Anyone attending/attended/thinking of attending Schiller International University???

Yes, it is Nationally Accedited. And I know that people say thats not a good thing. But I would challenge anyone coming from a RA school like Ashford "POS joke" University to try my classes in Macroeconomics, US Political Systems, or Cultural Differences in Communication and see if they can do them. I've worked my butt off in my classes. At Ashford, you dont have to do jack squat to pass. And I see people in Masters programs there that can't spell, use proper grammar and punctuation, or even properly put together a sentence. Its maddening. I honestly dont know why Schiller never got regional accreditation. I wish they would. Then people wouldnt over look it and assume its not a good school. It really is, and I love it there. But I can see where it would put some people off because its a NA vs RA school. But again, Ashford is a RA school, and its a piece of crap. Sometimes, just sometimes, there are things to look at beyond accreditation.

 

Well, aside from being an obscure NA school, I can think of another big reason why it gets "overlooked": a BA will cost you about $60K in tuition alone. From a risk/reward perspective, this strikes me as a terrible gamble vs. other providers in the market.

 

Sounds like it may be harder than some RA schools. There is nothing wrong with national accreditation. It won't open as many doors for you and I question a $60K price tag (reported, I haven't verified this) on a degree that wont open all of the doors, but nobody can call it a fake school.

If it will serve your needs and you are OK with the price, then you should continue to go for it. Please be aware that you could earn a regionally accredited degree for less money than that, so you should consider that carefully. A RA degree such as this might not be any better academically, but it might serve you better.

 

See page 12: http://www.schiller.edu/pdf/FINAL_Catalog%20Supplement_Schiller_2011-2012_Aug5-11.pdf

490/credit X 120 = 58,800.

 

With my transferred credits, Im looking at about a $50k price tag. Still high, I agree. I would be SO much happier if they were at good $10k+ cheaper. BUTY, Im happy with the program, it will serve my particular purposes, and I will be getting my masters from a RA school so in the end this one won't hold me up. But I really want not just the degree but the academics and challenging classes.

 

*BUT...where the heck did BUTY come from??? LOL

 

Holy cow! I wouldn't pay that for an RA school unless it was one of the tops schools with instant name recognition, and you could go to a top school for those kinds of prices. Schiller must have one hell of an enrollment team to be able to pull that off.

 

Agreed. Harvard Extension is cheaper for their ALB in International Relations and you're a Harvard Alum when you finish. 975 per 3 credit class.

Granted, they're not fully online. But I'd rather spend the extra money on summers in Cambridge with family than Schiller if I could make the numbers work.

Bachelor of Liberal Arts Requirements: Undergraduate Degrees

NM - you may want to check out that site.

 

Yes, you could probably get an RA degree for half that price, or even less.

 

Page 14 of the Schiller catalog indicates they accept clep and dantes (dsst) exams for credit. http://www.schiller.edu/pdf/Catalog-2010-2011.pdf I would urge you to look into that...there is easily $10K to be saved right there, perhaps a great deal more!

check out the offerings at freeclepprep.com (for dsst and clep info).

With that said, your still spending a great deal for a degree from a school with questionable value...I urge you to re-think it.

 

Well, there's no way for me to do any kind of time at the campus, so Harvard Extension wouldnt work. I actually looked at that, but again, I need something fully online. i do agree that name recognition would be a plus. I do get tired of always defending/explaining my school. HOWEVER, the curriculum is very challenging here at Schiller, so IF I were to ever change schools I would need fully online, more affordable, name recognition, RA, and an EXCELLENT International Relations or Poli Sci undergrad program. As I said, I really like my school, so if I leave it has to be for a school with SERIOUS wow factor.

 

Here are some online Poli Sci bachelor degree programs from well-known B&M state schools. I believe all are cheaper than your current school. I just did a quick search, so there are likely more out there that I missed. The point is that there might be better value for your $ out there and it's worth shopping around:

Arizona State: Political Science (BS) | Online Degree Programs | ASU Online

Penn State: Penn State | Online Bachelor of Arts in Political Science | Overview

Colorado State: CSU Online Plus - Liberal Arts | Online Bachelor's Degree - Colorado State University

Oregon State: Curriculum -- Political Science -- Undergraduate Degrees Online -- Oregon State University -- Extended Campus -- Ecampus

Troy: eTROY | Offering quality online courses and online degree programs

 

Hmmm. I'm going to have to look at these. Im shocked about Arizona State and Oregon State. I had no idea! I've never heard of Troy before this forum so i confess I dont know much about it. I notice these are all Poli Sci. lol Are you trying to say that would be a better undergrad for me?

 

I agree with FJD. Plus, you have the extra advantage of earning a degree from a recognized, traditional, state university. Most of those programs offer no indication on the transcripts or the diploma that the degree was earned online. NMTTD, unless you have a very good reason for staying at your current school, you should really consider schools like those suggested by FJD.

I dropped out of the doctoral program at a good, but online only school (aka "dot com school") to attend a doctoral program at a traditional university that offered the ability to earn the doctorate mostly online. I have to fly to Virginia once or twice a year, but the rest is done online. My diploma will be exactly the same as those earned fully on-campus. That's a definite plus that you should consider also.

 

I really dont have a "good" reason other than Im already here and I like it. BUT....I've always loved Arizona State. No one from my family has ever gotten anything higher than an Associate's degree. To be the first with a Bachelor's (and eventually beyond) from a big name like Arizona State...wow. I will confess that I had no idea big names like that really offered much online. When I did online searches, the same schools always pop up. Mostly the for-profits that everyone has heard about. I had no idea about some of the other colleges I've heard about on this forum until I saw them here...but the BIG big names??? Had no clue at all. I will definitely be calling tomorrow and requesting info. I would definitely be willing to leave Schiller for ARIZONA FREAKIN STATE!!! Holy Cow.

 

I feel kind of silly that I didnt know about these schools!! Seems like its common knowledge on here. But Other than my attempts at traditional college, I've only done online college twice. Ashford University (dont get me started. Biggest piece of crap EVER) and now Schiller. I did what I thought was good research, but I can see from this forum I was wrong. lol I do wish the bigger schools would advertise their online programs a bit more so people like me know they are there! I mean, if I had known I could go to Arizona State, do you think I would have EVER gone to Ashford or Schiller? Um, that would be a BIG heck no!!

 

What I've learned is that you really have to work hard to seek out all the available options. It takes time, but it's worth the effort. Here's another "big name" school (especially if you're a college football fan) offering online degrees at a good price: University of Alabama has an interdisciplinary BA or BS that lets you design your own major. It might work for you, and it's 312/credit. I'm sure there are many other options out there, too. Keep looking and good luck. BA or BS in Interdisciplinary Studies (New College LifeTrack)

 

Thanks This is why I like this forum. You guys are great. I will be calling Arizona State first, then Oregon State, followed by University of Alabama. All tomorrow. Thanks again!!

 

An online degree from an RA state school will be a better option in every case and will usually be significantly cheaper than a FP online-only school. Since your SIU studies are projected to be completed in 2015, I would suggest that you have not traveled down that path so far that you cannot change directions and get a degree that will be more useful to you and will be accepted everywhere rather than a degree that will provide you limited utility at a higher cost.