Accreditation of OUS Royal Academy of Economics and Business in Switzerland

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Studious_Eric, Jun 7, 2020.

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  1. Studious_Eric

    Studious_Eric New Member

    A warm Hello to everybody.
    I am new to this forum and I have a few questions regarding the OUS Royal Academy of Economics and Technology in Switzerland.
    In a nutshell, I wish to to do a doctorate level study (PhD, D.Phil, DBA) in business. My circumstances are that I can only do it online.
    I came across this academic institution and after lengthy research into its legitimacy I am still unclear. I do not wish to condemn it outright, but I appreciate that if there is any doubt in the legitimacy of an academic institution then one should avoid it...
    I appreciate all the comments on this topic in a few threads on the forum, but would like to know if that is indeed the latest status.
    My main question is: the OUS Royal Academy is accredited by ASIC (Accreditation Service for International Colleges & Universities), which is an internationally recognised accreditation body. Surely that should carry some weight....?
     
  2. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    yeah sure, great place to get your degree since it's accreditated (as what you have mention). so whats the problem?

    by the way, how did you 'come across' this place? like did you google "online Phd in business" and this came up?
     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    No.

    There are a lot of discussions about ASIC and its (lack of) relevance to the recognition of degree-granting institutions. Please read these threads.

    There is, despite a great deal of distracting and irrelevant information on their website, no reason to believe this is a properly recognized tertiary institution whose degrees would be commonly accepted.
     
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Please tell us what makes this school "a great place to get your degree since it's accreditated (sic)."

    Is it properly recognized as a university by the federal Swiss government? Is is recognized as an EU school? Are its degrees evaluated here in the US as comparable to US degrees?

    The burden of proof is on those who make such assertions. I shall look forward to your explanations.
     
  5. Studious_Eric

    Studious_Eric New Member

    Darn! Just when I thought I have at least one credible point of reference. Here’s my train of thought:
    1. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a recognised council for recognising accrediting organisations
    2. ASIC is a member of CHEA
    3. OUS is accredited by ASIC

    Where did I go wrong...? Is my first point invalid?
     
    Rich Douglas likes this.
  6. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Hello!


    We have discussed the merits of an "accreditation" from ASIC some times here. In short, it should not be named "accreditation". You may want to search the board a little and form your own opinion about this. This said, in Switzerland, there was a critical article about this institution. See here: https://www.beobachter.ch/gesellschaft/abms-ein-doktor-ab-10000-franken. After this critical article, the author was sued (as far as I know: in vain) by the institution, see here: https://www.beobachter.ch/gesetze-recht/abms-strafantrag-gegen-zuger-academy.

    I don't think that a legit university should do this and I do not think it would do this.


    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     
  7. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    great train of though

    totally valid. go ahead and register with them. don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

    and next month when you and your friends make a new clone to promote this school again, tell them the same
     
  8. Studious_Eric

    Studious_Eric New Member

    Sorry...? What’s your problem? Other than your insecurities, of course...
     
  9. Studious_Eric

    Studious_Eric New Member

    Great find, Mac. Very useful. I had to laugh when I read the following:
    Später stellt sich heraus, dass die ABMS bis heute nicht beim Schweizerischen Akkreditierungsrat um Zulassung ersucht hat. Damit konfrontiert, erwidert Al Souleiman: «Die staatliche Anerkennung eines Abschlusses sagt nichts über die Qualität der Ausbildung aus.»
    roughly translated: it transpired that ABMS has till today not bothered about membership with the Swiss Accreditation. When questioned about this, they replied: “the state recognition has no relevance on the quality of the education” :-o
     
    Mac Juli likes this.
  10. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    In general, for a degree to be recognized it has to be recognized by the minister of education of the country where it resides. If a school is registered in Switzerland, it should be recognized by the authority in this country which is not the case. If a school is accredited by a foreign accreditation body such as ASIC, AACSB, etc, this can be considered extra accreditation that might carry value but it does not replace the local authority authorization.
    In few words, this degree might serve a particular purpose but most likely will not be recognized in a situation where a recognized doctorate is required such as a full time faculty position, government position, etc.
    In Europe, you have many private institutions that operate legally granting degrees but these are not recognized in the European Union as official degrees and are considered private degrees that are meant to develop a professional competency.
    Many people that follow these degrees just need something to boost a CV. For example, a professional adjunct professor that only needs a MAsters degree but uses the private non recognized degree to include the PhD letters in a CV to attract attention. The PhD is not required but the person knows that the PhD letters might help with differentiation.
    Private degrees are very popular in Spain, France and Switzerland. They help in the sense that you can add some continuing education to your CV and are not considered bogus but they wont be considered official degrees.
     
    newsongs likes this.
  11. Studious_Eric

    Studious_Eric New Member

    Good point. I never thought of it like that.
     
  12. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    The problem is that the school in question is not an American nor a British School. The main criteria is that the school should be recognized by the country where is registered. It won't pass the test of most of the international credential evaluators such as NARIC, WES or any member of NACES for this purpose.
    Again, the school might have some value in terms of curriculum and learning but it won't pass the recognition test for official recognition purposes.
     
  13. Studious_Eric

    Studious_Eric New Member

    fair enough. What about the legitimacy of carrying the title/salutation? Is it legal to use the title Dr. even if the underlying PhD is a “private degree”?
     
  14. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    This depends on the laws of the country where you reside. In Canada for example, the letters PhD are not regulated but the title Dr is regulated. People living in Canada that graduated with PhDs from private schools from Europe use the title PhD but not Dr. in general.
     
  15. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    There are some private Swiss Institutions that work with Government recognized Universities for dual degrees. You can check in this forum for options. I recall one that works with University of Central Nicaragua, this last one recognized by the government of Nicaragua. In the US, in some states the title PhD or Dr is restricted so a foreign equivalency report from a NACES member evaluator is required. Some people get the Nicaraguan degree so they can legally use the title Dr or PhD in the US.
     
  16. Studious_Eric

    Studious_Eric New Member

    Thank you for your response. To put my question into context. I would like to ensure that my title (Dr) is recognised in the UK and Germany, at least. US and others would be a plus. Which accreditation bodies would you suggest I should look for to ensure piece of mind in terms of UK and Germany recognition?
     
  17. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    UK Naric is the authority for British Recognition. The school in question will not be recognized by NARIC as it does not have Swiss recognition. UK Naric is very strict and will not recognize dual degrees.
     
  18. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Yes, it is invalid. Good try, though, Eric. Unfortunately, and no reflection on you, your "train of thought" got derailed coming around the first bend.

    1. CHEA membership is restricted to U.S. accreditors. CHEA acknowledges the existence of overseas accrediting organizations, including ASIC - without any judgment as to quality or scope - and publishes a list of such overseas organizations. That does not make any of them CHEA members or make their accreditation activities meaningful in the US.

    2. Not one of these overseas orgs is a CHEA member. ASIC, however is a member of a quality committee run by CHEA - and (rightly) tells us that in its promotional materials. That does NOT make ASIC an official CHEA member. If someone - anyone - infers that it does - that inference is totally unfounded.

    3. OUS is accredited by ASIC, you say? Why, so it is! Trouble is, people a lot smarter than me say ASIC has no remit outside of UK. And even there, it reports to the UK Border Agency, making sure there are no immigration scams (visa mills etc) connected with the (mostly non-degree-granting) schools it accredits. ASIC is empowered to ensure that "real" classes are taking place - but academic oversight is the job of other organizations, not ASIC's.

    4. ASIC International offers a wide range of services, in many countries - but is careful to point out that its accreditation does not accord or enhance degree-granting authority.(No kind of accreditation does, actually. Not its job.)

    5. ASIC International states that ASIC-accredited schools must rely on whatever degree-granting permission they have from their own country. I think some of the schools have a tendency to forget this in their promotional activities. "How ConVEEEnient," as Dr. Levicoff might say.
     
    Mac Juli likes this.
  19. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    What I meant to say was "CHEA membership is restricted to US accreditors, educators, education organizations and officials."
     
  20. Studious_Eric

    Studious_Eric New Member

    Thank you for your response, Johann.
    Also, thank you for your predictable candour <grin>
    I was hoping you would weigh in, as I have gathered from your previous posts that you do not "sugar coat" your responses.

    All I can say is pheeewww... I was very close in spending EUR20k to pursue a DBA with OUS. What suddenly sent off warning bells, was that there was a small print in the application form that read: "I confirm that I have been informed about the nature of the school" (or something like that, I recall from memory...). WTF?? what credible organisation of any kind makes sure it absolves itself from any misrepresentation?
    Well... back to the drawing board. I definitely want that DBA. Will let y'all know about my next choice.
    Again thank you for all the valuable inputs.
     
    newsongs and Mac Juli like this.

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