Madison University -- anyone heard of it?

Madison University Address

Madison University
424 Pass Road
Gulfport, MS

(Bears Guide, 14th ed., page 222)

 

Small progress over entropy.

Just learned that a major magazine*, having gotten complaints about Madison, checked them out, and will no longer be accepting their advertising. [The magazine doesn't wish to be identified now, since the ads will continue until the current advertisement contract expires.]
___________
* No, not USA Today, alas.

 

Jeff Hampton writes:

> Also, where can I find copies of the dissertations written by
> Madison students? They're publicly available, like those
> written at accredited schools, right?

By searching for "Mousighi", I found the text of a recent Madison University doctoral dissertation on a California State University Dominguez Hills Web page.

http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/veronica01.htm

It's easier to read if you "View Source".

Apparently, the doctoral candidate had a committee of one, Dr M. R. Mousighi, Academic Director of Madison University.

 

This is a first draft of a dissertation, as this page makes clear: http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/veronica02.htm

 

Re: The true Picture

I'm sorry you had to work so hard for a degree that is utterly worthless in academic circles, acceptable to few employers (especially if they know the nature of the school), and could get you in legal trouble in some places.

It is not the Department of Education's role to rule on the legality of schools. That they do not says nothing at all about the legitimacy of schools like Madison. (The Department of Agriculture--equally not in the business of making such decisions--does not either.)

A lack of accreditation is not the sole reason for "writing off" such an institution. The lack of faculty, facilities, curricula, educational processes, etc., does just fine.

 

Re: The true Picture

Woha! Just so everyone knows, "He" is not "Me"! LOL
On a side note, when I decided to pursue my degree and I got information on them, it was because of this forum that I didn't get suckered into Barrington "University", Century "University", and Madison "University"
So with that, my vote is mill.

Veritas,
Michael

 

Do the math. If alot is one word, it's not a mill. If it isn't, it is.

 

Lots of Info.

Based on all the information received many things have been cleared out. You now know the physical address of Madison University. You have seen a Dissertation posted on the web and you also know to whom it was submitted.

Hence, once again I will stress that Madison University might not be as good as some regionally accredited university but it does have policies and procedures. Just as an example, I was required to have my previous educational institute directly send all transcripts to Madison University to prove my claim of my previous education. This would not be asked by any "Diploma Mill". Also I had to complete 54 credit hours out of 60 to obtain my degree. I got credit for Life Experience for just 6 credits.

I am sure no one can challenge the fact that I received 6 credits for Life Experience after I have worked in the same field as the course for over 14 years now.

Once again, I would say this that although there are many things that might not be mentioned on the website, this school is providing good alternate education for people who are in the field for many years and want to persue a higher degree without spending a fortune on fees.

As mentioned in this thread if the US Department of Education cannot comment on this school then I do not think anyone else can call it legal or not. It is a Post-Secondary school which the US Department of Education says are allowed to operate with autonomy and independence. I would not mention the Department of Agriculture as I think a university is more closely related to a Department of Education then a Department of Agriculture.

Thanks and waiting for more comments from your side.

 

Re: Lots of Info.

Repeating yourself doesn't change things.

The USDoE doesn't determine the legal status of schools. That point is irrelevant. The Department of Agriculture comment was meant to point out the absurdity of raising the issue.

Madison operates with no outside regulation.

Madison's degrees are worthless academically. Their use in the workplace is largely (if not entirely) due to people not knowing the true nature of the "school."

That you submitted some transcripts to Madison doesn't change a thing. That they awarded 6 credits for life experience doesn't either.

You still have not addressed some simple questions about your classes, professors, etc. Is it that they did not exist? Specifics, please.

 

Re: Lots of Info.

Yes, I know that Madison is located. Judging from the other tennants at this location, it appears to be in a strip mall or industiral complex or something similar.

We have seen one dissertation. That is hardly enough to determine the overall quality of the work produced. Are other dissertations available, or is this the only one in the entire history of the school that has been made public?

Now, as for the questions you avoided, I will state them again:

Would you mind telling me the names of a few of your professors? A student at a legitimate school would have no reason not to, right? In fact, at the better schools, students are proud to have studied under professors who are leaders in their field. I'm sure there are many of these at Madison, right?

Also, a student who earns a J.D. (law degree) from an ABA accredited law school is eligible to practice in any state. In what states can graduates of Madison's law school practice?

Does everyone qualify for entry into the PhD programs? Even someone without a high school diploma? Sure looks that way from the site. That's great! Doctorates shouldn't just be for smart people or people who have read books and stuff.

And I'm sure that, as a legitimate university, the faculty of Madison publishes extensively in scholarly journals. Would you mind pointing me in the direction of some of those articles?

Who is the President of Madison? Who are the Deans? It's not on the web site. No legitimate school would keep this information secret right?

This was for an associate's degree, right? That is the absolute minimum number of hours required for a legitimate associate's degree, and less than half the number required for a bachelor's.

Did you put together a portfolio or take an exam that demostrated that you had met the competencies of specific college courses? If not, I would challenge that. Legitimate schools do not give ANY credit for "Life Experience." Some give credit for prior learning that can be adequately demonstrated.

Perhaps Madison does require some work. Perhaps you learned a great deal doing this work. But you would have been SO much better off if you had gone to an accredited school. There are many reasonably priced, flexible programs available.

That is not the role of the US DOE. Madison degrees are illegal to use in the state of Oregon. That is a fact.

 

And what about the other 49 states in USA?

 

I was simply addressing your statement that, "...the US Department of Education cannot comment on this school then I do not think anyone else can call it legal or not." My point was that your statement is clearly incorrect.

And while it might not be illegal to use Madison degrees in other places, it is certainly not a good idea. What if you use the degree for employment, and your employer decides to check out the school and finds a bunch of web sites where some people are asking simple questions that can't be answered, and others may be calling it a degree mill. Many, many people have lost jobs in situations like this. For a recent example, do a search here or at Google for "Laura Callahan."

 

Question for the Madison U graduate

Hi,

Just wanted to know why you got the degree and what you did with it afterwards. Did you get it to gain a better job or a promotion? Do you work for private industry or the government?

Also, why did you pick Madison? Did you know of other distance programs? You mentioned (I think) that it wasn't expensive, how much was it?

Do you plan on doing anything else with the degree? Grad School, more promotions or different jobs? Just wondering.

Thanks,

Jon

 

What is your degree in, BTW?

And yes, what are the names of your professors? I would certainly like to know, and it would most certainly validate all the hard work you put into your program.

 

too bad, Laura callhan didn't look like such a bad person:


http://www.fcw.com/events/fed100/2002/callahan.asp

 

a little more info about Madison and WAUC

Hi folks,

Here's what I have on the web about Madison University. I'm just pasting stuff from the long page where I put information, so please take a look at the following URL...

http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/nonCHEA/#madison

...to pick up the links and "blockquote" html that lets you see what's a quote and what's not.

regards,
George Gollin

--------------------------------

Madison awards credit for "life experience" (although it also does list a set of courses in its catalogue): "Credit for Professional/Occupational Experience may be used to satisfy degree requirements on a course by course basis." It is natural to wonder how the "official transcript" will reflect academic credit awarded for "professional experience." The answer is simple: courses which are never actually taken (and grades for those courses!) are inserted into the transcript so that it is not readily apparent that the credits are awarded for "life experience" rather than formal academic work. From page 4 of the Madison Catalogue:

How much credit can I receive for my work and life experience?

There is no limit to the amount of college credit a student may receive for work and life experience. Students who possess knowledge and professional training in their field of study may be exempt from academic course requirements.

How will my work/life experience be reflected on my transcripts?

Students will receive a letter grade for each course completed. The method of completion is not disclosed on Official Transcripts.

In short, the transcript is a fake, and includes courses which were never taken by the Madison customer.

Madison states that it "is fully accredited by the World Association of Universities and Colleges (WAUC)." You can find WAUC on the Quackwatch list of "Questionable Organizations."

The conference paper Competing for the Cyber-Savvy; challenging the competitor you never knew you had (by George M. Brown; paper presented at the 16th Australian International Education Conference, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 2002) contains more information about the WAUC:
The World Association of Universities and Colleges (www.web-hed.com/wauc), is an unrecognized accrediting agency run out of a secretarial service in Nevada, USA. The WAUC claims to accredit over twenty-two universities worldwide, including the universities owned and managed by the founder of the WAUC. In 1999, one of its members, Taft, sued the WAUC as it alleged the WAUC had not performed a site visit upon its organization order to establish its bona-fides. During discovery part of the lawsuit, the WAUC was unable to provide any evidence suggesting it had conducted a site visit on any of its member institutions. With this type of case, one would have thought that the agency would not be permitted to operate. Unfortunately, due to the ease of online communication and the increase in globalization, organizations such as the WAUC are able to accredit operations throughout the world.

 

Im a tad bit slow

Ok, I have heard many responses regarding MadisonU.com, not .edu, but .com.

One simple question.
Why would anyone spend over $1,000.00 for a degree that is not legit. RA or DETC?

Ok, another question.
When you see examples such as P.O. Boxes, no campus, Liberia, degrees by life experience, total cost of $1850.00 including books, etc. Why would you spend the money?

I follow the old saying "IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLY IS"

Sorry, maybe Im just a tad bit slow.

 

Re: Im a tad bit slow

 

"At a recent meeting, the Mississippi commission released a list of nine private universities that listed Mississippi locations but have not been approved by the agency. The list includes American World University of Mississippi based in Pascagoula, Novus University International in Jackson, Lacrosse University of Bay St. Louis and Madison University in Gulfport."
"At this point, 'we don't have the enforcement,' said Bill McHenry, the commission chairman."
-- http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0307/29/ma03.html

 

Are all these " institutions" connected to each other?