California Southern University

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by phdcandidate1374, Feb 11, 2010.

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  1. novadar

    novadar Member

    I was referring to a larger scale, such as the US. Search "UPenn" in Google. All links and searches related popup the University of Pennsylvania. I've also heard UPenn countless times in the media.

    I was fortunate enough spend a week kicking around Philly in the 90s while visiting an older brother. Indeed students there did refer to it as "Penn". I've never heard "U of P" as a reference. Learn something new most days. lol.
     
  2. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    I never meant to imply that either "Penn" or "UPenn" were invalid abbreviations. But you need to keep in mind geographical context. Steve and I both (at different times) resides in or around Wilkes-Barre, PA (two hours north of Philly).

    Sure, in Philly it's safe to say you went to "Penn" and have everyone understand your meaning. Outside of Philly if you say you went to "Penn" most people will mentally add "state."

    A large part of it is concentration. There are a ton of Penn grads, students, faculty and staff in Philly. There are relatively few Penn grads outside of Philly but still in Pennsylvania. You don't typically get an Ivy League education and say "Awesome, now I can take Hazleton by storm!"

    They exist, mind you. The majority of the Penn grads I met in WB were veterinarians. And they, if asked, would almost always say they went to vet school at "U of P." Again, saying "Penn" in that area (which has a high concentration of PSU grads owing to there being three local Penn State campuses) makes people immediately think of the football powerhouse.

    Consider also that there are different references for different situations. I've never heard a cornell grad say they went to "CU" yet I frequently see Cornellians wearing "CU" apparel.

    At a minimum, U of P is used much more frequently than "PU" seems to be used for Princeton (though maybe the folks at Purdue like it better) or "HU" for Harvard (something that the grads of Howard University might very well say.

    Anyway, my original point stands.
     
  3. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    I was once taken to task for saying that I went to "Edison State College" by someone who insisted that the school should always be referred to as "Thomas Edison State College." What he didn't know is that as one approaches downtown Trenton, there are signs pointing to "Edison State College." Granted, we at DI tend to abbreviate it as TESC, but ESC is just as correct. (The "Thomas" part still appears on their diplomas. In fact, my diploma is antiquated enough to read "Thomas A. Edison State College," which dates back to the days that they had to make it clear they had nothing to do with a Florida degree mill called Thomas Edison University (which, I believe, is no longer in existence).

    All of which is, of course, far less significant than the hoopla caused by Regents College of the University of the State of New York when they changed the school name to sound like packaging material (Excelsior).
     
  4. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    My diplomas from Regents all say 'University of the State of New York.' When I graduated, the program was called the Regents External Degree Program. Later, the program was renamed Regents College Degree Program. When it was privatized, the Regents let them use 'Regents College' for 3 years, after which they would have to change the name. I'm not as revulsed as some others by the current name, but I don't use it, either.
     
  5. ikibah

    ikibah Member

    Not many states will allow this for licensure even with the RA if you look at licensure boards - most require a physcial location with classes in addition to the RA accrditation
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I have no data to support this but there have been some statements made that suggest that many of the people who enroll in that program already have a license to practice based on their Masters degree.
     
  7. ikibah

    ikibah Member

    This is true...I actually spoke to an enrollment advisor there (i'm a social worker) and expressed my concern with not being able to get licensed in most states in which the advisor replied that many of the enrolled students are social workers, counselors etc. who are already licensed to practice as masters level therapists and not psychoogist and they get their psyd for the sake of marketing/furthering ed. etc. I like the idea of getting a doctorate but I think the psyd would deceive to many people into thinking my license was as a psychologist. In regards to this thread though I don't think there is much of a difference for people looking into the psyd program now that it is RA instead of just detc. The only real advantage i can think of is one looking to teach psych in a college that requires a phd from a regionally accredited insitituion - but again in terms of licensure i dont think ra makes a difference in this case.
     
  8. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    "So, I went to Stanford."

    "Uhh, no, you went to Leland Stanford Junior University!"

    I think part of the problem is that society greatly frowns upon the throat punch while not really providing a viable alternative to modify the behavior of people whose behavior is in desperate need of modification.
     
  9. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Distinctions without differences.
     
  10. dkearby1982

    dkearby1982 New Member

    Indiana University of Pennsylvania is weird to me as I graduated with a bachelor's and master's from Indiana University. I know that CalSouthern actually asks its students to use "CalSouthern" as the accronym as opposed to CSU to cut down on confusion.

    I just started attending CalSouthern and really like it thus far. The courses are not easy. Fees are quite transparent but there are a few fees not listed on the website. They do go through all the fees with you though and have you sign an enrollment agreement stating you understand the fees. There is a $4500 doctoral project fee and if you need to extend a class past 8 weeks it is around $150 for another 4 weeks. This is to encourage students to finish classes. I am not sure why there is such a large fee for the doctoral project but a traditional nonprofit PhD program I attended has a $3200/year maintenance fee once you get past coursework and are working on the dissertation. I have found CalSouthern to be very forthcoming and upfront about the advantages and limitations of their program. The enrollment specialist asked me if I planned on becoming a licensed psychologist. I said no as I am an LCSW. She said she wanted to make sure given that their program doesn't qualify for licensure in most states. I liked that she was upfront about that and didn't try to hide it. She wasn't "selling" me on the program. I really hate sales people. When I shopped around, I called Northcentral and Walden and I could tell the people I was talking with were sales reps. They were unprofessional and made so many promises. If CalSouthern stays on the path they are on now, they will help a lot of students get accredited degrees. I just hope states start accepting online education as worthy of licensure. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 10-15 years. As colleges are trying to save money, online programs will become more common and professions will have to adjust.
     
  11. dkearby1982

    dkearby1982 New Member

    Indiana University of Pennsylvania is weird for me as I attended Indiana University. CalSouthern encourages students to use "CalSouthern" instead of CSU in order to minimize confusion. While not all fees are listen on the website, they go over all the fees with you before you enroll. You have to sign an enrollment document stating you understand the fees, etc. Fees are minimal but there is a $4500 doctoral project fee. The traditional social work PhD program I attended but did not finish had a $3200/year maintenance fee for students working on their dissertation. Additionally, CalSouthern gives you 8 weeks to complete a course and if you need an extension it is $150/4 weeks. This is to encourage students to get done with class. I like this as it motivates me to keep moving along. I also like that they don't try to sell the program to you. The enrollment specialist asked me if I planned on getting licensed as a psychologist. She explained that many states don't currently accept their PsyD program. I already knew this but was glad she took the time to point it out. She explained everything in detail to help ensure this was a good fit for me. The real test is the coursework which I am enjoying so far. Some of the students are not cutout for doctoral work and their writing is terrible. I wish these schools had more selective admissions criteria. I emailed my professor about this and he said it tends to even out as students that can't write well don't typically last. I just don't understand why they admit them in the first place. Money, I am sure, plays a large role. But that is more of the case even with state schools. Many of my MSW colleagues had no business being in grad school.
     
  12. holiday5804

    holiday5804 New Member

    CalSouthern DBA

    Hello,

    I am new to this site and wanted to inquire about the DBA program for CalSouthern. My goal for the DBA program is both to further my career and to teach in a part-time adjunct position. My employer pays up to 5k of tuition reimbursement, so from what I am seeing my employer would cover most of the charges if I took 4 years to complete and woudl cover all charges if I managed to stretch it out to 5 years.

    I know they are WASC accredited, which from my research seems to be pretty good, and are currently a candidate for AACSB accrediation. I am curious if anyone has an idea of whether CalSouthern's ability to gain WASC accrediation speaks to their ability to gain AACSB accrediation and how difficult it would be to get an adjunct position if CalSouthern were to be turned down for AACSB accreditation. I'll be completely honest, even if they were turned down, it may not be the end of the world as without student loan debt from this program I wouldn't have to worry about finding an adjunct job right away. If it is going to derail my ability to teach it may cause me to reconsider.

    I like what I see as far as flexibility and my employer paying for most/all of it, but want to get insight from others before I take the plunge. Thanks!
     
  13. holiday5804

    holiday5804 New Member

    FYI, I mean ACBSP, not AACSB for accrediation. Not sure why I was thinking AACSB. Thanks for any insight.
     
  14. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Attaining regional accreditation is not indicator that a school will earn any programmatic accreditation in and of itself. That CSU made the leap from NA to RA is good and it shows that they are pretty serious about this whole accreditation business. That tenacity may very well carry them to ACBSP accreditation if they've set their sights on.

    But RA is a basic requirement for ACBSP in the US. So it's kind of like saying "does earning a bachelors degree indicate that I will be successful in my masters program?" The good news for you should be that ACBSP will likely not have any impact on the degrees marketability whatsoever. AACSB might help you in certain situations. I'm aware of no objective advantage for an ACBSP degree. There are some opinions for sure. But most employers are blissfully unaware that it even exists.

    If your goal is part-time adjunct work I would honestly try to do that with your Masters. There's no need to spend tens of thousands of dollars earning a doctorate so you can earn $2k a year (if you're lucky) that you might have been able to earn as an adjunct at your local community college.
     
  15. holiday5804

    holiday5804 New Member

    Hi Neuhaus,

    Thanks for responding. If I attend CSU, the cost really isn't a factor as I plan to take 5 years to finish the program, which costs just over 25k with all fees, and I get 5k in tuition reimbursement each year through my employer. So, my DBA would virtually be free. The main reason I am looking at doing it is because it would open doors at work, I could find adjunct jobs a lot easier, the black sheep of my family (me) would be the only Dr. besides my father (haha) and as I previosuly mentioned, it would be basically free. I am glad that you mentioned that nobody will care about ACBSP as I was curious how much that would matter. From wat I understand, RA is the most important piece by far unless you are attending an AACSB school at which point that does carry a bit of weight. It surprised me a bit when you said an adjunct would only earn 2k a year. The ones I have seen in MN aren't going to make you rich, but from what I undertsand that pay a bit more than that. I have found it hard to find an opportunity with just my masters though, so I think the DBA would open more doors for that as well.

    The other option I have been looking at is grand canyon for their DBA. It is 20K more (all of which would be coming out of my pocket vs. the free program at CSU), but does offer financial aid so I don't have to figure out how to pay for the courses until my tuition reimbursement is paid. Anyone have experience with either of the DBA programs at either of these schools and could give me any insight? Thanks again and have a great day!
     
  16. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Let me just clarify; I'm not saying as an adjunct that you'll only earn $2k a year. What I am saying is that competition for adjunct jobs can be very stiff and, depending upon where you work, the earnings may very well be peanuts.

    $1,200 per course might sound good at first. Divide that out by the amount of time you spend prepping your lesson, grading papers, providing office hours and actually teaching. Not so good. That said, I only teach one course (generally). The scalability of teaching is more favorable to you. It doesn't (typically) take THAT much more time to teach a second course and a third course and so on. I know adjuncts who rely on that work to provide a living for themselves. Some do OK. Most struggle. For me, I feel that teaching is fun and a good way to keep me connected to trends in the broader HR world. I also like having the opportunity to meet the next generation of HR professionals. There's something satisfying about interviewing a person for a mid level HR job who was in your class.

    Pay varies widely. Some community colleges pay OK. Others pay peanuts. Some universities have OK pay. Others pay peanuts and treat you like crap. Online schools typically offer flexibility but competition is usually even more fierce and the pay can be garbage. There are good opportunities out there and you may very well find what you want. But the majority of adjunct gigs are not something you would earn a doctorate specifically to compete for.

    All of those generalities aside, it sounds like you have other reasons to pursue your studies and you can do it without breaking the bank. So, why not? Good luck with your program.
     
  17. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

    A friend of mine just took the doctorate plunge at California Southern University. He did state that if anyone is interested in attending to lock up the current rates, they have to be admitted and enrolled before January 1. On January 1 the doctoral tuition will go up to 470 usd per credit.
     
  18. holiday5804

    holiday5804 New Member

    Thanks Neuhaus,

    I appreciate the feedback regarding potential pay. Thankfully I would be teaching on the side. I used to instruct some classes for a previous employer and really had fun with it, so it is something I'd like to do again.

    Scaredrain,

    That is what I heard from the enrollment advisor I was talking to. When I saw the announcement about the increasing rates I at first figured that opportunity just flew out the window, but the advisor said even if I didn't start until March or later, as long as I was enrolled by January 1 I would be locked in at the current rates. I'm waiting to completely finish the app and fork out $75 as I'm still considering potentially 2 other programs. I did some research on Wilmington College's DBA and it looks like they are just over $30K and have financial aid, so I want to see what the graduate admissions person I emailed thinks about my background and chances before I shell out the $75 for Cal Southern. From the sounds of it, Wilmington's may be somewhat competitive and I am not in a management position, so I'm not sure if that would keep me out of their program.

    Anyway, thanks for the input from both of you and have a great Thanksgiving if you are in the US, if not, have a great week!
     

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