Why the animosity between DETC and RA?

I'm not familiar with University of the People. What does it do that is unique?

 

It does not offer any degrees
Tuition is free
Here is their web site
University of the People
I sent them a CV but never heard back.

[Why do institutions use names whose acronym is the same as that other schools? UoP = University of Phoenix or University of the Pacific]

 

I believe the reason there is so much animosity is because those who support and/or attend or have graduated from DETC schools feel that the LEGITIMACY of the schools is being questioned, not just the utility or acceptability. There is a difference.

I have attended DETC accredited schools, but I know full well that RA schools have more utility and acceptability. At the time, the cost and the programs were the best fit for me. I have never regretted the time I have spent studying with DETC accredited schools, and have learned a great deal in the process.

As for why RA supporters hold so much animosity toward DETC schools, I believe there is a bit of snobbery involved, and the RA schools themselves likely don't like the competition and losing tuition dollars to institutions they view as lesser schools.

Just my .02.

 

I see your point, but I disagree to an extent. Very, very few people fully understand the subtleties of accreditation, including, as Rich's dissertation work showed, a significant portion of registrars of major colleges and universities. A surprising number of otherwise intelligent people don't ask any further than "is the school accredited?" and therefore don't even know about the existence of fake or off-brand accreditors, let alone the differences between DETC and regional accreditation, or, for that matter, about GAAP and what influences acceptance of foreign credentials.

I don't think it's just laziness, and I'm more and more coming to the conclusion that society as a whole either can't be bothered, with or doesn't understand, the difference between "regional" and "national" accreditation, let alone further complexities like programmatic or professional accreditation.

So I do think that enlightening people so they can make a reasonable choice makes sense. California Coast, for example, used to openly admit it was unaccredited, but then tended to tapdance around the value of accreditation on a page that had the effect of minimizing its importance (Understandable, since it was trying to get people to enroll.) In cases like that, having a third-party source, such as degreeinfo, where the topic can be discussed in detail is arming people with sufficient knowledge to make an informed choice. And once they have that knowledge, I feel like any decision they make is theirs to choose, but at least they've had a chance to understand the issues.

 

I don't usually get into these discussions (because they always end up the same way) but I'll bite on this one.

This is exactly why I chose CCU for my graduate degree. No semesters, no deadlines, reasonably priced tuition, and a great interest free payment plan. I knew the drawbacks of NA, but they don't apply to my career. If I had been aware of an RA equivalent I probably would have gone for it (and if anyone knows of any, I'm all ears), but at this point I have no regrets. If I get the itch to start another grad degree down the line, I think Heriot-Watt would be my choice due to flexibility and challenge. Or maybe (eventually) a DA through Harrison Middleton because it just looks so interesting.

And just to throw something else out there: I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I didn't pursue a grad degree for my paycheck. My current position only requires a BA. The MS will not bump my pay and might only marginally improve my odds at advancement because experience and skill are king in my field. I knew this before I enrolled. I did it because I love studying psychology and because I wanted to achieve my dream of completing a master's degree. I was the first in my family to graduate from college. There was a time when I didn't even think I could finish my AA because of the crazy hours I worked and the inflexible university I attended. Yes, degree utility is important, but not everyone has that at the very top of their priorities. How often do you read about a very elderly person graduating with a distance ed degree? I'll wager that they are not doing it to get ahead in the rat race!

Different strokes and all that. Just my two cents. 'K, back to lurk mode now...

 

I did ask this sam questions in a different matter and a certain person thought that I was troll....
I think that there is element of Bias towards RA from the members.... Perhaps they think DETC is a Threat for RA... Who knows.

 

I did ask this same question in a different manner, not as I typed above.. sorry for type error

 

But yet that is exactly what you are doing.

 

No kidding, geezz! Can't a guy ask a simple question without starting a war? I am, however, getting an answer even though it has generated a lot more emotion than I had hoped for.

It appears to me that the DETC supporters have an inferiority complex and become angry when the subject is broached. Don't mean to offend you DETC people, seriously, but that's what it looks like to an outside observer.

 

This is the second time in a week that you've thrown gasoline on the board's fires. You admit that you see the danger in what you are doing. That suggests that you probably shouldn't be doing it.

Well, people often have a great deal of self-image invested in their school choices and in their degrees. When they see their schools seemingly being dissed, sometimes they feel personally belittled, display some passion and fight back. That's what I was getting at in my first post in your 'snobbery' thread. By their nature, degrees are social differentiators and that's an emotional thing.

Matters are made worse on discussion boards by the rhetorical tendency to overstate positions and to over-generalize.

If somebody thinks that A has advantages over B, that's often stated as if A must always be chosen or that choosing B is never justifiable. Conversely, those who rush to defend B against suggestions that it's somehow inferior often condemn any criticism of B, however well founded it might be.

If a program is a bad choice for individual A, then it's a bad choice for everyone, no matter how dissimilar their circumstances. If B liked a program, then everyone will like it (unless they are evily "biased").

In my opinion, too much discussion-board emphasis is placed on institutional accreditation, as if that was the only variable that prospective students need to be concerned with. Too little attention is paid to individual programs' own unique features, strengths and weaknesses.

 

You state that you do not want to open another can or worms, yet that is clearly your intention.

I could understand the purpose of your thread had you not seen other threads that talk about this very issue, but you have already admitted to seeing those threads. Thus, I can conclude that there is little to no purpose to starting this thread other than trying to rekindle debate... some people just love to see others fight... I don't get it...

 

Oh please, how about a break? It was an honest question. Did you notice that I asked everyone not to start a war of words again? You are accusing me of something similar to flaming and it's an unfair accusation.

I would like to suggest that this thread be locked by the mod now. I promise not ask any more forbidden questions.

 

I just do not understand what you were hoping to gain from this thread that you did not already know...

 

I was hoping to find out why everyone is so touchy about this. It was an honest question seeking honest answers, not the kind of response you are giving me. I got a couple of intelligent and unemotional responses and I'm satisfied. Let's close this thread.

 

This response is a perfect example of what I was looking for. Thank you, Sir.

 

fair enough... I will try not to assume the worst... my apologies

 

Thanks for that. Kind regards to you.

 

Sorry to everyone for igniting another fire.