California Coast Iniversity degree

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Randell1234, Dec 6, 2001.

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  1. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I just completed my BS from Cal Coast. I realize that many people feel that Cal Coast and other non-RA schools are a waste of time and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I would like to know if anyone has any *personal* experience with a degree from a California school. I know several people with degrees from Cal Coast and these degrees have help their careers. Can anyone add anything (good or bad)?
    And by the way, I am very proud that I have completed my degree. Thanks.
     
  2. George Brown

    George Brown Active Member

    Congratulations on earning your first degree, however, my experience in Australia suggests that going the non-RA route is not a wise move.

    An entrepreneur here in Australia who shall remain nameless put up an accreditation submission to deliver some post grad degrees. Undergrad degrees were fine, however, when their PhD's were found to be from CCU let's just say that this did not help their cause.

    I must say though, I have heard that CCU is the best non-RA school around.

    Cheers,

    George
     
  3. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    I have a degree from a California school, UC Berkeley, and haven't ever seemed to have any problems with it.

    More seriously, the traditional answer is that academic acceptance of a none RA degree will be very low. It will be better accepted in the non-academic environment but will still possibly be a problem at least until some practical experience can be gained on the job. It could be a greater problem depending on what the degree is in.

    The bottom line is that acceptance will vary greatly for a non-RA degree. Hey man, I know that CCU is one of the better perpetually non-RA schools but many people are going to immediately associate it with degree mills while others will have no clue that there's such a thing as RA and non-RA. BTW, congratulations
     
  4. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    I've had hundreds of letters and Emails from CalCoast students and graduates over the years. Those who want to use their degrees (especially the Bachelor's) in any academic way (going on for a higher degree, transfering credits, teaching positions, etc.) are almost always disappointed. Those who want to use it in the business world have mixed results; some companies accept it, some don't. Those who are self-employed and/or do it for their own self satisfaction are almost always happy.

    Given the immense number of regionally and nationally accredited nonresident Bachelor's programs out there, I'm afraid I would never recommend an unaccredited school for this degree. Sometimes it makes sense to me for the doctorate, occasionally for the Master's.

    John Bear www.degree.net
     
  5. Eli

    Eli New Member

    I took 3 MBA courses with CCU and was not impressed! An open book straight forward (fill in the blank) kind of thing. Not challenging at all!

    Dropped the school and joined a RA. Touro (the RA school) refused to accept to transfer the 3 courses for obvious reasons and it was perfectly OK with me.

    I did not regret the move and will do it all over again if I have to.

    Advise: Avoid non-RA schools. With all the uncertainties in life, you are better off with a credible and accredited degree.

    Best of luck.

    Eli
     
  6. Tom Rogers

    Tom Rogers New Member


    Randell,

    Congratulations of your degree. I first became aware of Cal Coast when I started working at San Jacinto College. Our Dean of Libraries had among her degrees a masters from California Western University, which is now California Coast University. She was very proud of it, and she felt like she was participating in the future trend of education.

    I think the Cal Coast degree may have more utility than most other unaccredited degrees. I did a quick google search using "California Coast University" and "faculty" as keywords. In the first 100 hits I found the following folks

    Ann Gimpel, Ph.D., Core Faculty Member at U.C. Davis School of Medicine, received degrees from the University of Washington, University of the Pacific, University of California at Davis, and California Coast University.

    Marty A. Ferman, Ph.D. California Coast University, is Associate Professor of Aerolasticity and Structural Dynamics at Saint Louis University.

    Joseph A. Howells, Ph.D. California Coast University, is Assistant Professor of Meteorology, at Western Connecticut State University.

    Luis Antonio Aguilar Monsalve, Ph.D. California Coast University, is the coordinator of the Spanish Language Department in the Quito Language and Liberal Arts Program at Boston University.

    Jack Alexander, MBA and Ph.D. from California Coast University, is a mathematics professor at Spelman College. He also is President of the National Association of Mathematicians.

    David Gurchieck, B.S. California Coast University, is a member of the Health Occupations Paramedic Faculty at Montana State University’s College of Technology.

    Mitch States, Ph.D. California Coast University, is a Management Lecturer at Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo.

    Gerald RAMEY, Ph.D. California Coast University, is a Professor in the Business Division, at Lewis-Clark State University.

    Richard Carmichael, DBA California Coast University, is Professor of Business at Lenoir-Rhyne College.

    This is not a scientific study of the worth of degrees from Cal Coast by any means, but it provides some interesting anecdotal evidence that the degrees have value.

    Tom Rogers
     
  7. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    Of coarse the last post is in direct opposition to all of the previous posts. For that reason I would question it. I believe like the previous posts, That a Cal Coast degree for personal satisfaction may be an option. A CC degree for Business use would be very limited. A CC degree would have no utility or value for academic use. An open book test is not my idea of quality learning or high academic standards. If your goals are the latter two it may be time to seek an RA degree.

    ------------------
    Best Regards,
    Dave Hayden
     
  8. Tom Rogers

    Tom Rogers New Member

    "Of coarse the last post is in direct opposition to all of the previous posts. For that reason I would question it."

    Dave,

    Why question it? Do the search yourself.

    I did the search out of simple curiosity and was surprised at what was there.

    Tom Rogers
     
  9. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Since the Cal Coast literature is, after nearly 30 years of operation, able to list only a small handful of accredited schools that have accepted their credits -- and in every case, I would predict, on a case by case basis, not as routine policy -- I think it is safe to suggest that if there were more acceptances, they'd be promoting that fact.

    So my belief is that most or all of the positions Mr. Rodgers has found, are ones that did not require a degree, so that the fact that the person had one (or more) CCU degrees was irrelevant to their hiring.

    One of the first things I did, before agreeing to take on marketing for Heriot-Watt University, was to write to a bunch of major US universities, asking, "Would you accept the Heriot-Watt degree for purposes of transfering credit, entry into a higher degree program, or hiring." Back came "Of course" letters from Cornell, University of Chicago, University of Minnesota, Stanford, and many many more. I am confident that I could predict what would happen if CCU sent out a comparable letter.
     
  10. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Rogers. Rogers. Rogers. My apologies for misspelling the name.
     
  11. Tom Rogers

    Tom Rogers New Member


    John,

    No problem. Mom used to say we couldn't afford a "D".

    I am sure you are correct in your statements about CCU degrees. The people listed were probably hired on the basis of other degrees, and/or they got the CCU degrees after being hired. An obvious example, of course, might be a faculty member who was hired on the basis of a master's degree and later got a doctorate from CCU. The question arises about whether is it proper for the institution to then list the CCU degree on that faculty member's credentials and whether it is proper for the faculty member to use the title "Dr.". The question is even more interesting if the institution will not accept transfer credits from CCU.

    I was just surprised at how many CCU grads are openly listed on the faculty of some very reputable schools.

    In spite of the questions, I still congratulate Randell on his CCU degree. Learning is not a wasted effort. I also wanted to point out (for Randell's benefit) that many accomplished people (including my former dean) have CCU degrees and they proudly display them.

    I do not agrue the fact that Randell may find his degree accepted or HE MAY NOT. Depending on his aspirations, he may find Dave's suggestion that he put some effort into an RA degree is indeed a very good one.

    Best regards to all of you.

    Tom Rogers
     
  12. Dr Dave

    Dr Dave New Member

    By way of background, my BA is from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and my MBA was earned at Boston College. I have been in management for 30+ years. Within the business setting the accredited MBA is still considered the "terminal degree" for practical purposes. Those who pursue RA DBA and PhD degrees in Business and Management are most typically aiming at careers in research and teaching in academia.

    In the mid-90s I decided to earn a doctorate simply because I believe in life-long learning. There were far fewer choices available then compared to today. "Nontraditional" RA doctorates basically boiled down to Nova, Union, Fielding, and Walden. I never harbored plans to transition from business to academe--nor have I altered my thinking on that. (I have, however, taught on adjunct faculty using my MBA, and can continue to do so anytime.)

    I eventually started The Fielding Institute's HOD program. Although I was doing exceedingly well, I never felt comfortable in a PhD program. It just wasn't me.

    After awhile, I left Fielding and enrolled at California Pacific University, founded in 1976. (John Bear had postive things to say about CalPacific in an e-mail exchange at the time.) Their DBA program was a breath of fresh air for me. The program is highly structured requiring 12 courses, a comprehensive exam, a proposal, and the doctoral project (research component). And there were no more learning contracts! Because a professional mid-career DBA is aimed at practitioners, the learning and applications were far more useful to me. (Incidentally, I take a very dim view of non-RA DBA programs which do not require a doctoral project, two flagrant examples being SCUPS and California Coast.)

    I earned the CalPacific DBA in 1996. Because I chose to remain within the business realm, the DBA, of course, was never a huge value added--nor did I expect it to be. Nevertheless, I have found the degree to be accepted and respected. Not once have I had to "defend" it inside or outside the company. Nor do I ever worry about having to defend it. The DBA suffix appears on my business card, correspondence, and in professional directories, as it should. At a personal level, the DBA serves mostly as a validation of my work and career, exactly as intended. And never once, should I add, have I deemed it to be a "ticking time bomb". Why should I? The degree is state approved and perfectly legal, including in Oregon, unlike some of California Coast's degrees.

    In sum, the CalPacific DBA has enabled me to better meet my late career objectives. In that respect, I am totally satisfied and cannot say enough for it. If folks here want to extol RA doctorates for those looking to enter or advance in academia, I would agree. The argument and/or advice, however, does not necessarily apply to well established executives in business and industry.
     
  13. George Brown

    George Brown Active Member

    A very interesting, well thought out response Doc. The US Accreditation system has baffled me for years and no doubt blows undergrads away when deciding where to go for their university studies. Clearly the 'less-than-wonderfuls' have capitalised on this murkiness, and the likes of Cal Coast and Cal Pacific have stood out from the crowd.

    I sincerely beleive that US schools need to be classified on a continuum. RA's on the far left and the Trinties/ Washington International's of the world on the far right. Cal Coast and Cal Pacific would probaly be nuzzled up close to the RA's, but how close is like asking how long is a piece of string.

    Cheers,

    George
     
  14. barryfoster

    barryfoster New Member

    Please come back in two or three years and share your experiences and thoughts - *after* living in the real world with your degree. Gazing into my crystal ball, I predict the following:

    (1) You will no longer be proud. You'll be embarrassed.
    (2) You will have spent significant time "defending" your degree - in your own mind and with others. Unfortunately, you'll run across folks who understand the accreditation system. Reread #1.
    (3) If you try to enroll in grad. school, you will find you are limited to only non-RA, subpar programs. You'll be rejected by the rest. Reread #1.
    (4) You'll wish you had spent the extra money and effort to earn a RA BS. You might want to go back and correct the situation. Reread #1.
    (5) You won't come back to this board and admit this was a mistake. Reread #1.

    Sorry to be rather harsh with this, but I'd hate to see anyone encouraged to repeat this mistake. Remember, you did ask for "good or bad" ....

    Barry Foster
     
  15. barryfoster

    barryfoster New Member

    First, I totally disagree. Why a well-established executive would want to tarnish his/her record with a subpar degree is beyond me. (I know it happens, tho.) In industry, a great number of degree holders - from RA schools - see clearly through the smoke and mirrors of a non-RA degree. The successful executive will still be successful, but it isn't because a subpar doctorate is tagged to his/her name. In fact, it becomes great fodder for the water cooler jokes.

    Second, there is a *huge* difference between earning a unaccredited doctorate verses a unaccredited undergrad degree. The undergrad is a foundational degree. Make the foundation weak, and the entire educational building is weak.

    Barry Foster

    PS: Again, I'm not trying to be argumentative about this. I want to make sure readers have the opportunity of understanding both sides of the story. Your degree choice is your degree choice.
     
  16. Howard

    Howard New Member

    If you were not going to get an accredited degree why would you not just buy one from a degree mill?????? A lot cheaper and those people who don't know your degree isn't accredited also probably won't know it is a degree mill.

    ------------------
    Howard Rodgers
     
  17. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Just take it down the Peninsula to Palo Alto and see what people think of it.
     
  18. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I guess what ever RA school you got your degree from never did teach you how to read and follow instructions. You are so busy pointing out everything you see in your crystal ball, you never read the part where I asked for personal experiences.
    I do live in the real world and have an AS in Electronics, an AA in Computer Sciences, and AA in Biomedical Engineering and my MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer). I have over 10 years experience repairing life support equipment and am responsible for reviewing about 11 million dollars per year in capital budget requests. What world do you live in?
     
  19. barryfoster

    barryfoster New Member

    I'm sorry you took offense at my post. However, I am speaking from personal experience ... unfortunately. In two or three years, you will too.

    Now take a second and reread my post. It speaks of living in the real world *with* your new degree - something you haven't had in your previous 10 years of pretty average biz. experience.

    I can again refer to my crystal ball: The feeling you experience as you read my very frank post - get used to it. You'll feel it again and again. Sorry, but it's the reality that comes with a non-RA degree. You saved some money and some effort, but will pay for it in other ways.

    Again, I am sorry that you've taken offense at my post. However, I've been where you're at ... and I'm speaking from experience. Instead of getting angry at someone for telling me the blunt truth, I did something about it. Now I thank that person.

    Barry Foster
     
  20. Dan Snelson

    Dan Snelson New Member

    Randell,

    I completed all of a Cal Coast University degree execpt paying off the bill.

    When I realized what acreditation means I dropped them in a heartbeat! For about the same costs I am completing my Bachelor's degree from Charter Oak State College. With your previous course work I bet you would be shocked at how close to completing a RA Bachelor's Degree you are right now.

    Dan Snelson
    COSC class of sometime next year...
     

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