How acceptable is a Penn Foster Bachelor's degree?

**potpourri** · 11-06-2008 10:00 AM

I noticed that Penn Foster College is now offering two Bachelor's degrees. One in Business Management, and the other in Criminal Justice . How accepted and marketable do you think a Bachelor's degree would be from Penn Foster College? Has anyone contemplated about enrolling in this school to pursue the Bachelor's degree? If so, what made you decide to venture with getting your degree with them? I'm considering the possibility of enrolling, and wanted to get some input from others.

**Vinipink** · 11-06-2008 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by potpourri

I noticed that Penn Foster College is now offering two Bachelor's degrees. One in Business Management, and the other in Criminal Justice. How accepted and marketable do you think a Bachelor's degree would be from Penn Foster College? Has anyone contemplated about enrolling in this school to pursue the Bachelor's degree? If so, what made you decide to venture with getting your degree with them? I'm considering the possibility of enrolling, and wanted to get some input from others.

This is a new program launched this year, and answer to some of your questions, can not be quantified by anyone since, I would say there may be no one yet graduated from this program, and speculation is not a great tool. Bear in mind that NA degrees have limitations and there are so many RA options available with same price range or cheaper.

**me again** · 11-06-2008 10:20 AM

My employer will not accept a degree from Penn Foster College because it's not regionally accredited (it's only DETC accredited). However, there are some employers who will recognize DETC degrees (but not all). Your safest bet is to get a regionally accredited degree because it has a universal acceptance in the United States, unlike a DETC accredited degree. Hope this helps.

**sentinel** · 11-06-2008 10:36 AM

How accepted and marketable do you think a Bachelor's degree would be from Penn Foster College?

Apply to the federal government (US) and in most instances a nationally accredited (DETC) degree will be accepted. In the private sector and some state governments the bias persists. Contact prospective employers are ask them directly whether they accept all degrees approved by USDoE and CHEA.

**pugbelly** · 11-06-2008 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by sentinel

Apply to the federal government (US) and in most instances a nationally accredited (DETC) degree will be accepted. In the private sector and some state governments the bias persists. Contact prospective employers are ask them directly whether they accept all degrees approved by USDoE and CHEA.

I think about 90% of small to midsize private sector employers have no idea about the differences between regional and national accreditation, or even that there is such a thing. A regionally accredited, AACSB degree will work 100% of the time, a regionally accredited, non-AACSB degree will work 99% of the time, and a nationally accredited degree will work in the private sector about 90% of the time in the non-Fortune 500 companies. Just my 2 cents.

Pug

**Faxinator** · 03-23-2009 06:54 AM

Just an FYI:

I am a hiring VP for people for positions in which a degree is required. I don't have any degree of my own, though I am close to getting one. Our organization is a $2 billion concern with 600 employees. I never check the accreditation of a school listed on an applicants resume or application, and I don't know if anyone in our organization on the HR side knows much (if anything) about the difference between RA and NA.

Accreditation just doesn't come up. I believe for most people in our organization, the Bachelor's degree is just a checkbox. I'd have to imagine that it is the same for the majority of companies out there.

At age 47, I'm personally strongly considering Penn Foster for my business degree.

**Vinipink** · 03-23-2009 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by Faxinator

Just an FYI:

I am a hiring VP for people for positions in which a degree is required. I don't have any degree of my own, though I am close to getting one. Our organization is a $2 billion concern with 600 employees. I never check the accreditation of a school listed on an applicants resume or application, and I don't know if anyone in our organization on the HR side knows much (if anything) about the difference between RA and NA.

Accreditation just doesn't come up. I believe for most people in our organization, the Bachelor's degree is just a checkbox. I'd have to imagine that it is the same for the majority of companies out there.

At age 47, I'm personally strongly considering Penn Foster for my business degree.

But you should check for accreditation, that normally won't take much time to find out. But again you could have an individual that can claim a degree,(Radio Shack CEO came to mind) that they have not earned from reputable and accredited schools. It will fall in how much risk your company is willing to take, when someone screw up and then you will have a "boom goes the bomb" situation in your hand. Best of luck with your studies at Penn Foster .

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**TCord1964** · 03-23-2009 06:51 PM

As mentioned previously, the Penn Foster College BA programs are new, and I would suspect that there have been no BA graduates yet. I would imagine that a BA from PFC would be as acceptable as any other degree from a NA school.

There are some limitations to a degree from a NA school. Some employers, but certainly not all, or even most, will only accept RA degrees. Some check just to make sure the degree is from an accredited institution, which PFC is. Most probably don't know the difference between NA and RA. Will a degree from PFC impress anybody? Probably not. Will it fulfill the requirement that a BA is required to apply for and gain a job? Sure. The main road block created by having a NA undergrad is when the student wants to apply to graduate school programs. Many RA schools will not accept a NA undergrad. Some will, and acceptance is growing all the time. This growing acceptance is the main reason I applied to a NA undergrad program. If I want to apply to the MBA program at Oklahoma State University, I can, because an NA undergrad is fine. If I wanted to get an MBA from the University of Oklahoma, I'm out of luck, because they won't take NA undergrads. There are plenty of graduate schools out there where NA is fine. Most for-profit schools will accept an NA undergrad for entrance into a graduate program. I have plenty of options available to me to earn a graduate degree once I finish my NA undergrad.

As always, do your homework, and ensure that a NA undergrad degree will meet your current AND future education and career needs.

**Faxinator** · 03-24-2009 04:46 AM

In my case, I'm closing in on 50 years old. I've encountered enough problems in trying to get my first degree (an AA) from my local RA college (St. Pete College) that I began to realize that I want to be in a program that:

1) Proceeds at my own pace so that I can move through it quicker;
2) is structured enough to keep me on track;
3) is affordable and offers flexible payment options;
4) is eligible for tuition reimbursement at work;
4) provides excellent customer service;
5) is accredited.

I'm very familiar with Penn Foster because some time ago, after I encountered tremendous problems getting some personalized help at the B&M high school where my two daughters attended, I pulled them out of that school and enrolled them online at PFHS and they're doing great. On top of that, I've found the PF customer service to be superb and incredibly responsive.

Gosh, I'm 47 years old. I have a job that I love at a place where I've been for the past 9 years, and even without a degree I've managed to have been hired in an executive position that pays me over 100k per year.

Once I verified that my employer will provide tuition reimbursement for a degree from PFC, that began to make my choice even easier. Let's face it: currently, my plan is to retire from the place where I work. I'm pursuing a degree primarily because a degree is something that some in the organization place value on and I'm currently the only executive here who has no degree at all.

Going on to a graduate degree isn't even something that I'm overly concerned about at this point. Perhaps I will, perhaps I won't. But at least I do know that even though PFC isn't RA, it won't stop me from finding institutions from which I can earn a legitimate graduate degree.

So right now, that's why I'm getting closer and closer to possibly enrolling at PFC. Every person's situation is obviously different. I might advise a 22-year-old to take a different route. But for me, PFC just might be the very best choice I can make right now.

**hicksj3** · 05-16-2009 06:50 AM

1. does anyone on this forum lives in the atlanta, georgia area attending pf college.
2. does anyone know about the bs of management degree pf is offering. it seems like a great deal for $100 credit hr .

**Faxinator** · 05-16-2009 07:27 AM

I live in Florida, and I am currently enrolled in the PF Bachelors in Business Management program. To me, it was a perfect fit for my situation, and I have nothing but praise for the Penn Foster organization. Both of my kids are enrolled in PF high school, and their experiences have been great, so that helped me make my decision.

**hicksj3** · 05-16-2009 07:56 AM

yes, i agree the bs program sounds good. it allows me to finish my degree and work full time. i enrolled about a month ago, im still waiting for my transcripts to be evaluated from my other school. i should be receiving my materials soon.

**Abner** · 05-19-2009 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by Faxinator

In my case, I'm closing in on 50 years old. I've encountered enough problems in trying to get my first degree (an AA) from my local RA college (St. Pete College) that I began to realize that I want to be in a program that:

1) Proceeds at my own pace so that I can move through it quicker;
2) is structured enough to keep me on track;
3) is affordable and offers flexible payment options;
4) is eligible for tuition reimbursement at work;
4) provides excellent customer service;
5) is accredited.

I'm very familiar with Penn Foster because some time ago, after I encountered tremendous problems getting some personalized help at the B&M high school where my two daughters attended, I pulled them out of that school and enrolled them online at PFHS and they're doing great. On top of that, I've found the PF customer service to be superb and incredibly responsive.

Gosh, I'm 47 years old. I have a job that I love at a place where I've been for the past 9 years, and even without a degree I've managed to have been hired in an executive position that pays me over 100k per year.

Once I verified that my employer will provide tuition reimbursement for a degree from PFC, that began to make my choice even easier. Let's face it: currently, my plan is to retire from the place where I work. I'm pursuing a degree primarily because a degree is something that some in the organization place value on and I'm currently the only executive here who has no degree at all.

Going on to a graduate degree isn't even something that I'm overly concerned about at this point. Perhaps I will, perhaps I won't. But at least I do know that even though PFC isn't RA, it won't stop me from finding institutions from which I can earn a legitimate graduate degree.

So right now, that's why I'm getting closer and closer to possibly enrolling at PFC. Every person's situation is obviously different. I might advise a 22-year-old to take a different route. But for me, PFC just might be the very best choice I can make right now.

It sounds like you made a great decision that will work out well for you. You will have a degree that meets your needs, and you won't have a pile of debt.

Abner

**cklapka** · 05-20-2009 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by Faxinator

In my case, I'm closing in on 50 years old. I've encountered enough problems in trying to get my first degree (an AA) from my local RA college (St. Pete College) that I began to realize that I want to be in a program that:

1) Proceeds at my own pace so that I can move through it quicker;
2) is structured enough to keep me on track;
3) is affordable and offers flexible payment options;
4) is eligible for tuition reimbursement at work;
4) provides excellent customer service;
5) is accredited.

One of the hardest things I did during my educational pursuits was to finish my Associate degree. I think it is one of the those benchmarks that just seems to go on and on if you are working full-time and going to school part-time.

However, once I finished and found distance education I was able to wrap up my undergraduate education relatively quickly, in just 3.5 years(compared to 9.5 for my associates). Good luck at Penn Foster , I have considered them for some supplemental learning and they look to have a strong program(having ACE equivalent courses).

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**AGS** · 05-24-2009 08:08 PM

I was thinking of taking courses at penn foster like mechanical engineering and transfering it to RA Thomas Edison State college .

not sure if they will accept it .

**TCord1964** · 05-24-2009 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by AGS

I was thinking of taking courses at penn foster like mechanical engineering and transfering it to RA Thomas Edison State college .

not sure if they will accept it .

They will if the courses are part of a degree program and reviewed by ACE.

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