Canadian and DL Options

Hi

Would be interested to hear comments on any other Canadians who belong to this board as to why there is so little in terms of DL options esspecially at grad level and beyond?

 

any canadians done online degree with a US college? or is it only me that will be doing this....

 

I'll be completing my undergrad at FHSU this fall. The only real Canadian option in 2005 when I began my studies was Athabasca - while a great school, I did not want a degree in the IT discipline they offered.

This being 2010, the options are better if you want to stay with a Canadian University, however the cost point is still prohibitive afaic... a degree (under/grad) from a US university will serve you just as well as one from a Canadian one yet you will have more $ in your own pocket.

What are you (both posters) thinking of studying and what are you leaning towards?

 

im looking into a business bachelors degree, any suggestions?

as ive mentioned before on these forums, im looking to complete it within a 2 year period at max.

 

qwer: "any canadians done online degree with a US college? or is it only me that will be doing this...."

John: Not a US college, but an even more "foreign" one: For the record, during the nine years I was involved in US and Canadian marketing for the Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh Business School) distance MBA, the program was very popular in the US and hugely popular in Canada. Canada has very roughly 10% of the US population, but accounted for well over 20% of the enrolled students, and H-W became the largest MBA of any kind (residential or distance or hybrid) in Canada. And the Canadian students did much better on the exams--as I recall, a pass rate (at the time) third in the world, after Hong Kong and Norway.

 

canadajoe: "...why there is so little in terms of DL options esspecially at grad level and beyond?"

John: As it happens, we had an Athabasca faculty member as a houseguest last week. She said, in response to that question, that she and others have always assumed that there was, early on, an unwritten (or conceivably written but not public) understanding that Athabasca would be the main provider of distance education in Canada.

The notion of a mostly or entirely distance doctorate is one that often arises, but so little has been done, Canada or US. I was told by two people, years ago, one at UVic and one at Western Ontario, that they understood that their schools were seriously interested, but the word came down, 'We will wait and see what Athabasca (which at the time had no doctoral programs) is going to do."

 

Canadian DL Student

Hi:

I'm from Newfoundland and Labrador. At present, I'm studying for my Ed.S at Northwestern State in Louisiana. It has been a wonderful experience and I'm in the process of writing my thesis now. I'd LIKE to take an Ed.D from Northeastern in Boston when I complete this degree.

Ian

 

Interesting comments from all, I also think that the lakc of "private" option in Canada where most universities are public have had some effect on more options. There are more schools coming out like MeritusU, etc. As note would like to online Ed.D in Canada other than in Distance Ed.

 

Hi,
I am from Alberta and in 2007 I started my MBA in project management at Aspen University. The option that I had in Canada was Athabasca, online, and the cost was ridiculously expensive over 40k for MBA.
Now Athabasca University is offering DBA in Business, with the cost in range of 50k, which I find way too expensive.
I think Canadian Universities and for that matter the entire economy is more acting like monopoly.
I approached some Canadian Universities for Ph.D and it takes forever to get a simple answer. In US they call me everyday. And if that's the case I will always decide to go customer/student is appreciated.

 

There are many online MBA options available now that won't cost 40K. You have Laurentian University MBA, Waterloo's MS in Management and Laval's MBA.

Athabasca was priced very high as they scored very high in the MBA rankings. You cannot compare the acceptability and credibility of Athabasca with Aspen.

The DBA is quite interesting but its market very limited. Most Canadian Universities will hire faculty from either top Canadian Universities or top American schools so my guess is that not many DBA graduates from Athabasca would be able to land full time tenure track positions but the program is too young too tell if the programs are worth it.

 

Devry failed to sell their programs in the Ontario market but they still do some business in Alberta. British Columbia seems to be more open to for profit American schools.

You also have Herzing that have presence in Ontario, BC and Quebec. There are quite few private schools that make money in Canada including Everest College.

I think that the source of the degree would become more relevant at the graduate level than undergraduate.

 

I still fail to see why Athabasca's MBA cost so much. Credibility? Well University of Alberta is far better rated and it is priced half of Athabasca.

 

Since we are talking about Canadians, does anyone knows if NA or RA degree from US matters in Canada? Any employer questioning it?
I checked with University of Alberta and they have no issue with my MBA to get into Ph.D program.
any other experiences?

 

Alberta has a provincially mandated IQAS (http://employment.alberta.ca/immigration/4512.html) who only recognize RA degrees.

You may be able to get into what you want, but if the employer follows IQAS, you will need RA

 

PhD admissions are highly competitive at any Canadian school. The administration might say that meets the minimum requirement but you still need to pass the criteria of the admissions committee that checks your GMAT and scores and evaluates your education. In few words, if you have no competition may be the Aspen MBA might work but highly unlikely in scenarios where people with better MBAs want to get in.

 

For foreign credentials, you need to get your degree evaluated by institutions like WES. If they say it is equivalent to a Canadian degree, then employers might consider your education equivalent.
However, in practice, most employers go by your previous experience and positions but they might ask for an equivalency report if you are going for a position that requires the MBA.

 

over 300 online and distance degrees from accredited Canadian universities

It has been mentioned before, but Athabasca does not have a lock on Canadian DL: http://www.cvu-uvc.ca/english.html

 

Guys, I'm new on the Forum.
I have a 3 year Electronics Technologist diploma and am planning to enroll myself for the BSAST Electronics at Thomas Edison State College. Any suggestions or recommendations? I wanted to know if TESC degree or any other US Bachelors degree would be recognized in Canada not only for jobs but also for further education? Thanks.