Universidad Azteca

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by engadnan, Mar 14, 2011.

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  1. engadnan

    engadnan Member

    Hi There. Recently, i applied for admission to Universidad Azteca in their MSc programme. After sending my resume and credentials to the admission department, i have received an email from the Head of European Programs stating that , "you will write approx. 10 seminar papers and one Master Thesis or Capstone Project". The price tag is nearly 3000 Euros

    Could you please advice that a degree could be completing while only submitting assignments and capstone project? Are the degrees awarded by Universidad Azteca recognized internationally ?
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    1) Why would you even think about applying to a school if you didn't ALREADY know that it was OK?
    2) Q - "Could you please advice that a degree could be completing while only submitting assignments and capstone project?"
    A - No.
     
  3. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Azteca's website offers, as validation, that they are listed on the official UNESCO list of universities, which suggests some sort of reciprocity. However, that list, while apparently reputable, lists a grand total of seventeen (17) universities in the United States of America, which is also to say that it does NOT list more than 3,000 regionally-accredited schools. List here:
    IAU - The Association - Member Institutions - Full List

    This is not a ringing testimonial.
     
  4. engadnan

    engadnan Member

    John, i believe all 3000 USA schools are listed on the IAU Database:

    Link: List of universities: US

    Actually, i browsed the IAU list before applying to Universidad Azteca, which makes me to believe that this university must be recognized by the Government of Mexico.

    What do you advice ? Is this school a degree mill ?
     
  5. Azteca Europe

    Azteca Europe New Member

    Official reply by the person blamed here

    Dear participants of this blog: yes, it is possible to pass a Master degree by 10 courses - each finished with a written Tutor Marked Assignment - as offered to the student posting below - and a Master Thesis - a programme in full compliance with international standards for Master degrees.
    Universidad Azteca is a recognised Mexican University, collaborating with a number of recognised universities globally in various programmes of study and research and we are in no way willing to accept any blackmailing or denunciations of our institution.
    Unfortunately, self-declared experts fill the internet blog sites and denunciate recognised universities.
    Universidad Azteca, on the international level, has an open and transparent approach to study offers and transnational higher education programmes.
    You are best advised to learn from the source, so ask us if you want to learn who we are and what we are offering.
    Dean of European Programmes of Universidad Azteca
     
  6. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    1. This isn't a blog, it's a forum. There's a difference.

    2. Does anyone think if someone criticized Harvard on some online forum that one of their Deans would personally angrily respond? Of course not -- it looks defensive and unprofessional.
     
  7. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    Here is the Wikipedia article Universidad Azteca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on them. As we learned with MIGS, you better make sure whatever you are enrolled in is actually part of the university.

    Seems the European program is offered along with the University of Nicaragua (joint program). Why I do not know. Check VERY carefully. There have been a number of strange examples from MIGS to some Costa Rican school claiming this and that and actually being authorized to award degrees just not all the degrees they were awarding. http://www.azteca-edu.net/int/study-offers/dual-degree-programmes.html Web site sucks and is reminiscent of some of the mills that are posted on another site (NOT saying this is a mill - may just have a terrible web designer).
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 11, 2011
  8. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    On top of that the faculty list is not professionally done. Lists all of these faculty and often does not tell you where their degrees come from. There is a guy listed with two PhD's and no indication of where he earned them from.

    This may not be a mill but it looks as bad as some of the sites that Dr. G. puts up on the other board (strong resemblance). If they are legit they need one of the IT gurus on their site to do some web design.

    The other concern is that the web site is azteca-edu.net Normally the accredited schools (though not all) end in a dot edu. May not be a mill but it is a mill trick to put a dash edu after their name followed by dot com or whatever.

    The actual Azteca University web site mentioned in the Wiki article is a dot edu in the correct way http://www.universidadazteca.edu.mx/universidadazteca/index.html

    But your international program is not, it is a dash http://www.azteca-edu.net/int/academics/faculty.html

    In other words be VERY cautious and do homework.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 11, 2011
  9. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    I smell a degree mill. Buyer beware.
     
  10. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  11. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    If you would want to use the in the US to teach or work, the best would be to contact WES services and see if the degree would be recognized by them. It is possible that even if the school has a Mexican license, WES would refuse to recognize it as many other variables are used to evaluate the degree. Bear in mind that in Mexico or other Latin American Countries, it is not as difficult to open a University compared to the US so there is a huge quality difference among institutions. In Mexico you have top tier schools like UNAM but also you see many small Universities that run from people's home.

    If the degree passes the "WES" test, then the degree might be worth something as you might be able to use it to teach or get a job in the USA.

    WES has a "pre evaluation" service that can tell you if the degree would be accepted or not for a small fee.
     
  12. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    +1 to you sir for handing out the only useful advice in this thread.
     
  13. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I didn't know that. That's actually incredibly helpful. I can't find a reference to it on their site, though, do you have a link?

    Thanks,

    -=Steve=-
     
  14. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    No joke right? That's some good info to have.
     
  15. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Here it is,
    World Education Services : What are my credentials worth?

    I used it evaluate my DBA from an Australian school before I enrolled, the program was evaluated as an equivalent to an American PhD and that is the evaluation that I got when I finished.
    If the school (e.g. Azteca) is not in their list, it won't be recognized most likely.
     
  16. jfosj

    jfosj Member

    The following page from the Government of Mexico lists all accredited Mexican universities. I didn't find Universidad Azteca on it: México - directorio.gob.mx

    JFO
     
  17. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    This is not an exhaustive list and it is not official. UNESCO lists Azteca below:

    List of universities: M

    If it is in this list, it should be accredited by the proper authorities.

    Again, in Mexico is not a big deal to be a University so there is no reason to believe that Azteca is bogus.
     
  18. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Isn't UNESCO's list notorious for listing less than wonderful institutions?
     
  19. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    But just because Azteca (.edu) is listed does not mean this "-edu.net" version is the same thing.

    Out of curiosity, what do you mean it is no big deal for something in Mexico to be University. I had always heard they had a good higher education system. Certainly, some of there universities are highly respected.
     
  20. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    In my trips to Mexico, I have seen several Universities that run from people's home. It doesn't seem like the government has very strict rules to open Universities as in the US or Canada where you need several millions of dollars just to start something.

    There are hundreds of Universities in Mexico, very few are recognized such as UNAM. I don't think Azteca is bogus but it might not be accepted in the US even if accredited in Mexico (Same in Canada, some US schools might have RA but won't be accepted here). WES is the authority in this case, if they accept it then you can use it to teach or work, otherwise the credential is worthless.
     

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