Let the games begin!

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by cookderosa, Jan 9, 2014.

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  1. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Well I've started my thesis research :fest30:

    My topic was approved, and my advisor request was granted. My advisor had some really nice things to say about me, so I'm encouraged that he even remembered me lol.

    The first order of business is to create a master file of all accredited schools, colleges, universities according to the US Dept of Education's database. There are only 36,752 :boggled: but I hope to have filtered that down considerably over the next day or two.

    Here we go!
     
  2. Koolcypher

    Koolcypher Member

    Congrats!

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  3. Pugbelly2

    Pugbelly2 Member

    Very exciting!
     
  4. GoodYellowDogs

    GoodYellowDogs New Member

    You GO! Woohoo!
     
  5. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I like to think of my project in cooking terms, because I'm just wired that way. What I'm doing now is peeling carrots. I'm ready to get chopping and cooking. So, as I peeled my carrots for the 8th hour, I had this really cool thought I'd never realized before! I'm finding out something that no one in the whole wide world has ever found out. How friggin cool is that? I'm still just peeling, but I'm whistling while I work :)
     
  6. soupbone

    soupbone Active Member

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    Congrats! I know that feeling all too well. I actually enjoyed my thesis and found it to be a very rewarding experience. Stick with those positive thoughts. Good luck! :wiggle:

    P.S. I just started the New York Medical College graduate program today! I'm nervous, but also excited. I figured I had done enough talking and needed to start doing. It's expensive, but I think I budgeted everything appropriately.
     
  7. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    what the what!? Which program!!??
     
  8. soupbone

    soupbone Active Member

    School of Health Sciences and Practice - Environmental Health Science - New York Medical College

    This one, but I'm only taking a couple of classes in the beginning to make sure that I like it. I've been researching this field for a few months now and so far I love it. It's a good combination of physics, engineering, and medicine. So far, so good. :smashfreakB:

    So how are you coming along so far? I know that the first week of my thesis, it was overwhelming, but once you're into it at about week number 4, you'll be moving along like it's a second job. I really do look back fondly on that journey.
     
  9. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    I'm finishing week 1. There was a lag between the approval of my topic, a quick revision and re-approval, and approval (then acceptance) of my mentor. So once all that got squared away, I was official. Up until the end I hadn't started because it was Christmas break, so I enjoyed the week to the fullest. Anyway, my official start date I think is January 17th even though I started last Wednesday with my mentor.

    I finished my first little step yesterday. I used the USDOE to pull together an excel sheet of all accredited schools/colleges, and then removed the unnecessary info and accreditations that were irrelevant to my research (nursing, therapy, etc.) leaving a master list of all NA/RA institutionally accredited colleges. It's a huge list - more than 26k and now I'm going down the list 1 at a time. I have to visit the school's webpage (thank you internet) and decide if they have a culinary arts degree program as defined by *me, and if yes- put their data for my project into my new spreadsheet. If no, delete it and go onto the next one.

    This is tedious, but it's fun. So far defining a "culinary arts degree program" has been a challenge. That took me a while and I'm still wrestling with my working definition. Some schools use the word culinary in the degree title, but are not a culinary arts program. Odd. Many schools offer certificates, but I decided to exclude them and stick with only undergraduate degrees. I also have a short list of other things that can exclude/include a program. I hope to have this list finished and all data collected inside of 30 days!
    Feb be spent analyzing and interpreting the info, gathering support for my written work.
    March will be spent doing the written work/revising.
    April/May will be submission and revision and completion!

    It doesn't feel like enough time when I write it out- yikes!
     
  10. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    Congratulations! Just remember it's a process--one day at a time.
     
  11. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Thanks! :) I will try to remember that.
     
  12. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    :reporter: So, let me say that for an edujunkie, reading thousands of college web pages is a bit like an alcoholic becoming a bartender. I did stumble upon a post-masters in nutrition that I simply must do, and a few potential and VERY interesting programs...of course for someone else.....:dunno:
     
  13. soupbone

    soupbone Active Member

    Haha! Yeah that's always the case. Just don't do like I do and fiddle around for nearly two years before deciding. We're not getting any younger! Just joking. :firedevil:
     
  14. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    You have picked quite a project with 36,752 schools; have you thought about paring this number down/ For example just use titele IX schools; there are 6,896 of these per Dept.Education Table I (Number and percentage distribution of Title IV institutions, by control of institution, level of institution, and region: United States and other jurisdictions, academic year 2009-10).

    After all the purpose of a thesis is to demonstrate that you can do research as a student.


    Another though is to contact the Dept of Education/Institute of Education Sciences [FONT=&quot]http://ies.ed.gov/help/[/FONT] and see if they can pride this file in a format you can use (tell them you researching your thesis).

    Good luck
     
  15. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef


    You underestimate me Ian, I'm down to 7,500 (which would be fewer if I'd get off this board lol).
     
  16. PuppyMama

    PuppyMama New Member

    Okay,

    My M.A. is in Educational Psychology so naturally, I am very interested in your topic. I saw that you are in the process of gathering information which entails a list of institutions of higher education. What is the goal? What exactly are you researching? I am a little confused by your name... this isn't related to the culinary arts in any way, is it?

    Sorry, I am new here so I am trying to bring myself up to speed. I am really happy for you. My thesis researched higher education as well. It is my passion and I love to learn anything new about it that I can.

    Good luck with everything!
     
  17. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Well, welcome. I don't mind sharing some details. Cook DeRosa is actually my name in real life. I don't do anonymous very well lol. :wall: My rule of thumb is to never put something online that I wouldn't want an employer, my children, or family to see. Plus, it takes less brain space to be transparent.

    Professionally, I'm a chef who has been teaching in a community college for two decades (nutrition is one of them); my trade is cooking but my field is education. I am earning a MS in Nutrition and my thesis will look at nutrition courses offered in undergraduate culinary degree programs. In other words, are chefs learning nutrition in college and if so, how much?

    Currently, during this part of my research, I'm looking at every RA/NA college to identify if it has a culinary arts degree program. No list currently exists, so first things first, I'll create that list. Then, of the schools that do have a degree program, I'm collecting information on their nutrition courses (if any) as well as number of credits spent in nutrition, and the department its taught from (science, nutrition, or culinary), lab/theory, etc. That information also does not yet exist, so I'm creating a list of that as well.
    Finally, I'll do my writing- which will look at my data in a number of ways. It's obviously interdisciplinary, crossing through nutrition-culinary arts-higher ed.

    Welcome to the board, and for those wondering, I'm down to 4,953! :reporter:
     
  18. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    I'm sure you will find Cal Poly Pomona in your research.

    CPP offers nutrition degrees for both humans and animals.
    http://www.csupomona.edu/~academic/sheets/docs/2012-2013/Curriculum%20Sheets/AG/AG_FN_Nutrition_Sci_12.pdf

    and in Food Science
    http://www.csupomona.edu/~academic/sheets/docs/2012-2013/Curriculum%20Sheets/AG/AG_Food_Science_&_Technology_12.pdf

    I've heard that Cal Poly degrees in these areas are very well regarded in Southern California.

    CPP has a restaurant connected to the cullinery dept.
    The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch

    Of note is that CPP has an Arabian horse breeding center left to the college by Kellog (of corn flake fame).
    W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center - History
     
  19. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Yes, but they won't be included unless they add a culinary arts degree! :burnout:
     

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