A DL Nightmare

I do not know the motives for a RA doctorate holder to work for a non-RA school but I have met (professionally or socially) several RA accredited PhDs looking for work and believe me, and often had to accept low skill jobs to survive. Perhaps working for non-RA schools provides extra income.

I work for a Fortune 500 company with 200,000 employees. As part of the hiring process educational and professional credentials are evaluated along with work experience. Non-RA accredited degrees are ignored in this process because non-RA accredited institutions lack the peer review of other educational institutions, professional bodies, and industry. My company will hire non-graduates if they can demonstrate the ability to perform the job (rare for engineering positions). I know this policy is followed by other fortune 500 companies and the US government.

Until a good DL PhD in CS is offered I suggest you investigate other professional credentials. I know nothing about CS but in other fields there are professional and well respected organizations that offer various grades of membership such as the UK Institute (Institution?) of Electrical Engineers. Membership in such an institution shows that in addition to possessing skills and experience, you are keeping up to date in your profession.

 

Neil Hynd wrote, in reponse to Rich's sensible, well-intentioned arguments for prospective Century students:

There you go again.....

...my CU dissertation panel was a Union Institute PhD. Which I think is where you got some of the credits you transferred into your current MIGS program.

The other two panel members were also fully RA-d PhDs.

Both had BS, MS and PhD degrees arising from Northwestern, UCLA and University of Southern California collectively.

My reply: Chip, if you find my post too harsh. Please delete and advise through my email.

I'd think that Dr. Hynd's arguments are fairly weak for a Ph.D. First, having RA Ph.Ds on your disseartation panel, may suggest something, but not much. If I remembered correctly, the owner of the degree mill Mellen University was a former professor with University of Toronto. He has a Ph.D from Harvard. In short, this means little.
If one has to defend the legitimacy of his/her own Ph.D by advertising the RA status of his/her dissertation panel, go figure....

And all of this was under and within the terms of a valid, annually-renewed American state license covering faculty qualifications, course credit-hour requirements and administrative probity.

No need to advertise and to broadcast again the state license. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, that those written New Mexico Education regulations were enforced. However, if RA is the norm for general acceptance, then it is. That's a fact, and it's reality. Plus, it's already a joke if you have to constantly bring out the rule book.

Other arguments, such as "i need to find a credible Ph.D in computer science that is totally non-resident." The fact is, if there isn't a RA or a GAAP equivalent Ph.D program, then don't do it."

I like the saying: "if your head is not that big, don't buy an extra large hat."

...and don't try to make others get into the same laughable programs and to ruin their careers.

Neil protests:
Somehow this doesn't quite square with your rant - for which the following quotation comes to mind: "methinks he doth protest too much".

The rant is reasonable. Why suggest a winding road for others when you truly know you're considering another Ph.D? and not from century again?

_____________
Best regards,
Terry

 

I think that what it boils down to is that a credible PhD in CS is not offered completely non-resident because it wouldn't be a credible program. The other choice is second or third rate programs. Second rate would be DETC accredited. Oops maybe there aren't any second rate offerings either? For a third rate program, see the suggestion given in this thread.

 

But as I noted, Century was "grandfathered" past the newer New Mexico regulations. They don't apply to Century because it located in New Mexico before they took effect. No, Century wanted a location where they could continue to run their operations unfettered by state regulation. Maybe they thought New Mexico's climate was better than South Dakota's or Wyoming's. But the regulatory climate is the same--or was but remains for Century.

Rich Douglas