Hi all! I am new to the board and have been seeing a lot of acronyms. Please help me know what these mean: RA NA DL DETC I have one more class to go to obtain my associates degree in business administration at the (obviously looked down on) UOP. I am looking for the best online university to go to for my bachelors degree and keep seeing these acronyms popping up. It would be very helpful if I understood what they mean!
RA - Regional Accreditation NA - National Accreditation DL - Distance Learning DETC - Distance Education and Training Council
Thanks, so... Why would one accreditation not be recognized by another? I thought as long as the school was accredited I would be able to transfer credits to another. Hmmm. Can you explain what the DETC does?
The DETC is a national accrediting agency (NA). The gold standard in the accreditation world is regional accreditation (RA). Credits earned at regionally accredited schools transfer easily into both regionally accredited and nationally accredited schools. Credits earned at nationally accredited schools generally transfer easily into other nationally accredited schools, but most regionally accredited schools will deny NA credit. UoP, while dissed quite a bit on this board, is regionally accredited. You should not have a problem transferring your UoP credits anywhere, including to far less expensive RA schools with far better reputations. As far as why regionally accredited schools don't eagerly accept NA credit...well, that's a hotly debated topic on this board and I am sure you'll get a million different responses. Just remember that all accreditation in this country is private. In other words, accreditation in the United States is a business, not a government run service. The government only recognizes the accrediting agencies, and the US Department of Education recognizes both regional and national accrediting agencies. CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation) issued a statement a while back that encouraged NA and RA schools to accept transfer credit from the other, but CHEA has no real authority to enforce anything. I have taken many classes at various RA and NA schools. To date the most challenging by far has been a foreign NA school (Briercrest). The easiest by far was a RA community college. In terms of quality and rigor, it depends on the school (and perhaps even the individual teacher within the school), not the accreditation type. In terms of utilty (universal acceptance), regional accreditation wins hands down. Pug
Accreditation Wow, thanks, Pug. That was an awesome answer! I understand so much better now. I guess I had better look for RA schools, then, just in case I decide to someday go on to get my masters. I am 50 years old, though, so I think I may just stop after getting my bachelors degree. I don't want to be paying for college the rest of my life!
This is very well said. I have credits from NA and RA schools. I have an AA from UoP (RA), BS and MBA from California Coast University (now NA but state approved when I graduated), and a BS and MS from RA schools. Now I am enrolled in two more MS programs and a PhD program (all RA). I can wave the, "it all depends on the school/teacher" flag all I want but if you want a sure thing - go with an RA school. Most employers will not know the difference but it could limit your options of grad schools if you decide to go down that road. I did not think I would ever go to grad school (heck, I didn't think I would get a bachelors degree) but now I am there. Prepare the best you can to keep all your options open.
I had a student with a DETC accredited degree who got into one of those RA only accepted schools. Here is part of the correspondence he sent me about it. The sky is the limit as long as you are persistent enough to get what you want. That is what I teach my students and it paid off for him.
This is good advice; thank you! As for UoP, I'm happy to know it is an RA school, but I will not be going there for my bachelor's degree. It is WAY too expensive and I already have thousands of dollars in school loans thanks to going there for my associate's. Do you happen to know if Baker college is an RA school? Have you heard/read feedback about their program?
RA acceptance of NA This is good to know. Fortunately, I will have an ABA degree from an RA school so I won't have to worry about it. But your post might be helpful to many who are fretting about their NA degree! Thanks for sharing.
Baker College is an RA school. I had a friend finish up her bachelors through them. She was quite pleased with the program. She transferred credits without any problems either.
I agree but my point is if all things are equal (cost, flexibility, and delivery method) I would recommend the RA school over an NA school. What go for a provisional student status or have to appeal an admissions process?
