Columbia Southern University

Is columbia Southern University a mill?

http://www.colsouth.edu/

I am having a debate with a friend and thought that I woudl ask the experts.

Thanks in advance for your replY,
Jeff

 

Not by reasonable accounts, no. CSU is accredited by the DETC, which is a properly recognized accrediting agency. This ensures that the school and its programs are legitimate. However, degrees from schools accredited by the DETC enjoy somewhat less acceptance in both academic and employment situations.

There have been situations where some properly accredited schools have been called "degree mills," but usually by people who don't know what they're talking about.

CSU claimed, much to the consternation of many who post here, accreditation by an unrecognized (and somewhat dubious) agency prior to its accreditation by DETC. They continued the misleading practice of listing this "accreditation" right on through the application process with DETC, right up until the day they were accredited. This surprised many, and may contribute to some people's feelings about CSU. But degrees earned from CSU come from a properly accredited school.

 

Just for clarification DETC is not a regional accreditation body, correct? Meaning that they are a accredited by a body that accredits colleges and universities but is not recognized as a RA body. A friend said that they were RA and that their degrees were universally accepted virtually everywhere, and I do not beleive that this is true. Who is right, or can we even answer the question.

Thanks,
Jeff Whetzel

 

You are correct, Jeff. DETC (The Distance Education and Training Council, http://www.detc.org) is a national accreditor, not a regional accreditor. National accreditation is recognised by the US Department of Education for the purpose of student loans, etc. But regionally accredited universities do not recognise degrees from nationally accredited institutions. RA remains the gold standard.

Beware: http://www.usdetc.org is a completely phony accreditor, trading on the name of the real DETC.

 

The degrees that CSU offers in partnership with University of North Alabama and University of West Alabama may actually be RA. See http://www.colsouth.edu/Features/parnership.html .

 

In my year-2000 survey of US registrars and admissions officers, on a 7-point scale from "always accept" (7) to "never accept" (1), DETC got a 7 from roughly 20% and a 6 from another 20% -- but more than half were rarely or never.

For comparison, 100 non-resident regionally accredited degrees were 93% a 7 and 7% a 6.

 

CSU's partnership with UWA=an RA degree. CSU only does the admission aspect. The courses, teachers, degree, etc. is from UWA which is accredited by SACS. What is excellent about this is that UWA offers an MEd. in School Counseling through DL and it is not only accredited by SACS but also by NCATE. Partnerships like this can only help CSU's reputation.

Duff

 

As an employer with masive rural area, accept degrees frompeple who attended DETC and RA. I consider both valid.

 

PhD's?

I was in a gentleman's office today and noticed a Columbia Southern University PhD on his wall.

Of course I inquired as to the program...and since it was a PhD in Business Administration, I shared with him my completion of an MBA.

He stated: "Well...this degree was completed via distance education mostly. The school is in Alabama but it's affiliated with Columbia in New York." I hope my countenance didn't change perceptibly.

Question: Are there any legitimate PhD partnerships between Columbia Southern and any regionally accredited institution? An email to Columbia Southern indicated very succintly that PhD's were "no longer" awarded by Columbia Southern.

Just curious,
Steven King

 

Columbia Southern dropped its PhD programs to receive DETC accreditation.

 

Ahhh...thanks

Thank you, Dennis, for clarifying.

Steven King

 

Re: PhD's?

Steven, call him out on this. There is no way that "the" Columbia of New York had anything whatsoever to do with any doctoral program offered through the formerly unaccredited Columbia Southern.

 

Re: Re: PhD's?

No, there is no connection with the formerly unaccredited Columbia University , an Ivy League school.

My high school gymn teacher in small town Alberta had his degree from Columbia

 

At the time they were awarding doctorates, Columbia Southern claimed its accreditation from the dreadful APICS agency, and the even more dreadful Accrediting Commission International of Beebe, Arkansas.

Another reminder that DETC either doesn't look at, or doesn't discount misleading accreditation claims in their own accreditation process.

 

Yikes

This gentleman occupies a post which is equivalent to Director of Managed Care for a number of healthcare facilities. Multiple years of government service is topped off by a horrific PhD...

Steven King

 

John,
Thanks for the information about Columbia Southern's former accreditation. Has this fact about DETC changed your feelings about them?

Steven King

 

Re: Yikes

But it was subsequently accredited so hindsight says it could not have been too horrific, although doctoral programs were probably not evaluated.

 

Steven: "Thanks for the information about Columbia Southern's former accreditation. Has this fact about DETC changed your feelings about them?"

John: I've written about my disappointment over DETC accrediting ACICS (the computer school), which I felt had been very misleading in the way the reported their previous accreditation from the dreadful World Association -- which I believe they kept right up to the day they got their DETC accreditation.

But I see my main public role as a consumerist one, helping people make school decisions: where to go, what to accept. And this is why I report that about 20% of registrars say they always accept national (i.e., DETC) accreditation while 93% say they always accept non-resident regionally-accredited degrees. Rich Douglas' research shows that DETC acceptance in the business world is higher.

Things are going to get really interesting if DETC (as is rumored) begins dealing with Ph.D.-granting schools in a year or two.

 

Re: Yikes

Steven, tell him you'd love to read his dissertation. That will throw a scare into him.

 

The large employer I work for also accepts nationally accredited degrees (eg by DETC) along with RA. They actually check peoples education out and will not accept unaccredited degrees at all (I doubt they would even accept BJU in spite of its legitimacy).

To Jeff, as someone else posted CSU has an agreemnt with N. Alabama so the person may end up with an RA degree studying through CSU.

To Steve, you cracked me up with the CSU PhD guy and his statement that CSU is connected with Columbia U. That is worse than the Trinity folks with ThD/PhD claiming their degree was done in conjunction with or awarded by both Trinity & Liverpool.

North