Central University of Nicaragua Degree Scheme

Honestly the standing is contingent on how it is recognized in their country, not really based on quality. You will only be graded on the dissertation with no other coursework provided you are enrolled with advanced standing . You have several degrees meaning a surplus of ECTS hours so you could potentially get the PhD in as quickly as 6 months or atleast you use to be able to. UCN is taking a long time (up to 6 months) to process thesis results and graduation applications etc. Thus in my personal experience, you will be better off with a doctorate from a local school although that will mean a longer program with more work.

I really had no support besides someone who had completed a PhD program who provided thesis samples. It took me about 4 months to write my dissertation but it took me 2 years to get a passing result due to me starting a year later after I enrolled and atleast another 6 months getting it approved that I passed the dissertation although I have received no official results on paper. By the PhD being estimated to take 3 years anyway by design, I will likely get it sometime next year close to that time.

 

An accredited doctorate from a 1st world country is likely to carry far more weight. And within that doctorates from bricks and mortar schools generally carry more weight than for profit online. That said, probably depends on what you are doing with it. If it is not necessary for the position but a nice additional qualifier AND they are impressed with you and want you then that is another situation (where even a U of Phoenix doctorate wouldn't matter).

 

The vast majority of non-academic employers won't know, won't look, and won't care.

 

Likely true. Many positions simply don't require a doctorate (outside of academia). It is an additional qualifier beyond the main qualifications, how you did in interviews and in-baskets, and their desire to have you work for them.

I know a guy hired by an entity that looks through qualifications and ensures they are accredited. They hired him and he had a PhD from a diploma mill. Why? The necessary qualifications were accredited, he had the skill, background, and they didn't care about his "PhD".

 

That's why getting a foreign credential evaluated by a non-NACES evaluator such as Validential or even worse California FCE would be enough for a vast majority of employers. As long as the degree was considered legal, verified, and state-authorized/approved (if not accredited by some source rather it was institutional or programmatic), it would be sufficient enough to put a check in the box and be hired. The general public really doesn't care as much as we do about the quality of these degrees. As long as it is good enough to land an interview and then sell ourselves well enough to fit into their company culture, there will be success.

My mom was a substitute teacher 27 years ago and the district that hired her paid her more based on her earned Associates Degree that was only recognized as a Diploma since her school lost accreditation when she earned the degree before shutting down. This was during the days before the internet became mainstream and they accepted her transcript as is (non-official) since the school had closed. This wouldn't likely happen today but some still may get a pass.

 

Then they were wrong. Unless, of course, integrity isn't a characteristic they seek in their employees. Keep the coffee fund locked up.

 

Could it possibly be "set a thief to catch a thief?" Like jailed illegal hackers who become well-paid "security consultants" upon their release? Who would know more about bogus degrees than someone who goes out and gets one, then makes it work for him, at a credential-checking org? Nah, the employer probably hasn't thought it out that far. They almost never do.

Right you are, Rich -- again. They're just plain wrong.
"Stupid is as Stupid does, Sir." (Tom Hanks, as Forrest Gump.)

 

If getting licensed is a goal, cheaper isn't important, being able to get an RA equivalent evaluation is what's needed. For people outside the U.S., their country's evaluation equivalent is most important. So in that case, fooling around with murky associations is a questionable move that may not end well. If licensing doesn't matter, then taking the cheaper route is fine, but if you want to do something different with the degree(s) in the future and you can't get the positive evaluation you need due to the murky association, then you won't feel like you saved anything, you'll feel like you lost it all and wasted years of time in the process.

 

They do seek integrity. Guy could have been an embarrassment but did his job well and eventually moved on.

I never discussed the degree with him. He had several accredited degrees. As near as I can figure out it is one of those cases where someone talks themselves into believing that they deserve a PhD based on how incredible they are and well qualified. He went with an Irish mill (whose name escapes me). He went for the expensive metal like diploma. Did I respect it. No. Did most people investigate it? No. Reality I guess.

We know these mills can be time bombs. Really employers should check out all degrees someone presents and publicly uses. Have to be able to defend your choice if they screw up. And you don't want to create a fog around it with milled credentials.

 

Like dropping $5-6 grand into repairs on your old Yugo, hoping against hope it'll hold out for your cross-USA vacation. Don't bother. It won't. Put the money down on a decent car (or degree) -- or don't go. The only sane options.

 

This one, perhaps? Isles International U., formerly Irish International? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isles_International_University

Curses! It's still alive - here! ..... https://www-dot-iiu-edu-dot-eu/

 

Kill it! KILL IT!

 

If someone has been convicted of embezzlement, do you ignore it because he's also been a good guy?

Claiming a fake degree is a matter of integrity. Not only does it call into question the rest of his qualifications, it gets at his very character.

"I lied about the part that isn't relevant here, but I'm telling the truth otherwise."

Uh-huh. Next!

 

It took you only 4 months to write the dissertation? How is that possible? Did you do coursework in addition to the dissertation or was it an european-style dissertation only program?

 

I believe they do European style dissertations. Perhaps he had the research done. I was thinking the same thing. Can't quite imagine a dissertation in 4 months. I suppose it is possible if he had already completed all of the research ahead of that.

 

After after seeing that 887-page thingy, I can well imagine a UCN dissertation being sucessfully done in 4 months or even less. Not casting any aspersions on Carlton's diss, - not EVER. Just saying that huge monster we read a bit of earlier should not have been acceptable, yet it was. And I wouldn't doubt there are some others that could be found that wouldn't pass a real-school sniff test either. These things aren't usually a one-off. I think the little enclave at UCN where these particular deeds get done. could prove to be a very murky place. As you might have gathered, I don't like "murky."

 

That 887 pager appears to have been done without deep thought. The time necessary even if longer would have been due to his personal schedule and speed. It was a quantitative not qualitative exercise (literally) as opposed to the study sense. Used a scale, ruler, or page count to decide gravity.

 

I agree with every word. That diss. should not have earned the writer a Ph.D., yet it did. I suspect there are likely more flawed dissertations that earned UCN Doctorados. If this is so (and I think it is - one-offs of this sort are not likely) then such laxity would put ALL UCN Doctorates in a bad light - even those that took good work and scholarship - LOTS of it - to complete. That's the real killer here - diminishing the value of those degrees that were completed with appropriate thought and effort. Anyone's Doctorado from this school then becomes worth as little as the notorious example. That's wrong. Diabolically wrong.

 

Just to let everyone know, I did pass my dissertation with a 91 average overall. My documented results were sent to my spam folder this past Friday. I may have to do some revisions but I have been recommended for the PhD and Azteca will keep me updated on graduation processes with UCN.

 

Yay!!! Congratulations Dr. Coleman. Thank you so much for sharing with us so openly about your educational journey.