Contract Master Certificate from Villanova University

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Hytham, Mar 17, 2012.

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  1. Hytham

    Hytham New Member

    Hi There,

    I was planning to take the Contract Master Certificate from Villanova University through online classes (Commercial Contract Management | Online Contract Management), thus, I was wondering regarding the efficiency of those 3 classes and whether the same is a good choice as to improve my skills, knowing that I am civil engineer and working as contract administrator.

    Thank you in advance.
     
  2. major56

    major56 Active Member

  3. ghile

    ghile New Member

    Hi Hytham,

    Did you complete your master certificate from Villanova University? I saw that this university is not accredited by DEAC (Directory of Accredited Institutions including distance education)

    Here is the link Directory Of Accredited Institutions

    Thanks in advance for your update.


     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 11, 2015
  4. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    Villanova is a regional accredited university.
     
  5. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Villanova is not only a regionally accredited (not DEAC) institution, but it has a pretty solid reputation in Pennsylvania. It's operated by the Augustinians. It has history. It has a well regarded law school. Unless you've achieved a level of snobbery where you think nothing below the Ivy Plus (Ivys plus Duke, Stanford, MIT etc) category is worthy, Villanova would look pretty snazzy on your resume.

    Also, the Villanova courses, while not credit bearing, are ACE recommended for graduate level credit. That's limited utility, overall, but if you DID want to continue on for a Masters at TESC or Excelsior I would probably bet on an easier time getting the ACE credits accepted than the DEAC credits (but someone please tell me if that assumption is incorrect).

    Still, American Graduate University versus Villanova is sort of like being offering a choice between a vending machine burger and a decent (though not "best of the best") steak.
     
  6. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Although AGU is DEAC /NA and not RA … the AGU programs have a clear-cut focus toward those individuals whose professional interests and/or career field /path align within the federal contracting and acquisition management industries; more specifically in the defense industries. Also, AGU have some pretty solid specialized affiliations /strategic partnerships with organizations like The Defense Acquisition University (DAU), e.g., DAU is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education; a recognized (USDE / CHEA) national accrediting agency Council on Occupational Education FAQs | Council on Occupational Education) … even offering a DAU-AGU joint master’s certificate AGU | School of Acquisition Management | Master of Acquisition Management | Master's Certification as well as a Master’s Certificate of Acquisition and Contracting AGU | School of Acquisition Management | Master of Acquisition Management | Master's Certification. Additional affiliations /partnerships include the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) NCMA - National Contract Management Association, as well as the Project Management Institute (PMI) AGU | Affiliations. As previously posted: In contrast to the Villanova Master Certificate option: AGU’s graduate certificates require 18-hours AGU | School of Acquisition Management | Master of Acquisition Management | Master's Certification vs. Villanova’s 9-hour curriculum Contract Management Certification | Contract Management Training Online. Consider that the AGU acquisition and contract Master Certificates could seem to entail a more thorough, specialized and comprehensive curriculum (e.g., six courses /18-hours in lieu of the Villanova three course /9-hour set).

    My original response was intended as and strictly limited to online Master Certificates (e.g., contracting and/or acquisition management programs); and only presenting an additional accredited certificate alternative that the OP could /may possibly consider as beneficial. And of course, I did not compare and/or differentiate between the overall institutional brand notoriety re Villanova and American Graduate University. Such should not be considered as necessary …
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 12, 2015
  7. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Is it necessary to compare overall brand and reputation? I suppose not really. But the prices aren't really that far off. And while AGU may have some stunning affiliations, it still has that "generic for-profit DE provider" sort of name.

    The OP is already working in the field. So the experience of a current practitioner is going to be vastly different than someone hoping to "break-in" to a new area of work. However, it's OK to consider reputation as well.

    Henley-Putnam might offer the best program to fit your needs. But if Harvard Extension offers the same thing at roughly the same price are you saying you would pick HPU? School affiliations are fine but they are also invisible to most future employers.

    If DAU affiliation is all it takes to impress folks then take a look at the University of Management and Technology as well. They have an M.S. in Acquisitions Management. Military discount (includes veterans) takes you down to $750 per course. So, for the price of the AGU certificate in contracts, you can have an MSM in Acquisition Management.

    But, major59, I think it important to note that I'm not trying to attack you personally or judge you for recommending AGU. I am pointing out the vast difference between the reputation of Villanova and the virtually non-existent reputation of AGU. Couple with that the value proposition of paying five grand for a certificate that is unlikely to transfer to an RA school (at least the Villanova cert has a chance, even if you flipped the credits to Excelsior or TESC) and I think that is all information the OP, and anyone else interested, should be able to consider.
     
  8. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Neuhaus, I never considered your comments as personal attack at all … merely voicing your own suggestions and opinion.

    My input was predicated in that the OP is already established in his/her career (e.g., civil engineer working as a contract administrator) and considering education option/s to advance a particular skill-set in the contracting and/or acquisition management fields. And as a personal observation: 1) the 18-hour certificate programs within the contracting /acquisition field offered by AGU could be a reasonable and credible alternative, and a more comprehensive professional addition to the OP’s skill /credential set; whereas, 2) the Villanova 9-hour certificate appear to me personally as very lite in total subject area content ... simply IMO, a very basic contracts /contracting certificate in comparison to the AGU offering. Moreover, the AGU Master Certificate program (not an outsourced venture) is available at $1000 less than the Villanova /University (outsourced) Alliance (UA)-Bisk Education (Tampa, FL) offering About University Alliance Bisk Education business partnership enterprise. Consequently, I’d generally conclude that the Villanova /University Alliance certificates to be fundamentally high-priced based IMO … that the certificate to be lite in curriculum offering, and too, being a non- /for-profit business venture amongst Villanova and the University Alliance /Bisk Education companies (in addition to several other UA/BE partner postsecondary institutions) Program Course Development | Instructional Design for Online Learning.

    Note 1: In re to your referral that AGU has a “non-existent” reputation; you may not have fully considered such in limitation to the contracting /acquisition management fields (?). AGU has not ventured outside its core business model /industry expertise in its academic offerings as a DL institution. AGU is what I consider a very explicit subject area institution … understandable via both their academic and industry specific partnership affiliations. Within their specific industry specialization … AGU’s reputation could considered by the contracting /acquisition management industries as being more established than either of us realize (?). Additionally, American Graduate University was founded 1969 and DETC /DEAC accredited since 1998.

    Note 2: The Master Certificate in Commercial Agile Contract Management Contract Management Certification | Contract Management Training Online is NOT offered via Villanova certificate programs (e.g., The College of Professional Studies - Office of Part-Time Studies, re Certificate Programs or through Villanova’s online programs Online Programs … but simply as a standalone certificate and ONLY available via the Villanova /University Alliance-Bisk Education partnership route. Moreover, there is essentially no actual direct Villanova academic department validation in connection with this certificate and certainly not the AACSB accredited Villanova School of Business Villanova School of Business. Personally, I would consider the certificate offered by Villanova and University Alliance-Bisk Education more so a marketing strategy utilizing the Villanova University brand name as selling leverage AND possible Villanova diversification cash cow opportunity via its e-learning business partner /implementer (UA-Bisk Education).

    Note 3: I am neither endorsing AGU, nonetheless, nor the Villanova/UA-Bisk Education certificate either. The OP might consider both, as well as other channels, along with his/her individual, academic and industry needs.

    Just saying… :smoker:
     
  9. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member



    That's fine. It's very hard to properly judge tone via this sort of written communication. I wasn't sure if you felt I had personally attacked you and I just wanted to clarify.

    I think that's a fair assessment. But, AGU is also not the only game in town in the NA space with similar connections (as I've noted in another post). Here's a 15 credit certificate at UMT. If you're a veteran, you pay $750 per course so, $3,750 for the whole program.



    Well, a key differentiation here is between a program and a school. AGU, in the realm of colleges and universities, really doesn't have a reputation. Villanova does. In the world of contract management, AGU seems to be doing fine. Villanova, I would concede, has very little reputation in this space. Villanova is, by no means, known as "THE contract management university." So AGU may very well have a good program but Villanova is a better known school. It's very much a tradeoff, in that respect. I, personally, would opt for the best possible school power because I would want the broadest appeal. That is not always the best path, however, and maybe you need the better program.

    Granted, my comparison of meat products was a clunky and likely unhelpful point to this end.

    I agree with you that this isn't a Villanova education. But, at the end of the day, your certificate reads "Villanova" not "Alliance-Bisk." (At least, that's how it is being marketed) Also, the Alliance-Bisk certificate does have ACE recommendation. So, while non-credit bearing, I would say it potentially has slightly more utility in terms of future academic goals.

    So it is, in a sense, a marketing plot. But the Villanova name, compared to many other schools, is a brand worth paying a little bit extra for.

    Consider, for comparison, that Notre Dame College has a similar set of certificates at an equally ridiculous price point. The difference is that very few people have heard of Notre Dame College. Many people have heard of the University of Notre Dame, but not NDC. To me, courses like that are really playing into the obvious confusion that will ensue.

    Last year we hired someone with a degree from Columbia College. And, periodically, I still hear people say "And he has a degree from Columbia!" The potential for confusion is obvious. And the internet learning model makes the differentiation a bit murkier.

    Villanova, on the other hand, is a good school in its own right. Are the certificates overpriced? I would say so especially since they are non-credit bearing. But having a little Villanova bling on your resume might be worth the thousands (especially on this coast). I would say you are probably more likely to see a positive bias toward Villanova than you are for AGU. AGU, UMT and a few other DEAC schools with studies in this space have positive reputations, but I don't think it's for the same reason that schools like Harvard and Yale have positive reputations.

    The former attracts a lot of experienced practitioners who need a checkbox credential. The latter (mostly) trains people from scratch. AGU graduates, I would argue, are probably exceptional achievers in the world of contract management because they were exceptional achievers in that space before they ever signed up for a program at AGU.

    So then, to employers, does AGU lend the applicant credibility? Or does a highly qualified applicant lend credibility to AGU?

    Same here. My point has really been that the Villanova certificate is a nice piece of paper to add a little bit of easy name recognition to your resume.

    AGU is fine. But so is UMT on the NA front. Ultimately, hopefully the OP has enough information to make an informed decision.
     
  10. major56

    major56 Active Member

    I sincerely appreciate your followup Neuhaus; you make some valid points and suggestions. Bottom-line, we're both in agreement that we should be hopeful the OP has been assisted, at least to some degree, with his /her inquiry.
     
  11. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    My first recommendation from an "improving your skills" aspect for contract management is to join NCMA and find a local chapter to participate in. As for as the Villanova program, I have heard good things but don't have any direct experience with them. You might want to search LinkedIn for any graduates and ask them directly.

    I wouldn't automatically assume just because AGU is cheaper, NA, and doesn't have a fancy name this it is "worse" than Villanova. If you are looking to learn the trade or improve your skills, AGU could be a great option. Most, if not all, of their adjuncts are current practitioners in the field.
     
  12. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Per edowave’s improving your skills aspect first recommendation (e.g., NCMA membership) ...

    Per the AGU website:

    American Graduate University is a Charter Education Partner with the National Contract Management Association to help increase the depth and breadth of education training opportunities for NCMA members.
    AGU | Affiliations
    Education Partners - Learn - Professional Development - NCMA

    AGU is not only an accredited distance learning institution, in addition, offers on-site training /professional development programs and courses (since 1958).

    AGU On-Site Training Clients (IMO, a credible client list ...)
    American Graduate University
     

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