Universidad empresarial de Costa Rica

Discussion in 'Education, Teaching and related degrees' started by RFValve, Jun 1, 2016.

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  1. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Yes, I agree - as you say, they're both businesses.

    “Preaching is tax free. Very little to do with God, a lot to do with money” - (Keith Richards, Life.)

    I believe the natural health "business" is mostly to do with money, too.

    Both fields are plagued with far too many incompetents, poseurs and outright fraudsters. Sad. :sad:

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 15, 2016
  2. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    There is pressure in the market for credential inflation due to the fact that most people put impressive letters in their business cards to attract business. In Canada, there is no need for a degree to practice natural medicine as most association only require so many hours of training that can be given in a diploma program, nevertheless, you have more than half of the practitioners that get PhDs from unaccredited schools just for the privilege to call themselves Dr. In linkedin, we found more than one natural medicine practitioner that got a DD from the church of universal life just to call themselves Drs. Few others got MD(AM) degrees from Indian schools as in Canada many people associate MD with real doctors.

    It is the same for religion, in Canada most non denominational churches require only one year training from a Bible school that does not have to be accredited for a minister license. However, we see that most Reverends put Dr titles on their business cards so my guess is that many are buying degrees from American religious exempted schools just to get business as the income from Reverends comes many times from pastoral counseling and weddings, it seems that it is not easy to get customers to call you if you don't have the PhD in your business card.

    I learned that calling yourself PhD is legal even if you have a doctorate from an unaccredited school in Canada. "Dr" is a title that is reserved and protected in many provinces but the PhD title is not protected. Protection comes from legislation and it is associated with professional associations, as the PhD is an academic title, it is not protected unless you use it with a protected title such as lawyer, psychologists, etc.
    So, it is perfectly legal to have a one year diploma in Natural Medicine or in Bible studies and then make your business cards with titles such as Rev John Doe PhD, licensed minister.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 15, 2016
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I agree, on all counts, although it's interesting to see Keith Richards adopting the role of "village elder" here. :smile:
     
  4. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I think he wears the role well, Steve. After all, he'll be 73 (my age) in December. His book, "Life," is great. Best read I've had in a couple of years -and I buy a couple of hundred books a year. Lots of great quotes. He and I grew up in the area around London right after WWII - about 30 miles apart. (We never knew each other, of course.) His descriptions even smell right - the "smoke and horse-sh*! London Pong" that I remember so well. (There were more horses on the road right after WWII than there were after WWI !)

    J.

    PS. there's another book, I bought my son as a gift a while back. It's called What Would Keith Richards Do? and gives the reader access to the guiding philosophy of "Keef" in many situations.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 15, 2016
  5. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Another update, I received an email from WES (NACES accredited foreign evaluation credential) stating that a Universidad Empresarial degree will not be considered equivalent to a regional accredited university in the US or Canada. The same is for the "Indian Board of Alternative Medicines" as these both universities have been assessed before and did not satisfy their requirements for regional accreditation standing.

    IBAM degrees are legal but unaccredited, the same stands for Universidad Empresarial. In few words, they seem to be equivalent to state approved in the US.

    In few words, an IBAM or Empresarial degree have the same value as a degree from Universal life church, legal but not accredited.
     
  6. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Forgot to mention that University of central nicaragua and Azteca would be considered by WES for equivalency. A degree from these institutions might pass the WES test so University of Central Nicaragua's PhD in natural medicine would be the best option for those that want a legit PhD in the area.
     
  7. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  8. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Here's the full article referenced in post #8

    Quality of Education and Cost of Tuition Increase in Costa Rica - Costa Rica Star News
     
  9. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  10. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Thanks, a degree from Empresarial is dangerous for your reputation. It seems that this school is not longer enrolling students but just cashing the school's private license in Costa Rica by selling degrees in other countries. It won't take long before Costa Rica's authorities revoke their license. I feel sorry for those that worked for the degree and now will have to pay the consequences of the owner's greedy approach of selling out the school by selling diplomas before the school is shut down.

    I am afraid that Azteca and UCN are going in the same path, I found many places where these two schools would grant degrees for people with degrees in private schools in Africa, Asias, etc with little reputation. It won't take long before the "validation" process goes out of control and people start selling those degrees.

    I couldn't find nothing wrong with IBAM other than the school is not accredited in India by the UGC but the same for most of the alternative medicine schools. Their certificate could be used to practice natural medicine in Canada where a degree is not required but just a diploma. The problem with IBAM is that their degrees are not really degrees but just diplomas of training in AM, my guess is that they just grant degrees to attract the international audience. I found on linked in more than one with an MD(AM) from IBAM with no more degree than this working in areas non related to medicine but using the "Dr" title in linked in order to attract audience. Their MD(AM) is really the equivalent to a certificate in Canada, there is no doctoral education there.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 17, 2016
  11. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Is that so? Well, here's a Canadian who's been in the news. He's in the herb-and-healing biz, has a "doctoral" certificate but can't call himself "doctor." The association that originally awarded him a certificate as Doctor of Natural Medicine had to change it to "Doctorate" from "Doctor." He used to describe himself as D.N.M. (Doctor of Natural Medicine) but nowadays, D.N.M. (in Ontario) is taken - by the Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine - and that is a regulated occupation in Ontario.

    Is a Toronto herbalist continuing to use title of naturopath after college said to stop? - Toronto | Globalnews.ca

    J.
     
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    It might take longer than you think. This school has already been in the offshore degree market for at least ten years, if not longer. The Costa Rican campus reported no graduates in 2007 and enrolled no students in 2010. The school's offshore degrees have been offered through sites in Arizona and Poland.

    Might just take a while, sez me.

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 11, 2016
  13. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Yes, Ontario is regulating the profession. The best bet is to complete a local program that is approved by recognized related associations and forget about IBAM, UNEM, etc. The IBAM program looks interesting but I think it could be seen as a program for self development, I did a bit of research and IBAM and UNEM might be considered equivalent as both offered programs that are not accredited in their respective countries. IBAM grants certificates under the India's society act that they are considered more like awards to society's members and not really academic degrees, they are legal but not accredited by the UGC so they are not RA equivalent but one could legally display one in Canada without any legal consequence as it is legal in India. IBAM's PhD degrees are equivalent to Fellow status from British or some Canadian Societies.

    The foreign programs give you a doctoral designation but the Dr title is regulated in many provinces so many use the title PhD that is not regulated. Technically one could get a PhD from the Esoterical Theology Institute in Spiritual Healing and call yourself PhD in your business cards without any legal consequence. There are few degree mills that have emerged in Canada that provide PhDs in natural healing subjects to satisfy the demand of natural medicine practitioners for a PhD title, I don't want to mention them because this would just advertise for them and will start another thread about these so let's just say that the whole thing of natural medicine is still not highly regulated but it seems that things will change in the future.
     
  14. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    I did a bit of research on the DNM and it seems to handled by the same people that give the Doctor of Integrative Medicine certification in Canada. The argument is that both designations are trade mark and they are just certifications but not licenses that are given to people who are already doctors.
    They seem to be associated with Quantum University that is in the US (Quantum University - Holistic, Natural, Integrative Medicine Degrees). So basically the US institution grants a legal doctorate that then can be used to be given a Canadian designation of DNM or DIM.

    So Technically I can cll my self John Doe PhD DNM and legally be covered by the fact that I have a state approved PhD with just a certification but not a license that describes me as a natural doctor.

    A very clever mechanism if you ask me but obviously meant to deceive people.
     
  15. novadar

    novadar Member

    Quantum U. (International Quantum University for Integrative Medicine) shows up in this report from the State of Hawaii's Auditor:

    The report might also be an interesting read on how one state views unaccredited institutions:

    Sunrise Analysis: Regulation of Unaccredited Degree Granting Institutions

    A Report to the Governor and the Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i



    http://files.hawaii.gov/auditor/Reports/2014/14-03.pdf
     
  16. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member


    The report state that QU has more than 7000 students enrolled. Very impressive.

    The business model is great, create a school and then a natural and integrative board of medicine in a country where natural medicine is not totally regulated (Canada) and then sell a degree with a certification that sounds official so the student can use it to sell him or herself as an integrative medical doctor.

    It is similar to the IBAM model that grants MD(AM) that can be confused with MD. Quantum sells IMD (Integrative Medicine Doctor), a title that can be easily confused with MD also.

    I have no problem with schools selling degrees in NM as long as they use titles that cannot be confused with an MD (e.g. DSc, PhD).
     
  17. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I can't see how you could do that in Ontario, in the current regulatory climate.

    (1) From the Medeiros case: DNM is a reserved and regulated designation in Ontario: Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. Using DNM for anything else is not approved. And that's precisely why the cert. no longer says "doctor" but "doctorate." Just a sneaky way of skirting the main issue - that these people are NOT doctors - of any type. Just the same as some crooked foreign schools that sell "MBA certificates" because they can't award degrees.

    (2) A State-approved PhD means nothing in Canada. Nothing whatsoever, except a warning that the holder is trying to put one over on someone. Just as good as one you can print yourself. In most places, calling oneself "doctor" in a health setting with one of these screeds could get one into a whole lot of trouble. And that's as it should be. The holder of one of these thingies is no kind of doctor whatsoever.

    Are you serious? :shock: I have problems with schools selling degrees, PERIOD. In Canada, so do the AUCC, Professional bodies and various Provincial Ministries.

    And as for all of this supposedly "natural" hocus-pocus, its TV quacks and street corner hacks - 20% should be regulated and the other 80% banned. It's very little about health - a great deal about MONEY.

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 12, 2016
  18. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Show me a regulation that prevents me from using a PhD from quantum university. You cannot yourself "Dr", "lawyer","Engineer","CPA", etc but there is nothing that prevents you from saying that you are John Doe PhD.
    The person in question got in trouble not so much from the DNM but from the fact that he was calling himself a naturapath, all he had to do is to say that he was a PhD in Natural Medicine and not a Doctor or a Naturapath. PhDs are not protected so people abuse them, if you don't believe me, just check linkedin and count how many people use PhDs from Quantum, Sedona, Open International, etc in Canada with no legal consequence. If you say that you are a CPA and you are not, then you will get a letter from a lawyer in no time but not for a PhD.
     
  19. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    McGill offers an MBA certificate and York a Masters of Project Management certificate. This qualifies me to use the designation in my business card MPM Cert. (York) or MBA Cert. (McGill). Two top schools doing this for a handsome sum of course.

    Nothing prevents me from looking for a Post Doc position with a PhD from Quantum, maybe a professor hires a PhD from quantum and then this person might qualify for a post doc certificate from the institution where the position is held. Then the person in question might use this certificate to probe that his or her is a real PhD.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 12, 2016
  20. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    You got me. I can't. The founder is a Canadian MD (yes, a real one) so I'm sure he's going to be smart enough not to offer degrees to Canadians that will get them in trouble. Good for him, I guess.

    I suppose there'd be something against misusing it, though - but that's not the same. And where exactly is the line between use and misuse? I'm not sure. And I'm not accusing Quantum of "selling" degrees. There's obviously a course of instruction of meaningful length etc. - unaccredited though they may be. You mentioned you have no problems with a "school selling degrees in NM" (Natural Medicine, not New Mexico, I presume.) I do have problems with any school that sells any type of degree. I don't have that particular problem with Quantum.

    Anyway - you win fair and square.

    J.

    PS. I have no problem with McGill's or York's practice - MBA or MPM certs. They are legitimate schools. Many other good schools practice this. What I was referring to was confined to foreign schools with no degree granting authority - who offer MBAs etc. (and even DBAs). In the small print, you find they're certificates not degrees. In those cases, just a means to avoid prosecution.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 12, 2016

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