Choice between California Coast Univ & Columbia Southern Univ MBA programs

One last thing...

Some other differentiating aspects of Aspen IMO (besides price):

1. No BA required for graduate work. Not unique by itself...but certainly not standard.

2. Liberal transfer credit (half the degree allowed in for transfer credit + 9 credit for portfolio) allowing the possibility of a 3 class MBA. Excelsior is the only other US school this flexible (at least that I have found) - but would appreciate being corrected (I think we all appreciate knowing all the options available). It's worth noting they also allow graduate credit for PMP and computer certs which is cool IMO (but certainly not unique by itself).

I guess my point is that Aspen seems to be very flexible (credit xfer/no ba) and low priced - perhaps making it unique among US graduate programs (or certainly worth a look).

Greg

 

I inquired into faculty at the school and was sent a list of cherry picked faculty. In most cases the list did not indicate where the "faculty" obtained their degrees. One of the few however (Don Chiarella) has a "Doctorate" from Kennedy Western.

Just as I suspected. I am not at all impressed with Aspen or DETC!

Chadron State College is a better VALUE at $174 semester hour (regardless of residency). Actual campus, actual educated faculty, actual RA/ACBSP MBA!

There needs to be better quality control measures in education. I suspect there will be changes ahead.

 

How do you now the faculty was cherry picked? How about posting this list, along with the email showing where it originated from, date, time, etc.?

Abner

 

mackattack would you like to share were you received your doctorate from?

 

I gotta chime in but i agree with Rich.

As you know I am in the middle of trying to figure where to go for my Doctorate and I have been given lots of advice from many different sources.

According to a professor that I have been blessed to have as a mentor and who will be my outside reader and reviewer one has to look at costs of attendance in a very simple way.

He assumes that I want to work in a profession where pedigree or specific accreditation is important and he asked me how long I planned on using my degree. I told him about 15 to 20 years.

He simply said that a $25,000 difference in cost over an average of 17 years on the job simply means that you have to earn $1470 more per year in your job to make it worthwhile.

From a simplistic view it really makes sense. It doesn't make it any easier to pay at the time but according to him if a substandard degree or accreditation is going to keep you on the bottom tier of earnings then why get it.

This argument notwithstanding I still would look for the least expensive degree but I would weigh in ALL the factors.

In my case I know I need an RA degree. For a consultant it makes no difference.

I agree with Rich though, all things being equal get the RA degree. It's a fact that RA is still looked at as the gold standard even if it is not always an accurate barometer of academic quality.

 

Does it matter if macattack earned a doctorate or where the doctorate was earned?

Dave

 

Don't have one, thanks for asking.

 

I received the email direct from Aspen as a result of my inquiry. I received it Tuesday, April 17, 2007 10:36 AM.

The email states: "This message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the designated recipient(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message is strictly prohibited."

I cannot copy and past the email. I was sent "select faculty". Most had masters and I was not given the school but for only a few. It was obvious that this person's school was listed due to his "doctorate".

 

And here is an interesting post just made today by the illustrious Dr. John Bear in regards to an Aspen U thread in this same forum:
######################################

#14 Today, 06:38 PM
John Bear
Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Northern California.
Posts: 4,164

Steve's Bwa-ha-ha is not appropriate for the nation's largest community college system. While a Master's is required for most academic hiring, there is no distinction made between regional and national accreditation, either in hiring or in salaries.

Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators in California Community Colleges *

§53406. Requirement for Accredited Degrees and Units; Definition of Accredited Institution.

"All degrees and units used to satisfy minimum qualifications shall be from accredited institutions, unless otherwise specified in this Article. For purposes of this Subchapter, “accredited institution” shall mean a postsecondary institution accredited by an accreditation agency recognized by either the U.S. Department of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. It shall not mean an institution “approved” by the California Department of Education or by the California Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education."

* http://www.cccco.edu/divisions/esed/...revFeb2406.pdf

PS: This is, recall, the system in which an RA Ph.D. in philosophy does not meet the job requirements to teach philosophy, as Marina learned to her surprise. That job requires either an M.A. in philosophy or in humanities, so Marina was hired because of her external hmanities MA from Dominguez Hills. Incidentally, she is retiring from the community college system in three weeks, after 15 years, and will devote her time to teaching at a Buddhist center in San Francisco.

 

Hmmm! Just a day or two ago, you were insinuating Aspen had no teachers and merely had $15.00 an hour graders.

Abner

 

15$ is about how much you make at schools like UoP or JIU. If you do the math, if you get paid 1000 dollars for about 10 hours during 8 weeks, it comes to $12.5 hour. This is in a RA school and a position that requires a master's degree. I don't understand why you feel that paying low is an equivalent of low quality as this is the standard practice at many online schools.

 

Like I said, I was going off information I had (from this board). The website did not list any "facutly", so I inquired. They sent me a goofy list, which included 4 disclosed schools, one was a degree mill.

 

Because it is more supposition. The person who stated that(1 poster) wrote "he heard it somewhere". Ah, the proverbial "somewhere", or hearsay. Also, the insinuation was made that there was no teacher instruction. Once again, the fact is I email my instructor for help on a regular basis, and she gets back to me every time. Any other student from Aspen will tell you the same.

It was also said that "posters" (as if there were many) kept complaining about the service at Aspen. Once again, this was 1 poster who had a minor complaint. One negative comment, out of hundreds who have posted positive comments on this board, and degree discussion as well. The true experts have also said positive things about Aspen.

As far as other UOP and JIU paying the amounts you stated, that is correct, as other instructors have factually pointed out. So what you are saying is there is nothing wrong with that pay structure, and I agree.

I guess what I am trying to say is this. Look, I know you and macattack do not care for NA schools. You argue they have less utility, and you know what? That is fine. Dr. Douglas makes his points, but also acknowledges positive changes for DETC when it is appropriate. Experts like him are good because they will help DETC evolve by having positive, constructive criticisms, which folks like me pass on directy to Michael Lambert, Director of DETC.

In closing, if you guys have criticisms about NA utility, fine. But as Mundo pointed out, do not single out individual schools based on flimsy information, hearsay and inuendo. I, like many, have attended both RA, and NA schools. I am proud to list all of my coursework on my resume. And like most NA students, am already an expert in my field, and thus have attained the B.S. I was lacking. Currently, I am working on MBA from Aspen. As an experienced professional and student, this works for me. I would never advise someone to obtain a NA degree if I felt it was a bad fit.

Oops, another closing thought. To take a degree that is around $5,000.00, and compare to say a $50,000. is quite simplistic. I would hope the $50,000.00 degree would have something better to offer. This is not an NA RA issue. My NA degrees work for me, because despite all of this Extensive discussion, my degree is "recognized". A key term in my work world.

Gentleman, I wish you the best. Macattack, keep studying for your CPA! When will you take the test?

Have a good one,

Abner

 

The exam consists of 4 sections. I passed the 1st section and take my second section on Saturday! Yikes!, better hit the books hard.

Thanks for asking Abner

 

I agree, for example, if I were to chose between UoP or Aspen, I would take Aspen as at least you are not over paying for similar quality. DETC is less prestigious than RA but for employment purposes both schools would be seen as bottom online schools, so why to pay the extra?

In addition, I have found a lot of good comments about Aspen so people seems to be happy with their service and they do it at a low cost. In my case, I wouldn't hesitate to do an Aspen degree as something extra to my resume and if I already have a RA master's degree.

 

Awesome!!!! Good luck on Saturday, I will keep my fingers crossed.


See ya,

Abner

 

Found this little gem researching NA vs. RA schools for MBA programs.

Have there been any changes since April that would alter opinions about the NA vs. RA debate?

 

I doubt that there would be much change in opinion. There is still the issue that many (albeit not all) RA schools refuse to accept NA credits/degrees for purposes of transferring, graduate school admissions, and faculty hiring. There is also still the issue that many employers will not accept NA degrees for hiring purposes or grant tuition reimbursement benefits if you are pursuing an NA degree. There is also still the issue that some state legislatures and state licensure agencies will not accept NA degrees for purposes of sitting for state licensure exams. So there is the issue of the limited utility of NA degrees. Mind you, I'm not prejudiced against NA degrees, I'm just realistic. I hope things change over time, but the situation is what it is. I think it is largely a perception issue. FYI: Degreeboard.com does maintain a list of RA schools that accept NA credits.

 

You've brought up an interesting idea, which I will take to another thread. . .