State employer says kaplin is not an accredited university?? What!!

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by recruiting, May 13, 2011.

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  1. recruiting

    recruiting Member

    Ok this is a regionally accredited degree producing school and the state decides it's not going to take it?

    Employer Doesn't Recognize School Degree - :: Cincinnati news story :: LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV in Cincinnati

    A woman spends tens of thousands of dollars for a college degree, only to be told her employer doesn't recognize the school. That caused heartbreak and frustration. Kaplan University has campuses around the country. It also offers courses online.

    Dara Teaney of Batavia decided to pursue a bachelor's degree online, and began taking classes using her portable computer in February, 2009.

    "I just felt online education it left me with a more adaptable schedule. In the summers this could go with me. Everything could be transported. I didn't have to be somewhere like on campus at a certain time."

    Kaplan University's website says it is an accredited school whose programs are recognized and approved by many. Teaney already has an Associate degree from the University of Cincinnati.

    "I made the decision to go back to school to get a bachelor's degree because I felt it would help career mobility for me."

    Teaney says she borrowed nearly $30,000, received great grades and took classes for 20 months to get a degree.

    "This was difficult for me. One summer I took 3 classes. I took 18 credit hours. It was like working a full time job, 40 hours a week."

    But, after getting her degree, she was shocked when her employer, a department in the state of Ohio, told her, "it's not an accredited institution and my degree is not recognized."

    It's been two months since Teaney says she was told this degree was not being recognized but although she's complained to the Kaplan University she says no one's responded.

    "I never thought I would spend $30,000 and then find out oh well you have a degree really not for Ohio. How would you know that."

    So I contacted Kaplan University and was told it is accredited by the higher learning commission, which is the same organization that accredits U.C. and Ohio State.

    A spokeswoman says Kaplan University has 11 ground campuses, but most of its students study online. After I contacted them, officials at Kaplan University began working with the State of Ohio to get the University's accreditation recognized. We'll keep you informed.


    That is the WRONG ANSWER OHIO!

    Sorry for the title typo I meant STATE EMPLOYER!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2011
  2. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    I'm not sure which is more sad about this story....the fact that Ohio won't recognize her degree or the fact that she spent $30,000 to earn the degree.
     
  3. major56

    major56 Active Member

    “…she was shocked when her employer, a department in the state of Ohio, told her, "it's not an accredited institution and my degree is not recognized."


    If the department is within a state governmental entity … enough said? If so, seemingly some state pen pusher doesn’t have a clue what they’re talking about. What might be more troubling is the same bureaucrat could even be the Ohio departmental head…
     
  4. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    If the issue is regional accreditation, then clearly the State is at fault, since Kaplan does have RA.

    But do we know that regional accreditation is the issue? Is it possible that maybe the State is looking for some form of specialized professional accreditation, which Kaplan maybe does not have?

    For example:

    -- Kaplan's business programs lack IACBE, ACBSP, or AACSB accreditation
    -- Kaplan's paralegal studies program lacks ABA accreditation
    -- Kaplan's technology programs lack ABET accreditation

    You could certainly get a regionally-accredited bachelor's degree from Kaplan in fields like these. But if your employer was looking for professional accreditation, then the Kaplan degree might not work, even if it was regionally accredited.

    Don't know if this is the situation here -- the news story doesn't indicate the field of study -- but it seems like it is at least theoretically possible.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2011
  5. DBA_Curious

    DBA_Curious New Member

    Kaplan did one of the nastiest things I've ever seen a for profit do and it caused me to withdraw from an offer they had made to teach some accounting courses.

    In 2010, they ran a series of local commercials offering to help people become a Certified Professional Accountant. That misuse of the CPA designation turned me off completely and I suspect it's because their local campuses didn't have any CPA's on staff (I know as the then campus director told me).

    Given that and some of the other foolishness I've heard attributed to them, I can believe anything.
     
  6. recruiting

    recruiting Member

    My god, she must NOT be a DEGREEINFO member, otherwise should would have A) Gotten it for FREE (lol), or B) Paid MUCH less than what she did.

    It's OHIO..
     
  7. recruiting

    recruiting Member

    I never thought of that but it seems they were referring to the school just plain not being accredited. But if it was a "special" accreditation like listed above I could see their point too..
     
  8. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    At 57 seconds left, you can make it full screen and see it is a BS in Nutrition Science. Maybe it must be recognized by American Dietetic Association.

    Registered Dietitian (RD)
    Educational and Professional Requirements

    Download Fact Sheet
    Registered Dietitians (RDs) are food and nutrition experts who have met the following criteria to earn the RD credential:

    Completed a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a US regionally accredited university or college and course work accredited or approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
    Completed a CADE-accredited supervised practice program at a health-care facility, community agency, or a foodservice corporation or combined with undergraduate or graduate studies. Typically, a practice program will run six to 12 months in length.
    Passed a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). For more information regarding the examination, refer to CDR’s website at www.cdrnet.org.
    Completed continuing professional educational requirements to maintain registration.

    http://www.eatright.org/students/education/starthere.aspx
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2011
  9. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    If Randell is right then it explains the states response. We run into this all the time, mostly in regards to the field of psychotherapy, where we tell people to be certain that their degree program satisfies the criteria for licensure in their state. If the person was trying to apply for a job that requires licensure or at least licensure eligibility then we might understand IF the Kaplan program doesn't meet the criteria. If Kaplan misrepresented the program then you might see a lawsuit on the horizon. However, all these schools have legal consultants and I'd be surprised to discover that they stated explicitly that a grad would be eligibile for licensure if it was not true. In any case, the whole affair comes across as another black mark for the for-profits.
     
  10. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Wait a minute. She has a Kaplan University bachelor's degree in Nutrition Science ?!?

    That's a very well known program -- unfortunately, not in a good way. In fact, this may be one of the most questionable degree programs in the for-profit education industry. As reported recently in the Chronicle of Higher Education:

    So the degree is "accredited" in the sense that it has regional accreditation -- but it is "unaccredited" in the sense that it lacks professional accreditation from CADE.

    Former Kaplan students in other states, like New York and Florida, have previously found that their investments in Kaplan nutrition science degrees were worthless from a professional standpont. Sounds like this could be the same sad story.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2011
  11. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    The American Dietetic Association has taken the unusual step of posting a public warning about the non-CADE-accredited degree programs offered by certain specific for-profit universities:

    Unfortunately, the ADA may not have as many marketing dollars to spend on its message as some of these other institutions.

    Clayton College of Natural Health shut down last year.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2011
  12. recruiting

    recruiting Member

    Leave it up the the detectives at Degreeinfo.com to solve the "what's her degree mystery", kewl.

    However, If that was in fact the case I wish that fact would have been put out by the news outlet, without doing so it just looks like it's a DE issue when it's most likely a professional accreditation issue.

    Honestly, SHEEEE should have done her homework on Kaplin's program before spending 30K on a degree she can't use.

    Yes the degree may have some utility for jobs looking for someone with any old major, but not in the field she wanted to use it for, oh well.

    Peace
     
  13. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    I have seen state jobs that require professional accreditation on top of institutional accreditation.

    Maybe this was the case ?
     
  14. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    While her degree may not be ADA, there are alternate paths for becoming an RD. People with non-food science bachelor degrees can also pursue an RD, but they must complete additional training. She'd need to do an internship (it's called something else which is slipping my mind at the moment) but she can still become an RD, she just needs more training and her field training. *which maybe Kaplan didn't explain, however, as posted, the ADA site list requirements clearly.

    If you offer it (any degree) they will come.

    This is very, very bad for Kaplan. The average Joe has no idea what "accreditation" really means (doesn't mean)...but I think this press will hit them hard, and at fall enrollment season. Ouch.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2011
  15. Hokiephile

    Hokiephile New Member

    The ABA doesn't "accredit" paralegal programs. It "approves" them. I'm not picking nits. The ABA is very sensitive about the subject.
     
  16. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Not exactly, this is a problem we have seen in Texas with non-profits as well. People earning degrees in psychology, etc. to become therapists, etc. only to not have any programmatic accreditation or not be attending a school that has been approved by the state board in whatever field in which they study. This is especially true of private schools regardless of profit status and I have even seen a state school with the same program and degree but with two paths, one is clinical which includes clinical hours for licensure and one is academic which does not qualify for licensure. Programmatic accreditation and state licensure can really be difficult to wade through in finding an acceptable program in a particular state. Add to the mess that each state is different and any state can change their standards at any time and I can see how schools who operate accross state lines can run into problems.
     
  17. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    We don't have all the information in order to understand what really happened.

    In many states if one is working lets say for Social Security or some state program like welfare an associates degree is desired.
    If that person wants to become supervisor or manager in the same department or move to similar department an accredited Bachelors degree in any filed is required.

    State usually publish the exact requirement. I know people who earned general studies liberal art degree from one of the big three and satisfied the Bachelor degree requirements. In this case Nutrition degree will be sufficient as well.

    Maybe this was the case here, we need more information. Wasn't she already employed by the State and wanted clime the ladder? I could be wrong.
     
  18. landocalrissian

    landocalrissian New Member

    "I just felt online education it left me with a more adaptable schedule. In the summers this could go with me. Everything could be transported. I didn't have to be somewhere like on campus at a certain time."

    Kaplan obviously doesn't value proper English and writing skills.

    "This was difficult for me. One summer I took 3 classes. I took 18 credit hours. It was like working a full time job, 40 hours a week."

    Were these 6 credit hour courses? The most I've ever seen for a lab or a language course is 4 credit hours. Something tells me her math is a little off as well...

    "I never thought I would spend $30,000 and then find out oh well you have a degree really not for Ohio. How would you know that."

    "Really not for Ohio"? Who talks like that? Someone who is uneducated...that's who.
     
  19. Zara Mari

    Zara Mari New Member

    I think both. Lesson learned, before engaging into any online degree programs, you should check first its accreditation. There are tons of online education programs to choose from, some might be a bogus, so investigate first. It's better to waste time researching instead of wasting your time+money+energy in the end. Just my piece of advice.
     
  20. ryoder

    ryoder New Member

    Those quotes evidencing poor English may have been transcribed by a reporter who was conducting a verbal interview or may be from broadcast transcripts. I work with many people with masters degrees who do not know how to say "this morning" and instead say "today morning". If you work in IT you will know to what I am referring :)
     

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