Central University of Nicaragua Degree Scheme

Agreed. Then again, pharmacies in Mexico have practices that are really foreign to us. E.G. many antibiotics are available over-the-counter without prescription - that makes fertile ground for the development of 'superbugs.' Years ago, living in Mexico was one of my dreams. Not now. No matter how much money I had. Full of all kinds of dangers. Low-grade degrees are the least of them.

 

Agreed. Some states have religious exemption, with specific prohibitions against the "Qualifiers" - e.g. no more MBAs in Church Management etc. And they've been known to prosecute. I'm guessing Florida doesn't have this. We've all seen that outfit that peddles "Ethereal" degrees in Business Management, etc. Or maybe nobody thought "Ethereal" should be prohibited as a qualifier. Florida... another place I'd never retire.

 

Florida is a great place to retire to. Some of the best beaches (when a hurricane is rolling in). The Jimmy Buffett lifestyle in flip flops.

 

I don't agree with this example. The Mexican law allows Mexicans and non-Mexicans to buy non accredited degrees from an Accredited school but the difference is that Mexicans understand the difference so they will not buy them because they have no use for them. The foreigner will buy it because it is abusing a local law that states that if the school (not the degree) is accredited then the degree is accredited in the local country.
In many Asian and African countries, the criteria for local recognition of a foreign degree is being listed in the UNESCO book for universities.
It is an issue of abusing laws that don't talk to each other.

In the case of Costa Rica is clear that the government is allowing private schools to make money from foreigners as long as those degrees are not marketed to Costa Ricans. In this case, your example might apply. However, here the Costa Rican government is passing the ball to the country where the degree is issued. It is like saying, we don't accredit them but if the foreign institution can accredit them in the foreign country, if is not longer our jurisdiction so we are going to allow it because it is not up to us to accredit foreign operations.

 

Yes, I stand corrected, not in the US but only in few states. I think that this is the case of University of Sedona that grants degrees in Business, Psychology and Counselling by using the metaphysical qualifier.

By the way, in Canada it was the same case back in the 70s in some provinces, but the law changed but there are some people that still hold non accredited degrees from religious institutions that were granted legally.

 

Ethereal is another word for spiritual or celestial. Here a definition of an Ethereal doctorate:

"An ethereal doctorate degree is an accelerated degree program taken by professionals who intend to take advanced doctorate courses or programs. Professionals who take the ethereal program may complete their doctorate degree in as quick as 12 months. This is highly favorable for those who are seeking immediate promotion from their careers."

https://bestaccreditedcolleges.org/articles/careers-and-education/what-is-an-ethereal-doctorate-degree.html

 

No examples, making me believe the ethereal doctorate is ethereal as well.

 

The following schools have ethereal degrees which are both non-accredited (state-authorized or religiously exempt). One of our members was enrolled in the American International School of Theism but dropped it to pursue a PhD from a state-authorized Swiss business school that is validated by and awards a PhD from a French government-accredited school as a dual award instead.

American International School of Theism:
https://aituedu.org/accelerated-ethereal-doctorate-in-education/

Breyer State Theological Seminary
https://breyerstate.com/phd-degree-programs/

 

True words, Rich. I think we both know the histoty here.

Yep, that was the one I was referring to. And just because some hack pimps up an Ethereal Degree, in something that makes its money from advertising colleges, because he's paid to make it sound good, (or pompous) - I'm not impressed.

We all know the Breyer State story. Hatched in Idaho, on a Reservation, though neither the owner nor his wife were Native Americans. At one time it was "accredited" by the "Central States Consortium" which was believed to be under the same management and ownership as Breyer State U. itself.

BSU migrated to Alabama, where it was unaccredited, but State Licensed. When the State elected not to renew most or all of these licences, Breyer State moved back to Idaho (off the Reservation this time) for a short time, thence to California. in the gunslinger "sunset" days of the BBVE.. Later, still unaccredited, to Panama, licensed (but not accredited) And now -- its descendant is in Florida... and has found religion.

Colour me unimpressed by all this pseudo-theological "ethereal" nonsense. I see it as just a way of misusing the religious exemption. Here's another thread on Breyer State Theology University.
https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/breyer-state-theology-university.51587/

 

Ethereal stands for accelerated (very thin) degree programs.

https://breyerstate.com/ethereal-accelerated-doctor-of-business-administration/


These programs really look like a joke, I couldn't find a single graduate from an Ethereal doctorate. My guess is that Breyer State is just a dying school trying to survive with some creative ways to bypass the legal system but I cannot think of anyone that would like a CV with a designation of "Ethereal Accelerated Doctor of Business Administration". It is a direct garbage can designation or at very best recyclable bin designation.

 

You could write a movie script with this story. Once upon a time, degree factories were very lucrative but they are now dying businesses. The religious route is just a desperate attempt to stay in business. They could not use the word "Christian" like a Doctor of Christian Business Administration because they would need to redesign all their courses to add the word Christian so they chose the convenient "Ethereal" word so the courses remain the same and just say that the program is ethereal or accelerated.

They could always chose to register an atheist church (Yes, there are some) and chose a more convenient name like "humanistic Doctor of business Administration" or "Humanistic Doctor of Education". At least it sounds better.

 

My type of weather. Nothing else. I don't think people there would like me. Except for maybe the ex-Cubans and any other Hispanics. We'd very likely get on OK. Maybe I could get a place on Calle Ocho. But then there's that Governor and the horrible politics. In all - no thanks.

 

Exactly.

 

Yep. I think it's possible that I could. Maybe call it "The Gang that Couldn't Teach Straight," after Waldo Salt's script for "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight," a movie adaptation of Jimmy Breslin's novel of the same name, about gangster Joey Gallo.

R.I.P. Jimmy, (d. Mar. 19, 2017.) He was my kind of writer.

 

Maybe more like the movie "Catch if you can". The story of a university that keeps moving from one place to another to avoid being shut down and finally creates a new religion "Ethereal religion" just to stay in business.

I think of the owner anything but a spiritual or religious person. The Ethereal church idea is pretty lame.

 

It is clear to me they use the term "ethereal" to fly under their exemption. But....not so much in their description of the program: The purpose of our Ethereal Doctorate degree programs in Ethereal Business Administration is to prepare you for careers as university professors, business research, and senior business/research positions in the private sector as well as the government.

I struggle to see how such secular purposes can be met with a religious degree. Especially the first one! I want to see the university professor who got a position based on possessing this degree.

No faculty listed, by the way, but that might be because there aren't any.

The courses have very pedestrian descriptions--not at all what you'd expect at the doctoral level. Each has a textbook (many quite dated), but no indication what one does with it. Perhaps you have for fork over the dough to find out, but I suspect there isn't much more than already meets the eye.

I contend that one cannot plan, propose, execute, evaluate, write-up, and be assessed on a doctoral project in a year, much less also include completing a curriculum. But hey, what do I know?

 

Absolutely! But you had me wondering, when you quoted that article about "ethereal Doctorates." I thought you might be saying, as did the article, that they were a good and valid thing. (OML! It was post #506! this is a MONSTER thread!)

It seems after all, we agree. Glad I was wrong.

 

I am sure that all they did was to take the old DBA and just add the word Ethereal but no effort was made to make it religious based. They figure that by the time the government sues them or tries to shut them down, they would figure if they can remain in business or just fly to another country or maybe make a deal with a foreign school for dual award degree like the ones we discussed before. It is a dying business, I couldn't locate a single graduate from these programs so it is just matter of time before they shut down for real.

The idea was pretty bad, they could chose something more creative like Humanistic, Metaphysical, Spiritual Based, etc but the Ethereal is really a laughing matter than no none would want have in a CV. It is already difficult to explain metaphysical business, theological psychology, etc . But an Ethereal DBA, it is just laughable.

 

It was meant to be sarcastic. The bottom like of these options that we discussed is that perhaps we should just bite the bullet and pay for a degree that it would lead you where you want to go. A good degree is expensive but more expensive is getting a degree that just ends in the wall and cannot be used for anything else.
I respect people that want to improve themselves with a higher degree. The low profile degrees are fine if all you want is the sense of self achievement and there is no expectation of career change or high impact in your career. It makes sense to spend the 6K just for personal development, but don't expect it to be a degree that would lead to a licensed and high paying career.

 

OK. I get that. That's legit -- enough, I guess. No harm there. But I also think it's likely that some who enrol for the $6K degrees do so with dollar signs in their eyes and the intent to capitalize to the max, 'way beyond the real scope of their degree-looking-papers, at whatever cost to anyone else. I wish there was some way of these universities accepting those who want a vanity degree and rejecting those who want a villainous one.

But there isn't such a way. Oh well...