Unaccredited degree experiences?

I've been looking at a school that's unaccredited. Does anyone have experience with this in terms of employability etc? Any regrets?

 

The use of unaccredited degrees is OK in some states or countries, but not in other states or countries. Depending on where you are, an unaccredited degree may be OK, or it may be legally restricted, or it may be illegal.

Another consideration, from a legal perspective, is the type of degree that you are considering. For example, religious degrees are exempt from laws on degree accreditation in many jurisdictions. On the other hand, professional degrees (like law or engineering degrees) may be subject to extra regulation.

So nobody can give you meaningful advice on this issue, unless you can tell us (1) what type of unaccredited degree you are considering, and (2) where you plan to use it. The possible legal issues with unaccredited degrees can vary greatly, depending on those factors. The use of a particular unaccredited degree could be perfectly OK in some places, yet the use of that same degree could be against the law in other places.

 

duplicate post, please delete

 

I agree with CalDog, the utility of an unaccredited (school) but legal is extremely limited. Why do you want to follow this route? There is a plethora of low-cost options to meet your goals. Are you looking for undergrad degrees? If so, then the "Big 3" will suit you fine, as well as many nationally accredited schools such as Aspen, Cal Coast and so forth. The same holds true for a graduate degree; there are several options as well. First we must know what is it that you want? And why the unaccredited route. If your reasoning is that unaccredited equals less work, then you are looking for a borderline degree mill, if the reason is low cost, then that is a different story.

 

I'm in the US. I was looking at the unaccredited program because it's an all online program in canine behavior, something I'm intensely interested in. I didn't know programs like that existed until I saw that one.

 

Then you will have to check the laws of your state. Colleges/universities are regulated at the state level, and each state has different rules.

- In some states, unaccredited degrees are illegal for use in employment.

- In other states, unaccredited degrees are legal only if you add a disclaimer stating that the degree has no recognized accreditation.

- In other states, there are no restrictions.

If the unaccredited school has been licensed by State A, and is operating legally in State A, then its degrees should be perfectly legal for use in State A. But without accreditation, there is no guarantee that the degrees will be recognized in State B or State C.

The whole point of accreditation is that it provides a common standard that every state agrees on. If you go the unaccredited route, you lose this advantage; your degree may or may not be recognized beyond the state line. Another downside is that unaccredited degrees aren't typically eligible for government financial aid programs.

Even if your state has restrictive laws, you could still enroll and study at an unaccredited school, and hopefully learn something. In other words, you could still get an education -- but you might not be able to legally claim a "degree" at the end of the process. So if you just want to study out of personal interest, an unaccredited school may work fine. If, on the other hand, you also want a degree that you can use professionally, then you need to check your state laws, because legal restrictions may apply.

 

Is this degree for academic endeavors? I may reveal my ignorance here, wouldn't be the first time, but it sounds like you are interested in dog training, or dog psychology? Is accreditation all that necessary in this field? I don't mean to detract from it, I actually find this quite interesting, being a dog lover myself.

Here is an online school that is in the application process for ACICS accreditation: AM College

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In my opinion, you'd be better off reading a bunch of books and then volunteering in a no-kill dog shelter helping dogs to change their behaviors so they could be adopted. The references you'd get from such an experience would be far more valuable than an unaccredited degree.

 

Just to be clear, I think that an unaccredited degree may be useful in some situations. The problem is that an unaccredited degree may be totally worthless in other situations.

So you need to do your homework carefully before you go down this road; otherwise you could be throwing your time and money away. The risks are particularly high if you are pursuing an unaccredited degree offered by a school that is licensed in a different state. Without accreditation, there is no guarantee that a degree that is acceptable in State A will also meet the legal standards of State B.

 

What's the name of the school?

I think that unaccredited degrees can occasionally work in unusual situations, but the program that grants the degree needs to already have a reputation among those who might hire you or be your clients.

For example, there's Bergin University of Canine Studies

Bergin University of Canine Studies | Home of the Assistance Dog Institute | Located in Northern California

This one is currently accredited by ACICS, but it already had some credibility even before it received that accreditation, largely because Bonnie Bergin's work with service-dogs was already widely known among those who care about such things.

 

Harvard Extension has courses offered through the psychology dept regarding animal behavior. These can be used as part of a psychology degree (bachelor's level or master's level).
Harvard University (tab--> continuing education college)

 

There is no easy way to review the degree laws or regulations of all 50+ US states or territories, so I can't offer a comprehensive list.
But as an example, how about North Dakota ?

I'm not necessarily endorsing such rules, just pointing out that they exist.

 

Since no one really answered your question, I will. I completed a degree from California Coast University before they were accreditied. I learned a lot, my employer was okay with it and paid for it, and I was able to use the information later to pass a lot of CLEPs to earn an RA degree.

 

That's the million dollar question: Is your employer OK with it? You need to do some research to find out. I was saying earlier that employers in this field would be likely not to care. Only you, with appropriate due diligence, can determine if that is correct.

 

Perhaps not very big, because the link also states: "The State Board for Career and Technical Education authorizes in-state post-secondary institutions". Note the use of the word "in-state". The implication is that the Board has no authority to approve unaccredited schools unless they are located within North Dakota.

I don't follow your logic. The link states that "Legitimate institutions are those that are accredited by organizations recognized by the U.S. secretary of education". And the ABA is in fact recognized by USDoE as an accrediting organization for the purposes of standalone law schools (but not other law schools, which presumably have regional accreditation through their associated universities).

So a standalone law school that was approved by ABA, but which lacked RA or NA, would still have USDoE-recognized accreditation, and would therefore be OK in North Dakota. A standalone law school would have to lack ABA, RA, and NA to fail the North Dakota standard.

 

Perhaps I'm just paranoid, but if I were hiring people for a job working with animals, I might be leery of hiring someone with an unaccredited degree, unless I was absolutely certain that such degrees were permissable under the laws of my state.

Suppose I run a pet care facility, and something bad happens to Fluffy the Cat during her stay. Fluffy's owner is distraught, and files a lawsuit. Then it turns out that one of my employees, who was entrusted with Fluffy's care, has an unaccredited animal care degree that is not considered "legitimate" under the laws of my state. I would be concerned that a sharp attorney could do a lot of damage based on that fact.

In other words, it seems possible (to me) that an employee with an unaccredited degree that was out of compliance with state law could pose a potential liability risk to an animal care business. Then again, I'm not a lawyer and don't have any special legal knowledge, so maybe this is an unrealistic concern.

 

Unles it is the NTPS non-q\accredited degrees are a complete waste of time and money. Better to find a certificate, gain experience by volunteering, conduct you own research, or a combination of these. You may also find various courses available from accredited schools.