Northcentral U is now accredited.

I just received an email from NCU stating that their tuition is going to increase from the $250 it presently is. The text is as follows:


Effective May 1, 2003 Northcentral University will be raising its tuition.

We recognize that many of you have been considering attending NCU but were waiting for our official notice of accreditation. It is now official: Northcentral University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. This is the same agency that accredits prestigious universities such as the University of Arizona, University of Phoenix, Capella University, The University of Colorado, Regis University, University of Illinois, Purdue University, University of Michigan, and hundreds of other fine institutions in 19 states.

If you are considering enrolling, NCU is making the following accommodation. If you enroll and pay the full tuition for your degree program between now and April 30, 2003, you can still lock-in the $250 per unit tuition, and since you will have paid in full, you will not have a tuition increase for the entire duration of your degree program, as long as you maintain continuous enrollment.

Please contact Admissions for information on this "paid-in-full" option that can save you up to $10,200 on the bachelor's degree, up to $2,500 on the masters, and up to $6,300 on the PhD depending upon when you apply.

Thank you.
Dr. Donald Hecht
President

 

Re: Just another reply!

As Rich said, there is an exception to the rule. But I also have seen far more "bad" engineers not coming from unaccredited but from accredited schools from foreign institutions. Also it depends what do you call "good", some people they just learn their job very good but when you change them the working environment and some variables then don't know what to do. A good engineering education teaches you how to think and solve problems rathern than how to do things. He might be one of those "doers" without deep knowledge.

 

I wish there were more Northcentral student's that could post their experiences here. Recently Northcentral posted the following on their website:

Northcentral University Press Release
On February 20, 2003, Northcentral University reached a milestone when it was granted accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. The Commission is one of six regional associations responsible for accrediting colleges and universities throughout the United States.

NCU is the first exclusively online university in the nation that offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees via the Internet and e-mail. Don Hecht, who founded the distance-learning University in Prescott in 1966, explained that the Internet has changed the way people are being educated. With worldwide instant communication it is now possible for everyone who desires an education to get a quality education without every leaving home.

While many traditional campus-based institutions have attempted to incorporate distance-learning programs into their offerings, NCU is one of only a very few that offers distance learning exclusively, and the only one offering the online doctorate in psychology and business administration.

Instead of offering a traditional classroom model where a professor lectures to dozens of students from the front of the classroom, NCU’s educational model emphasizes self-learning with one-on-one interaction between a learner and faculty. “This student-learner interaction is now possible over the Internet with students and faculty exchanging emails,” explains Hecht “so that learning is more personal and individualized.”

This model of one-on-one mentoring is not really new. Prior to the 20th century it was quite common for the wealthy and privileged to hire tutors to provide personal education usually at their homes. With the emergence of public education in the last century, students were required to come to an educational center, or campus, for group learning in classrooms. While classroom-on-campus is the prevailing model of education throughout the world, the Internet, and NCU, promises a new approach that brings a faculty and a learner back together.

Basically the NCU system works like this: after students enroll for a course, the faculty (mentor), who could be anywhere, emails them a course syllabus detailing what course-work is required for completion and the learning steps required. Each student works independently to complete the assignments within the required time. As the student completes each assignment, it is e-mailed to the mentor for evaluation, comments and grading and emailed feedback. It is not uncommon for a student to communicate with his or her mentor, via e-mail, several times a week or even daily, Hecht said.

In addition, students also can communicate with other students enrolled in the course, or even with students who have already completed it. And while students have 16 weeks to complete the course, they have the freedom to set their own pace and finish it sooner, Hecht said.

He admits that NCU’s program does not appeal to everyone because it requires high levels of self-discipline and self-motivation. The average age of its students ranges between 35 and 55 and 80 percent of them already have bachelor degrees. About 30 percent of its students are in the military since the distance-learning model allows the service member to complete courses wherever they are stationed.

Currently the tuition rate is $300 per semester hour, which is very competitive with other accredited universities. Earning an NCU degree is even more attractive when one considers there are no travel, gasoline, parking, and fixed classroom schedules to worry about. For the adult learner, NCU offers an attractive and time-saving way to earn a degree without interfering with an adult’s busy schedule, said Hecht.

Northcentral University is on the web at: www.ncu.edu

mbastudent