University of Zambia and UNICAF

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Haggai12, Apr 24, 2020.

Loading...
  1. Haggai12

    Haggai12 Member

    Hi all, I have not posted in ages, but wanted to share this interesting discovery -- especially for those willing to study with an African school. And yes, the PhD -- by distance -- in several disciplines is available for about $6,500 [total] USD.

    University of Zambia has [apparently] expanded its distance offerings [more revenue] and is working in conjunction with UNICAF, a credible group of UK, European and African schools.

    UNICAF is well-funded [including Goldman-Sachs]. It is "Accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education as an Independent Higher Education Provider. Unicaf & Unicaf University are backed by top investors across the UK, US and Africa."

    Check out these links:

    https://www.unza.zm/institutes/ide/home

    https://unicafuniversity.com/
     
    Mac Juli and SteveFoerster like this.
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    If UNICAF is based in Zambia or Malawi, I'd think that approval there would be more helpful than approval from BAC. Still, looks interesting.
     
  3. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Hello!


    Seems quite legit. The University of Zambia - the institution that issues the degree - is listed as H+ (=accredited institution) in the German anabin database; and they have a partnership with two other reputable institutions based in UK. However, the prestige of an African PhD might be lacking! But please, please, please, don't shoot the messenger...


    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     
  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    No shots fired from here, as it doesn't have to be deserved to be true. But as usual, my position on those things is that it all depends on what box you're trying to check.
     
  5. Haggai12

    Haggai12 Member

    No argument from me either. Well known that only a handful of African schools (mostly in S Afr) meet the standards of quality found in the 'first-world'.

    Still, for Africa, better quality, more affordable, more accessible education is important. Unicaf -- with it big money backing -- has [it claims] provided over $100,000,000.00 USD in scholarships to students from 156 countries. Don't know where all this money is coming from (UN? World Bank?) but it will help many folks.

    https://www.unicaf.org/?_ga=2.125665167.461420519.1587753952-566972870.1587753952
     
  6. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I think that's an irresponsible statement. Why can't prestige be associated with an African Ph.D.? Are you referring specifically to the University of Zambia? That I can agree with. However, universities such as the University of Cape Town and the University of Witwatersrand have consistently ranked among the top 100-200 global universities by U.S. News and Times Higher Education. Many schools in North America and Europe do not rank that well on a global scale.
     
  7. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Hello!

    Do not forget Stellenbosch... But as I stated, the prestige still might be found lacking. This is not my opinion. Do not shoot the Messenger. It is that of many people in the first world. I would like to quote Dune, in which it is said giving a diagnosis should not be equaled with defaitism.

    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     
  8. Haggai12

    Haggai12 Member

    There are some excellent schools in Africa, among them: Cape Town, Pretoria, Witwatersrand, Cairo, Nairobi. When compared to official rankings you must go pretty far down the list to find an African [usually RSA] university. And when it comes to "perception", especially in global academia, it is an uphill battle for any African school.

    I am not ashamed to have earned two degrees including my 'doc' from South African schools. I just know from years of experience how little regard they receive in the West, especially among other academics.

    https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2019

    https://www.webometrics.info/en/Africa
     
    chrisjm18 and Mac Juli like this.
  9. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    It's a pity.

    Take a look at Nigeria Open University. If I read their coursework, I think they are doing a really great job… and nobody in the first world seems to notice. Look here if you want: https://www.nou.edu.ng/

    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     
  10. Haggai12

    Haggai12 Member

    Quick update....... I paid the application fee and went through the PhD application and proposal phase, including Skype interview with an administrator with a PhD from Russia. The administrative offices are based in Larnaca, Cyprus. They are very capable folks. Especially for the price I recommend consideration. They are a legitimate consortium of US, UK, and African schools.
     
    Johann and RoscoeB like this.
  11. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    We've had 2 pretty long threads on UNICAF before this. Nobody (including me) could come up with much of a reason to go there. Sure, it was cheap - That's about all we knew. Some folks said it had "international accreditation" - many of us (again, including me) were doubtful because such a thing is not supposed to exist (is it?). All we knew for sure is - it was accredited in Malawi - we weren't sure how good its degrees were anywhere else.. Now we're told the Uni. of Zambia awards the the degrees. That makes a difference, if that's so. A known good school, as Mac Juli has pointed out. Do the diplomas show UNICAF, U. of Zambia or both?

    https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/but-what-if-there-was-an-internationally-accredited-program-that-is-both-flexible-and-affordable.51431/#post-504908
    https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/african-counsil-of-distance-education.49766/page-5#post-491642

    Well, it appears from one of the previous threads that UNICAF has managed to attract a whole bunch of money - so somebody must believe in them.

    In another thread, we discussed a partnership (MBA program) between UNICAF and a Welsh school. We weren't convinced that non-Africans could apply - the general viewpoint was no - if you're outside of Africa you get to pay Welsh fees - same program, just no UNICAF. Maybe this IS the new affordable University and our fears were unfounded. Good for Haggai12 for taking the plunge. I wish him the best and hope to hear continued good reports about the school.

    At least I know the UNICAF isn't where you go for coffee after class - but if you want a beer, I guess you still head to the UNIPUB. :)
     
    RoscoeB likes this.
  12. RoscoeB

    RoscoeB Senior Member

    A second doctorate? What's your research topic?

    Roscoe
     
  13. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    A colleague who was enrolled in their MBA at one point said the curriculum was okay but the efficiency of the administration left much to be desired.
     
    Mac Juli likes this.
  14. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Confirmed from personal experience...
     
  15. Haggai12

    Haggai12 Member

    RoscoB ....... I was thinking about 'development' or 'psych'. Actually, that's where the process stopped for me. We could not come to a meeting of the minds on research focus. No matter, it was fun to go through the application process. Nice folks.
     
    SteveFoerster and RoscoeB like this.

Share This Page