Certificate in Theology, etc.

Good luck Kevin. Those of us who have contacted SATS have found them (specifically Dr. Reuben Van Rensburg) very fast to respond and helpful.

You could end up completing your Bth & Mth through SATS for a fraction of the cost of a degree here in the US.

Best of luck to you.

North

 

Re: Uncle, Uncle, Uncle!!!

So you are saying that Anton Lavey's work is citable as positive evidence of your own leanings? Or have I gotten it backwards?

Tony

 

Kevingaily,

Please keep us updated on your progress and experience. This is one of the apsects of this forum that makes it interesting and useful to others.

North

 

Hi North Don't worry, I plan on visiting this site regularly. Not just to share info, but to get more. I really enjoy this site.
There are new threads all the time that help me learn more. I want to thank all of you here who have really helped me and so many others to understand DL and the perils of accreditation and quasi accreditation. It's true that so few people understand the difference. That, however, is changing. Thanks to places like this site. As I learn, I will share with others here what I can so they don't make the same mistakes that I did in understanding the whole college debate. Thanks for welcoming me here. God bless

 

Tony: So you are saying that Anton Lavey's work is citable as positive evidence of your own leanings? Or have I gotten it backwards?

Haven't a clue, Tony, what you're getting at. Lavey's Satanic Bible...and...what? (Sorry, I'm a tad dense at times.)


On another note...

I was somewhat depressed to find that the British Pound is 1.62 that of the Dollar. I was hoping it would have ended up more like Mexico: 1 buck's worth 10 of theirs: my $1000.00s would drop to...$100.00! Oh well!

Starkman

 

Sorry, I was just joking about demons and other such evil spirits and their relevance to a non-demoninational course of study. In retrospect, it wasn't as funny as I originally thought.

Regards,
Tony

 

Yeah, it is--I think it refers to the French.

 

A few brief comments . . .

This will appear to be very jingoistic and somewhat bourgeois, but here goes . . .

There is no "equivalent to RA." There is only RA. Period. Foreign programs may or may not be as high-quality as U.S. programs, but if U.S. schools do not recognize foreign credits or accept them in transfer, then from the perspective of transfer credit per se, the foreign credits are worthless.

Most of the Americans who would suggest programs in South Africa, Australia, England, Canada, ad infinitum, are simply cheap bastards who are idiotic enough to go to foreign programs (1) solely to save money, or (2) in the mistaken impression that there is more status to foreign programs. (Which, for that matter, makes them more bourgeois than me.)

Don't hold me to this one (meaning check it out yourself), but as I recall, there is an articulation agreement for Thomas Edison State College to accept credits from the Southern Baptists' Seminary Extension Program. This is an exception to the rule, since TESC normally will not accept credits that are not regionally accredited. The bottom line, however, is that if you want to do a certificate and have the credits accepted toward a bachelor's degree, Seminary Extension is a much better option than SATS.

That's it; I have spoken. Don't expect any further comments, since these threads have a habit of going ridiculously off topic. (LaVey, indeed . . . )

 

Re: A few brief comments . . .

 

You said “minister’s wife” so I guess you don’t mean Roman Catholic. If not, look at the Australian Catholic University diploma and MA in Theology. Currently $875Au per unit.
Best wishes---Jim

 

Re: A few brief comments . . .

 

Kevin: You will be breaking relatively new ground, since the stand-alone recognition/accreditation for SATS by SAQA is new. So having documentation at the ready is a good idea. Be sure you have something indicating SATS' new standing AND the novel history behind it (SATS will supply this, I'm sure).

In general, there is no problem with recognition of degrees from SA universities, since (for better or worse) these are state run and under the supervision of the somewhat bizarre minister of education Dr Kader Asmal and his happy gang of...but I digress. If your ultimate intention is to pursue a subsequent degree from a specific US school, ask them directly. Can't hurt.

Bill Grover and Cory Seibel are doing doc work at University of Zululand and Stellenbosch University, respectively. Ask them about their experiences.

Transfer of credits is always somewhat chancy, even RA to RA.

I would encourage you to pursue the SA option. There is a civility and kindness (prevailingly) in the person-to-person dealings which is often absent in the ostentatious-asshole atmosphere of some other options. Be aware that Souf Efricans often have to pay through the nose for e-mail and are sometimes reluctant to use it, while absolutely loving their blerrie fax machines, offering fruit and candles to them and pouring spook-and-diesel libations over them regularly. If you want rapid answers, get on the phone. SAns are often more laid back about timeliness, anyway, so a bit of patience may be needed. It is a simple business to send money by wire transfer, if the institution you deal with does not use credit cards. You will pay about $30 per wire transfer, IME, but I have never had a problem in sending money that way and having it credited properly. Be silently aware that your bargain in currency exchange is their economic difficulty. If you are inclined to shoot your mouth off about politics, restrain yourself in talking or writing to SAns; feelings run very high and in unpredictable ways. (I have never ever encountered any flak for being American in many years of dealings with South Africans, however, even from SAns whose political orientation is quite unfriendly to the US.) Accents can be a bit of a problem on both ends--remember yours sounds just as difficult as theirs--so speak carefully on the phone to avoid some of the comical misunderstandings into which I blundered.

Good luck to you.

 

Hi guys! SATS does want you to have a mentor if you're going for anything less than a masters, although I have gone to four years of school already and would probably be fine without a mentor. I am still leaning toward SATS for a few reasons. First of all they will accept my non-RA credits(at least in part), which means less repeating of that which I have already did, not to mention time saved. Secondly, the seminary extension through the Southern Baptists, will only get me a diploma. I would still have to go somewhere else for a degree. They, by the way, probably won't accept much of my prior learning. I must admit, though, they are my second choice
Anyway, thanks for your comments, and please keep them comming. Just to pose the question another way: If you were representing a ministry, or a Christian college (accredited) would you, here in the States, look favorably at my having a degree from SATS which is accredited in SA? Thanks Bill G. & uncle janko for your earlier posts.

 

Just got SATS newsletter from Reuben. Says SATS has gone from 115 students to nearly 1000 in two years. But, Kevin, you need to do your own evaluation of the SATS degree utility I think. Unk and I can express our opinion which seems to be that it is probably "OK", but the responsibilty is yours. I do think SATS is very customer oriented, is evangelical, is a bargain, and likely has a program of substance.

 

Hey Bill, I totally agree that I need to research on my own. It just so happens that your opinion as well as the others on this site are part of my research I'm learning a lot from this site, because you(this site) hold conservative views reguarding accreditation and quality of school. I have written SATS a couple times and have been going over their web site extensively. I'm not finished researching them and am looking for more info. I don't plan on enrolling in a program until late spring.

I would like to get a hold of their newsletter. Can I access it from online?

Take care....

 

Re: Re: A few brief comments . . .

Kevin, degrees are largely a matter of perception. For example, one person might earn an M.B.A. from California State University without ever having set foot onto a campus. Another person might earn an M.B.A. entirely on line from the University of Phoenix, also having never set foor onto a campus. Both schools are regionally accredited. However, Cal State is known for having traditional programs and a brick-and-mortar campus, while UoP is known as a largely online school, profit making in nature, and loaded with adjunct faculty as opposed to full-time faculty. Therefore, although the degrees may be equal in content (hypothetically), many people will place more credibility in the Cal State degree than the UoP degree.

Now, let's take theology. One person can earn a master's degree from, say, Spurgeon College in London, while another might earn the same degree from, say, UNIZUL. The Spurgeon degree will be perceived as more credible because it requires up to four one-week residencies. The person who graduates from Spurgeon will honestly be able to say, "I went to Spurgeon," while the guy who graduates from UNIZUL (which includes everal wazoos right on this board) will never be able to say, "I went to UNIZUL" - because they will have never actually shown up at UNIZUL.

Now, let's say that you want a basic bachelor's degree, theologically oriented. You can earn one at a reasonable cost from the Moody Bible Institute, one of the best nown Bible colleges in the U.S., regionally accredited, and with no residency. Or you can earn a similar degree from, say, SATS. In the first case, no one will know whether you actually attended the school (on campus) unless you tell them. In the second case, you are automatically begging someone to ask you, "Did you ever actually go there?" Moreover, the Moody credits and degree will automatically transfer, or will automatically ensure your admission to a regionally accredited graduate school. The SATS degree will do neither. Why? Because, regardless of its quality (or lack thereof), it's not regionally accredited.

Remember, the issue of perception exists in both academe and in the corporate world. Which brings us to recognition by an HR director. Again, any HR director (and I have been an HR director) who is worth his or her salt and knows about educational issues will put more credibility in schools like Thomas Edison, Excelsior, or Charter Oak (the traditional "big three" of external programs) because they're regionally accredited. Even if you never showed up on campus, they will know that you had some degree of personal contact with the school - whether in terms of telephone advisement, taking exams, etc. But if that same HR director sees a foreign school, the credibility factor is unknown. And most HR directors will err on the side of safety - and pass such graduates' resumes right into the circular file (for the non-corporate types, that means the trash can).

Bottom line: The mere fact that you felt the need to ask these questions indicates that even you have some doubts as to the credibility of unknown foreign degrees. Continue to go with your intuition - avoid them.

 

The problem with Moody--and for that matter all RA schools in the States--is that they require all the GE. I don't want to take any GE, don't need any GE and could care less about most all of the GE. I've honed my English and grammar skills over the years, and I read very well. I don't need Chemistry, Geometry, Algebra, Science, or anything else to accomplish what I want. So if I find that DTS will accept my 3- 4-year degree from The UK's University of Glouchestershire, why should I be concerned anymore?

Further, I haven't worked in over a year (save a one-month temp job). I'm broke, and MUST choose the best bang for my buck. You can't possible be suggesting that we who are doing this are really suppose to choose the absolutely most expensive way to educate ourselves, are you? Where will you draw the line? At $5000.00 a year, $9,500.00, $15,000.00 a year? It's all relative, Steve, and there isn't a darned thing wrong with getting the best deal with for your money. (I've filed bankruptcy in the past, and I'll be darned if I'm going to get into a ton of loans for education when I don't have to--for MY purposes. I'm not interested in owing any man anything anymore, not if I can help it.)

Starkman

 

As far as price goes, nothing beats a S.A. degree. There is no doubt about it. Especially for someone that is in our positions. But, I don't know if it would really meet our needs.

Sure a degree is always better than a diploma or certificate.

I can't believe that some of the seminaries don't offer something a little bit more cost efficient. Seminary Extension is about the best deal that you can get as far as price and quality goes. I have looked at alot of the classes and the required books. Very respectable. I can't believe that there are not more U.S. options.

But now come to think of it, I do like the SATS classes offered via CD Rom. Exactly how does that work, anyone know?

In Him,

drew

 

Naturally, if you wanted to go to Rivonia/JHB (SATS) or KwaDlangezwa (Unizul) for consultations you would be encouraged to do so. This would obviously be the case with other SA institutions as well--required in some instances (Stellenbosch, for illustrious example).
Quality of supervision is dependent upon quality of supervisor, not the medium of supervision. A good supervisor will impose sufficiently rigorous expectations on newer media of supervision (phone, videoconferencing, e-mail, whatever) to make them equal to face-to-face or other in-person encounters. A bad supervisor will waste your time and fail to meet your needs regardless of the medium of supervision.
I have seen both: at a "brick-and-mortar" RA major university in the US.

 

Re: Re: Re: A few brief comments . . .