If you had to choose.

Can somone please post the web address of TESC Please
Thanks,

Tim.

 

You are getting no where with your state approved degree. I started my MBA with a CA state approved school and found it to be less then wonderful. I shifted to Touro University International. Lost my credits (TUI refused to accept credits from non-RA school ) and still made much more sense to me.
On the professional level, it was extremely helpful (financially) and now I am teaching part-time at one of the local colleges. Try to do this with a non-RA degree...
I cannot imagine myself feeling proud that I earned a non-accredited degree! Fill in the blanks and get your degree type of thing.
Stick to RA otherwise you will find yourself defending your degree endlessly.

Eli

 

www.tesc.edu

Rich Douglas

 

Especially not for a BA or even a MBA. There are so many good RA schools that have been suggested going unaccredited is just asking for trouble.

I liked the car/tank analogy. How about more of a Marine analogy?

Getting an unaccredited BA would be like going into battle with a zip gun instead of a rifle. The current situation looks like a zip gun will do the job for you but shouldn't you be better prepared in case things change?

 

Hi,

Sorry, but I just had to be post 12346 after 12345.

Regulars here will know my views on this subject.

Select a source with a valid, well-documented and sustainable state license / approval and complete your studies to suit yourself - based entirely on your (well defined I hope) personal objectives.

However, at bachelor level, go for the most appropriate provider with the greatest amount of recognition possible.

I will be happy to respond to private e-mail ([email protected]) queries (having used one of the sources you mention).

Cheers,

Neil Hynd

 

Dr. Hynd holds a Ph.D. from Century University, an unaccredited school in New Mexico. It would benefit anyone considering a degree program at an unaccredited school to review the multitude of threads regarding this subject in general, and the particular schools themselves. Even within the unaccredited bunch there are strata of varying quality.

Rich Douglas

 

Thanks Dr. Hynd,

All imput is appreciated. I have to admit, I didn't think there would be so many postings. Just so everyone knows, I have had probelms logging in under sgtbroderick, so that is why this is under "broderick".
I posted just now my thoughts regarding some of this debate under "Do you think before we pass judgment" thread. I think I am a good representitive of the average American consumer, who is not a genius, does not qualify for alot (if any)of funding because he makes "too much", and has a family.

S/F
MB

 

Colleen,

Thanks for the follow-up. I am a skeptic however on the utility of Century degrees and am very interested in your input.

On another note: Yes, promotions are based on performance but the utility of a degree can also be used as a qualification for a promotion especially as a discriminating factor between two otherwise equal candidates.

I would think that a pediatric therapist who has an unaccredited degree would be holding a time bomb. Especially if they were using the Dr. title.

I am glad you are willing to post on this topic. From your student peers what do you see as obstacles to holding a Century degree and do you think that you are getting an equivalent education to a doctoral degree holder from an RA school. If so, what does your coursework entail, do you get life experience credit (typically how much), and what are the dissertation requirements?


Thanks,

John

 

John,

I do not see the time bomb issue here if the degree is utilized responsibly with a physical therapist and presented as a doctor of philosophy and not a medical doctor.

Certainly there are limitations. The strongest limitation is teaching in a tenure track. I believe there is substantial utility in a state approved degree. RA would have been the best way to go, but I did not see that the incremental value of a Walden, Union, Capella or Tuoro degree being worth the extra $40,000 and all my vacation time for the "short" residencys.

There is no credit for life experience on the graduate level for Century per New Mexico law. The Ph.D. program consisted of 13 courses with text books and journal articles culminating in a 40-60 page single spaced typed research paper for each course. The dissertation entails all that would be expected. It is five chapters (and all the usual trimmings)with original research, methodology, validation, findings etc. This is performed one chapter at a time with faculty review, input and critique. After the dissertation has been reviewed and approved by the committee a defense must be performed. After two years, this is where I am now. I'm looking forward to the end but it has been challenging.

I have reviewed GAAP programs such as MIGs and UNISA. From the literature I read and the people I spoke to, the course work did not seem that much different. UNISA did not have a health management option and seemed to require a couple short residencys. MIGs was too new at the time and I didn't want to take a chance on a school that might fold.

Regards,
Colleen

 

Originally posted by CMHH:
John,

I do not see the time bomb issue here if the degree is utilized responsibly with a physical therapist and presented as a doctor of philosophy and not a medical doctor.

The problem is that you're dealing with a school with an extremely unsavory operation... one that moved across state lines to escape even the *minimal* California standards, and one that exists in New Mexico only by being "grandfathered" in... it does not meet New Mexico's current standards. Not to mention the fraudulent accreditation it has claimed, the deceptive marketing practices (selling a book that mentions Century as a "best school" while failing to mention that Century published the book).

It is not a school that anyone with knowledge of the situation would hold in any esteem. And, if history is our guide, we may well see the same sort of highly questionable tactics in the future as we've seen with, say, Columbia Pacific, an "approved" school that went from being respected to reaching for more and more outlandish claims at respectability.


RA would have been the best way to go, but I did not see that the incremental value of a Walden, Union, Capella or Tuoro degree being worth the extra $40,000 and all my vacation time for the "short" residencys.


That's certainly your choice, but there are hundreds of people that, after having earned non-RA degrees, are despairing of the fact later. And you *never* hear of someone saying "Damn! I'm so unhappy I spent $40G to get a legitimate degree, instead of saving some bucks and getting one I'll constantly have to defend". The very fact you're defending it here is pretty good proof of my point.


There is no credit for life experience on the graduate level for Century per New Mexico law.


Then they must have been recently busted on this, because not long ago, they were promising that, in clear violation of NM law.


The Ph.D. program consisted of 13 courses with text books and journal articles culminating in a 40-60 page single spaced typed research paper for each course. The dissertation entails all that would be expected. It is five chapters (and all the usual trimmings)with original research, methodology, validation, findings etc. This is performed one chapter at a time with faculty review, input and critique. After the dissertation has been reviewed and approved by the committee a defense must be performed. After two years, this is where I am now. I'm looking forward to the end but it has been challenging.


And the sad part is, as with Neil, it sounds like you've done a decent amount of work, but will end up with a substandard degree that you'll forever have to defend.


I have reviewed GAAP programs such as MIGs and UNISA. From the literature I read and the people I spoke to, the course work did not seem that much different. UNISA did not have a health management option and seemed to require a couple short residencys.


Ah! But UNISA meets GAAP, has a large bricks-and-mortar program, is highly respected, and your degree will never come into question. None of those things can be said for Century.


MIGs was too new at the time and I didn't want to take a chance on a school that might fold.


A very, very wise move. MIGS was (and, by most accounts, still is) operating illegally in Florida, and now, by renting a PO box in Mexico, they're claiming they've moved... much the same as Century did some years ago when they first moved to NM. And, if you've read the separate MIGS forum, it's clearly a joke of a program. No full time staff, nearly nonexistent faculty, dreadful, deceptive marketing, and all the trimmings typically found at a mill.

I genuinely feel bad for the fact that you've put a lot of effort into this program, and I also genuinely hope that it is a serviceable degree for you. But I continue to believe that it's an absolutely awful choice for anyone to make when there are so many good, high quality RA programs out there.

 

I am not a fan of Berne U under the current circumstances but I would almost think they would be a better choice than Century. They do meet GAAP although the recognition issue is of concern and utility in the states is probably only slightly (if at all) better than Century. But at least you could say it was GAAP as that guy did at the Oregon community college (and continued to get his increase in pay). I think they had a Health option.

At any rate RA would be my first choice followed by some of the other foreign options. I think Touro's is around 20,000 + for the Ph.D. in Health Sciences totally DL & RA. Around 40 credits for the Ph.D.

You might also at some point want to consider NCU PhD in business or Psych. NCU is totally DL and a candidate for accreditation + very affordable.

I appreciate your eloquence and the fact that you are willing to post on this issue.

Best wishes!

North

 

Ah, so you want a real degree and a real education but you want to minimize costs. What you want to do is 3 things (generally):
1) Stick with quality schools
2) Stick with publicly funded schools (lower cost)
3) Arb the incredibly strong US dollar

Here are a number of options you should definetly check out:
Canada:
Athabasca... a non-traditional school highly respected (as far as non-traditional schools go). They will charge non-Canucks more but with the currency arb it still might be a great deal.
University of Waterloo... a very respected Canadian University that offers many undergrad degrees. Again, they will charge you more but it still might make sense.
Australia
We tend to focus on Charles Sturt and University of Southern Queensland because they offer more graduate/doctoral degrees but I recall that several of the more prestigious Australian Universities offer undergrads at very reasonable rates... a steal in US dollars. I just had lunch with a Colgate grad (US prestigious) who did a semester at Sydney... has a great respect for Aussy higher ed.
UK
The two I know about are Heriot-Watt (they offer an undergrad in business) and the London School of Economics... yes, they London School of Economics. I think you can pick up a very prestigious degree for about $6K.

Bottom line, if you investigate these international alternatives I think you will likely find a very respected, if not prestigious degree, with very good if not great utility, for a reasonable cost. Considering you background, you may be much more satisfied in the long run than pursuing a unaccredited degree or one of those "write me a paragraph", "take a quick test", "here is your degree", type places.