mexico City, about a 14-hour bus ride away.

 

Re: Re: Additional questions...

Comparative religion, eh? Bachelor's, master's, or doctorate?

 

Sorry... Bachelor's. With the option (hopes) to push further.

 

I hope the moderators do not consider it heresy for me to actually mention (gasp!) other boards, but a certain former Moderator of ours started a thread on distance learning philosophy programs over here: www.degreediscussion.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=106

 

I'm hoping to find something that would be in a field of interest, not too expensive (I know that last part varies from person to person, but the SA line of thought tells you where I'm at on that scale.) and something I can do without having to drive for hours (both ways).

As far as philosophy; well, I do enjoy philosophy but I find myself in more theological disposition. Some might argue that they are nearly the same. I would beg to differ. My thoughts on theology extend beyond being able to quote Bible scripture at a drop of a hat and more into man's attempt to put "God in a box" in order to gain understanding of divinity. Anthropological theology maybe? I don't think it exists (at least not from a school I could ever hope to afford), but something close would be great. Otherwise most anything related would do.

 

In fact, I (as of this afternoon) have starting toying with the idea that if I can get a BA in Theology (or similar) I would then try to get into Lampeter and go for their MA in Nature.

While I think it would be great to be able to go all the way through Lampeter, my wallet says otherwise. So if I can get a good (and semi related) degree from elsewhere (cheaply) then I could save more towards the hope of the MA.

 

Is the accreditation that SATS credible? Would a Bachelor of Theology degree from SATS transfer to another school? (To obtain a Masters. I know SATS has a Masters, but I'm trying to keep options open.)

 

The University of Waterloo www.uwaterloo.ca offers distance learning BA programs in both Philosophy and Religious Studies? Are they easy enough on your wallet?

 

Maybe I misread somehting on their site but I think a 3-year would be around $45,000 CDN.

Fees
Programs

And, unfortunately, out of my price range.

If I read something wrong, please let me know.
Otherwise, I guess I'm still looking.

I thought I would ask: Am I looking st this all wrong? I would like to get a degree and I like the (for lack of a better term) European theory of higher education works. But, money is an issue. So I'm trying to see what I can afford. SA sounds like they have quite a bit in my price range but the testing centers (UNISA) are far and away. I would love nothing more than to be able to do something with UoW Lampeter but nearly 8000 Pounds a year is above and beyond what I can afford. Heck, I would be very hard pressed to be able to do 8000 Pounds total.

I would like to improve myself and my situation for me and my family. It just seems like everything is out of reach. So I guess I'm grasping a bit. Hoping I can come up with something before I just give up. <whine mode off> Just letting you know where I'm coming from on this.

 

St. Jayne,

Have you looked into Greenwich School of Theology ( http://www.gschooltheol.com/index.htm ), or its degree-granting SA institution, namely North-West University?

GST doesn't require any trips to exam centers, but I'm not sure about North-West University. As for GST, the assessment of the student's work is based on student's own research as presented in written monographs, thus there are no exams.

I think one needs some qualification in Theology/Religious Studies before applying to GST's BA program. I'm currently studying for a Certificate in Religious Studies at Nations University, which will satisfy the entry requirement, but probably will not allow me to get exemption from any of GST's study modules, as NationsU is not accredited.

Furthermore, because the study modules don't have any "general survey" elements, but only focused in-depth research on topics of the student's choice, it would seem to be possible to emphasize one's own areas of interest quite heavily.

For example, I'm planning to study for a B.A. from GST sometime in the future, and as my primary areas of interest are Philosopy of Religion, Philosophical Theology, Apologetics and Biblical Studies on subjects related to Apologetics, I would be interested to emphasize those subjects in the curriculum as much as possible.

The following is my preliminary plan of topics to study (this isn't confirmed of course, as I'm currently not a student in GST, but it's just intended to give you an idea of how I'm planning to fit every module into my interests and thus end up studying only those topics that are of interest to me).

Old Testament (16 credits) - Interpretation of Genesis 1-3 - Exegetical, Hermeneutical and Scientific perspectives.

New Testament (16 credits) - Assessing the Third Quest for the Historical Jesus

Christian Doctrine (8 credits) - Logical Coherence of the Doctrine of Trinity

Church History and Dogma (8 credits) - The Resurrection of Jesus in the Writings of the Early Church Fathers and Apologists

Ethics and Social Action (8 credits) - Theistic Meta-Ethics in Contemporary Anglo-American Analytic Philosophy of Religion

Philosophy of Religion (8 credits) - The Problem of Evil

Mission and Evangelism (8 credits) - Facing the Challenge of Postmodernism in the context of Evangelism and Apologetics

New Testament (Greek required) (8 credits) - The Resurrection of Jesus in 1. Corinthians - Assessing the Current Debate

Mini-dissertation (48 credits) - A Wider Case for the Resurrection - Assessing Richard Swinburne's Contribution to Contemporary Christian Apologetics for the Resurrection of Jesus


I'm sure that you could similarly select research topics that are of interest to you, so perhaps this school would be worth checking out. The fees are quite reasonable at GST, and they seem to pretty much resemble the general fee-level at SA institutions.

 

No I hadn't. Did a bit of looking just now though. Is the North-West University (SA not WA) accredited? I could not find where they mention that or where they listed their Distance Learning programs. I admit I only looked at their site for a bit (try to get ready for work) but I seem to have missed it.

 

Have you considered the Univ.of Pretoria?

Here's the link: http://www.up.ac.za/

GST is a bit pricey, in my opinion. They charge over three times what other SA schools charge.

Do a search here and you'll read about the experiences that others have had with GST.


Roscoe

 

Dear "RoscoeB",

In your previous post, you recommended the University of Pretoria to a would-be bachelor's level distance learner, but I can find no information on UofP's web site to suggest that they offer courses by distance. Can you provide a link to information on their distance offerings?

Cordially,
Richard Kanarek

 

Hi Richard,

I suggested this school because I am currently enrolled in one of its post-grad programs. I live in the U.S. and the program does not require me to travel to S.Africa or any U.S. "centers."

I assumed that similar programs are offered on undergrad level. Of course, I could be wrong. If so, I apologize for the misleading info. It would probably be best to contact the school directly and ask about the undergrad programs.
Roscoe