Whew...

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by buckwheat3, Jan 25, 2008.

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  1. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Whew, just received the word that my thesis has been approved. Which means I've finished my M.A. "thingy". It was a combination of in-the-seat classes and online.

    While I really like an actual classroom setting, it sure is nice to have online classes/degree options when you need them!

    Gavin

    PS Bruce, hahhahahaaha, thanks for the add-on
     
  2. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Congratulations!!

    Consider it your graduation gift. :p
     
  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Congrats! What did you write your thesis on? When will we hear about doctoral studies?
     
  4. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Thanks Ted,
    The Thesis title was:

    Improving Artillery:
    Joseph Whitworth, Technological Innovation, Class and Conflict in England and America, 1850-1865


    Hopefully UNISA will let me haunt them for a while...if only AMU would move things along.​
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Congratulations! Good luck with Unisa, and if they're unresponsive, then hopefully AMU will pick up the slack.

    -=Steve=-
     
  6. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    Hi Buckwheat! Did you get your MA through APU? I was inquiring about them earlier. If you did go through classes there, could you share some information about them for me?

    Thanks,
    Matt
     
  7. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Congratulations. And if you pursue a UNISA degree, please share your experiences. No regular poster has done a UNISA doctorate, IIRC.

    In return, I'll begin posting my experiences with a "thingy" of my own. :)
     
  8. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Depends on what you mean by regular. Brad Sweet has posted here occasionally; he's a Canadian who did a DEd through Unisa.

    http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?t=26323

    I'm really looking forward to me own upcoming thingy completion!

    -=Steve=-
     
  9. distancedoc2007

    distancedoc2007 New Member

    UNISA update

    Hi Folks,

    I am in my second year of the UNISA DBL. I am enjoying it very much, and now have an excellent thesis promoter (supervisor). I will be making my first visit to South Africa in the fall, to present my lit review and proposal.

    The UNISA experience suits me well - I have a demanding job and I would have found a more formal structure to difficult to manage. It is an ideal degree if you already have a foundation like an MBA (and don't want to slog through core courses again), and know quite specifically what you want to research. I'd say it is perfectly adapted to someone who wants to relate their thesis to their workplace, as I do.

    I'm happy to relate my experiences if anyone is considering UNISA - you can PM me. Cheers...
     
  10. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Thanks everyone!
    Matt, no, but I would like to attend AMU if they start a doctoral program in History. I really wish I knew what their plans were.
    The only thing I know of AMU is my personal observation. I gained alot of respect for them when I came across a class syllabus for one of their history classes (in the DETC days before they gained RA).

    Right now I'm on the fence with this whole issue of UNISA vs playing the waiting game to see which way AMU will toggle. The more I think about it, the more I should just go ahead and bite the bullet and go with UNISA
    all the best,
    Gavin
     
  11. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    Forgive my ignorance, but what's UNISA?
     
  12. GeneralSnus

    GeneralSnus Member

  13. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    South Africa? Wow... do their degrees transfer into the US? I mean, are they accepted?
     
  14. Fortunato

    Fortunato Member

    Congrats! Going for the PhD next?
     
  15. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    Yes, at least as much as any other, legitimate foreign university here in the U.S.

    From the UNISA entry in Wikipedia:

    The University of South Africa (UNISA) is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 200,000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the World's mega universities.

    History
    Founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope, the University of South Africa (or Unisa as it is commonly known) spent most of its early history as an examining agency for Oxford and Cambridge universities and as an incubator from which most other universities in South Africa are descended. In 1946 it was given a new role as a distance education university and today it offers certificate, diploma and degree courses up to doctoral level.

    Largely because it was a distance education university, it remained interracial during the years of apartheid in South Africa.

    Accreditation
    Unisa received a Royal Charter in 1877. It operates under the University of South Africa Act (No. 19 of 1959), and is accredited by the South African Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Its qualifications (including those of the SBL) are registered with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

    Internationally, Unisa is listed in the Commonwealth Universities Handbook of 1999 and also in the International Handbook of Universities of 1998.

    On 12 January 2002 UNISA was granted full institutional accreditation from the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The accreditation lapsed in March, 2007, and UNISA did not pursue renewal.



    End Wikipedia snippet...
    -------------------------------------------------------------

    UNISA offers Bachelor through Doctoral degrees via distance learning. One should not need to travel to S.A. for the Bachelor's or the Master's degree. However, it is possible that one would need to travel to S.A. at some point in the Doctoral process. How often will depend on the subject and your advisor.

    Considering that the current exchange rate from S. A. Rand to U.S. is current set at $.14 to $1.00, the tuition is quite inexpensive!

    Good luck.

    - Tom

    P.S. In navigating the beauracracy that is UNISA, many Canadian and U.S. students apply and enroll through the North American UNISA website, run by a Dr. Michael Esselen. The URL is: http://www.iaci-canada.com/. From all accounts, Dr. Esselen is very helpful in answering questions and helping in the enrollment process. I see that his website has been recently updated, which was a long time coming!
     
  16. distancedoc2007

    distancedoc2007 New Member

    Good summary Tom. I would just add that the UNISA School of Business Leadership has a new look to its website also - much improved:

    http://www.sblunisa.ac.za/index.php

    Cheers..
     
  17. Tireman 44444

    Tireman 44444 Well-Known Member

    Check your PMs Distancedoc 2007.
     
  18. Tireman 44444

    Tireman 44444 Well-Known Member

    More PM's Distancedoc 2007. Thanks
     

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