Hidden Gems of the DL World

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Maniac Craniac, May 19, 2010.

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  1. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    What I am looking for here is your knowledge of great DL programs from relatively unknown schools, especially those from other (non-USA) countries that may be less expensive (due to subsidies, economic demand, exchange rates, etc.). Mostly I am curious about schools that meet what this board frequently refers to as GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles), has its local equivalent to RA accreditation/validation/charter, etc. and can be obtained at an unbelievably low price. This question isn't program-specific, so add whatever you just happen to know about- Thailand, Brazil, Ukrane, Mongolia, Jamaica, whatever, what do you got?!
     
  2. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    I've always been interested in this program:

    Master's in Ecumenical Studies from Ukrainian Catholic University
    If done full-time with the maximum number of courses/semester it works out to $3,000 from what I can see on the site.

    I just can't justify the time/expense spent doing it when there wouldn't be much practical use for it. I mean it would be very interesting personally, but it wouldn't likely lead to anything other than that. (Also, my grandparents on my mom's side are Catholic and also from the Ukraine area :D)
     
  3. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Is there a GAAP web site that explains what standards schools must meet?
     
  4. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    No- the only place I have seen GAAP used in an educational context is on this board. In fact, as I just experimented with, if you type GAAP and SCHOOLS into Google, this site gets the first hit. As far as I have ever read here, GAAP means that the school runs ethically, legally and offers real education (one could add that it has it's country's equivalent of accreditation).
     
  5. Caulyne Barron

    Caulyne Barron New Member

    GAAP comes into play most when schools apply to offer Title IV (Financial Aid).
     
  6. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    Here's some info on Generally Accepted Accreditation Principles, taken from Bears' Guide 15th Edition and slightly updated/adapted:

    First, it's important to understand there's no body that defines GAAP; by its definition, GAAP is describing what registrars of US-based schools generally agree are acceptable criteria for recognizing a degree or credits from another school.

    To offer recognized accreditation under GAAP, an accrediting agency (or the school itself) must meet at least one of the following four criteria:

    -- For schools based in the US, the school must be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized either by the US Department of Education, or by CHEA.

    -- For schols in Great Britain and the British Commonwealth, it is membership in the Association of Commonwealth Uinversities and a listing in the Commonwealth Universities Yearbook.

    -- For schools in Australia, it is recognition by the Australian Qualifications Network.

    -- For schools in other countries, it is an appropriate description in the World Education Series, published by PIER [Projects in International Education Research, a joint venture of AACRAO, NAFSA (the Association of International Educators) with the participation of the College Board, or a listing in the Countries Series, published by NOOSR, the Australian National Office for Overseas Skills Recognition.

    -- In older descriptions of GAAP, the UNESCO/International Handbook of Universities was included in GAAP; a school listed in the Handbook was considered accredited. However, after a number of blatantly fraudulent schools managed to essentially buy their way into the UNESCO handbook by paying off officials in various third-world countries to get the "official recognition" required for listing, registrars got wise, and now a school not otherwise meeting GAAP, but in the UNESCO handbook is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

    Keep in mind also that GAAP is simply a description of commonly accepted policy, and not a guarantee of acceptance of a given school or degree. Registrars at some schools may choose to apply a different criteria at that school. But on the whole, if you go with a reasonably recognized school in a foreign country, particularly one with a large bricks-and-mortar program that's widely used by residents of that country, you'll likely be fine.

    It is also not at all a correct statement that GAAP comes into play mostly when a school wants to offer financial aid; the GAAP criteria have been discussed at the AACRAO conferences (which is where the term was first used) and are generally the major determining factor as to whether credits or degrees are recognized (accepted/transferred) by regionally accredited schools.
     
  7. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

  8. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

  9. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I think that the hidden gems must include the degrees that might be earned in the various Scandinavian universities. These are not advertised or even widely discussed. They are not "DL" degrees. They are degree programs at reputable universities that just might, if approached correctly, be earned at a distance. Fees are low or non-existent. Think Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, etc. A weekend of homework could pay off in a big way.

    College and University Home Pages
     
  10. cbringas

    cbringas New Member

    For those of you who read and write Spanish: there's a short program (certificate/diploma) offered at the University of Salamanca (Spain)in Cultures and Languages of Iran and India. Last year the cost was 650 Euros. I'm enrolling in this program for this year. Of course, this program is for people that have a personal interest in these topics, as it doesn't lead to a master's degree or much less, to any kind of certification. However, it could help some people that want to have a job where this knowledge could be useful (as in my case, I'm a librarian)

    I have to add that this university offers quite a few distance learning programs.
     
  11. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator


    link? please?
     
  12. jackrussell

    jackrussell Member

    Most of the courses from UNISA, but you need to have extreme patience navigating the admission process.
     
  13. TonyM

    TonyM Member

    Madurai Kamaraj University of India

    They have a large selection of degrees for very cheap and an American office in Maryland with testing centers throughout the USA (testing is done at local university testing offices). Their degrees follow the annual exam system.

    Page 1

    http://www.mkudeusa.org/Courses.html
     
  14. BrandeX

    BrandeX New Member

    There is a lot of Universities here in China that we would consider dirt cheap, and are accredited by the education bureau. However, I think an important factor is also actual value to yourself and perceived value to others who are informed about the source of your degree. As such I wouldn't recommend most, if any, schools here. In fact the local population studies abroad instead whenever possible.
     
  15. jackrussell

    jackrussell Member

    DL from China? Would love to know more about this given that China is an emerging power. But do they have English degree courses?

     
  16. cbringas

    cbringas New Member

  17. BrandeX

    BrandeX New Member

    Yea, in China many Grad level programs are taught in English. DL is still very new and basic here though, with local citizens apparently not respecting it very much at all. My wife took a degree completion program at one of the local Uni's here in GZ, it was all Dl except for proctored exams she had to take on campus.

    Here is a link to as different type of Online program (I don't know any details) It seems to be fairly new, and the information given on the site is majorly lacking. I am sure I dug around the website earlier and found a better page talking about it, but anyways here is what I found this time:
    http://www.sysu.edu.cn/en/schools and departments/schoolofonlineeducation.htm

    This is a massive local university with several campuses etc., and I think is generally regarded the number 2 Uni in the province. How does the online program really work though? No idea.
     
  18. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Now that is fascinating! I don't understand how that link relates. How did you hear about this, and where can one (ehem, I :cool:) find more information about this?
     
  19. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Lol................;)
     
  20. jackrussell

    jackrussell Member

    I have tried Sweden and the courses are great. Fees only start in Autumn 2011. For Netherlands and Finland, I can't find much resources on them. At least they don't seem to have a centralized system like what Sweden has.

     

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