Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by Tylin, Jul 29, 2006.

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  1. Tylin

    Tylin New Member

    Sorry, I know this horse has been beaten to death, but even after lurking through hundreds of posts on the subject I'm not really any closer to my answer. I'm trying to decide between California Coast University and American Military University. I'm wondering if the latter's RA will be worth the extra money for me. CCU is completely covered through my tuition reimbursement, while AMU costs more and would require an extra $9,000+ in a loan.

    My background:

    I've earned a general AA from my local B & M university. The quality of education there is really lacking, even though they are RA, plus their fees and tuition keep going up every year. I took many distance ed classes through them and I like independent learning, even though the profs were lame about emailing me back when I had questions.

    Now I want to finish a bachelors in either business or psych (not clinical), for personal enrichment as well as having that credential for state or government jobs that would require "a bachelors degree from any accredited institution." I know my state has reimbursed tuition for CCU before. Later I would like to do an MBA through one of these schools.

    I currently work at a Fortune 500 company and their degree standard is NA or better. They have a database full of the NA and RA approved schools where they check degrees for management positions or tuition reimbursement. If I leave the company it will be to work for the federal government in a law enforcement agency, which doesn't even require a degree at entry level. I know their reimbursement programs also cover NA schools, namely CCU. The only other career move I would want to make would be to own my own business. I'm pretty sure I don't want a teaching job-- I'm just not cut out for it.

    The biggest downside for CCU (to me) is their advertising. I would probably run into at least one employer that had seen one of their ads in an airline magazine while they were flying and they might think that CCU was not legit. Plus they have some other past reputation issues that I'm aware of. But I know their coursework is solid now.

    Okay, I'm starting to ramble...

    Opinions? :)
     
  2. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Sounds like you have already made up your mind and feel strongly about CCU.
     
  3. Tylin

    Tylin New Member

    I feel a bit sheepish now that I'm re-reading it. :eek: I guess the writing helped organize my thoughts on the decision. Thank you for your reply!
     
  4. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Tylin:

    First of all, welcome aboard. From reading your post, it sounds like you have looked at your options quite carefully. I am assuming you know the limitations of a NA degree. One of them is not being able to teach in academia, as you have already pointed out. Transfer of credits to RA institutions can be an issue, however RA to RA institution transfer can have issues as well.

    I do not blame you for not wanting to take on a student loan, probably with a hefty interest rate. From what you have posted, your employer definitely reimburses and accepts NA degree for promotional reasons. If you feel 100% comfortable with your decision, then go with it. How can you go wrong with a degree that your employer will pay for entirely? Bear in mind, I am not trying to make up your mind for you.

    Having said that, I have an A.A. from a B&M RA college. I have completed coursework from the University of Iowa, UCLA and UCI. I am currently a student at CCU, and I have found the school to be very efficient and customer service oriented. I hope to finish up my B.S. in Management approximately 11/06. Speaking for myself, I am addicted to education. I have been a student for a very long time, B&M and distance. I am still an admitted student at the University of Iowa Liberal Studies program. I hope to one day complete that degree as well.

    Anyway, I don't want to bore you with all the details of my personal life. If you have any questions, feel free to post them here in the open forum, or pm me.


    Abner :)
     
  5. Tylin

    Tylin New Member

    Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs

    Oh, thats very good to hear! I've noticed that, while some people at other institutions talk down about the school, I've never read anything negative from the actual CCU students.

    I did have a few questions about CCU :)

    --Did your RA credits transfer well without problems?

    --Do they have flexible General Ed Requirements, or does the student have to take the exact GER courses they have listed for a B.S. degree?

    --Would it be reasonable to expect to finish one course per month only studying an hour or two a day, five days a week?

    --I read somewhere that a student had to write a paper at the end of every course to summarize what they learned. Is this true for your program? If so, how big are these papers?

    Thanks in advance. And congrats on your upcoming B.S.! :)
     
  6. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs


    HI Tylin:


    I going to PM you in a few minutes.


    Take care,

    Abner
     
  7. FC2008

    FC2008 New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs

    Could you post your reponses in this forum? I too, am interested in CCU.
     
  8. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs


    Info on CCU:

    *excellent customer service
    *books and lesson plans are shipped right away, very little down time
    *The transfer of RA credit, CLEP and DANTES is no problem

    As far as the courses, Study guides are issued and you simply go in to the student center at CCU's website, order your books, and get started! It is possible to complete the easier Lower Level courses in a month studying 1 to 2 hours five days a week. The upper level courses may take longer. These courses are challenging, and the latest good quality books are used.

    The coursework is open book, however, quite challenging because the exams are designed to make the student fully read the text. The answers are sometimes very similar, so one must FULLY understand the lessons.

    Finally, there are three essay questions before being issued the 100 question proctored final. The essay questions should not surpass 500 words in length. The most important thing CCU is looking for is full student comprehension. If there is a problem with any of the questions, they will return and the student must redo.

    I think I covered all of the questions. Good luck in your educational endeavors!!!! And welcome.

    Abner :)
     
  9. FC2008

    FC2008 New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs

    I greatly appreciate the info. I am now leaning towards CCU and will make my decision before August 15, the date when the tuition will increase.
    Thanks again.
     
  10. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs

    No problem. Did they happen to say how much the tuition would go up? Just wondering.


    Take care,

    Abner
     
  11. Tylin

    Tylin New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs

    The 15th?? Wow, I'm glad I applied to CCU last night. I hope my transcript makes it there fast...

    And thanks again for all the info, Abner!
     
  12. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs


    Anytime! Congrats.


    Abner :)
     
  13. FC2008

    FC2008 New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Deciding on a school... NA or RA for my needs

    Nope, they didnt say exactly. I just got one of their automated emails telling me to apply before the 15th, so I can lock in their current tuition rate, and that after the 15th there will be an increase. Heres the actual email:

    Dear Frank

    Two weeks ago we sent you an e-mail regarding the tuition increase that will happen at California Coast University on August 15, 2006. We hope that you have decided to enroll, so that we can assist you in achieving your educational goals.

    In order to take advantage of these savings, please contact an admissions counselor at 1-888-228-8648 with any questions you may have or feel free to visit the University website by clicking here CCU Website. We encourage you to not let this opportunity pass you by!


    Sincerely,


    Admissions Team


    California Coast University
    700 N. Main Street
    Santa Ana, California 92701
    Tel: 888 228 8648
    714 547 9625
    www.calcoast.edu
     
  14. Tylin

    Tylin New Member

    call me crazy...

    Okay, I don't know if its lack of sleep, way too much caffeine, or both, but I had a crazy idea.

    I started enrollment with CCU and I'm glad I did. Their psychology program has everything I'm looking for in curriculum, price, and flexibility. They are not RA, and while I don't think that would hold me back in my future employment, I don't have a crystal ball and will never be certain.
    http://www.calcoast.edu/

    I've also been thinking about Louisiana State University's General Studies degree. They are RA and have all of the independent study social science, humanities, and history electives I would like to take that CCU doesn't offer. I would also love having a liberal arts degree on my resume.
    http://www.degreeinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24684&highlight=Louisiana+state+university

    Now...would it be possible to do both at once? According to this thread, LSU accepts NA credits for transfer. And CCU would of course transfer RA credits in.
    http://www.degreeinfo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24684&highlight=Louisiana+state+university

    Theoretically, I could do the 36 credit minimum at CCU and the 30 credit minimum at LSU, and then try to transfer them to each other to complete two degrees with the same credits.

    I can see possibly running into problems getting enough upper division courses in for LSU. Or diversifying my subjects enough to meet the LSU BGS requirements. Or what if one particular admissions clerk at LSU decided not to take my NA credits? (seems to be how it is at my home university, credit transfer is luck of the draw!)

    I feel like I must be missing something. It couldn't really be that convenient, could it?
     
  15. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Re: call me crazy...

    This sounds like it could work. By the way, I got my CCU degrees before they were NA and the classes were tough. I have to retake the accounting and law classes for my MBA to get my GPA up to graduate. I finshed by MBA with a 3.08. I finished my MS-ITM (RA) with a 3.88.
     
  16. Mighty_Tiki

    Mighty_Tiki Member

    Re: call me crazy...

    I would try and verify that LSU accepts NA credits. i know for a fact that a lot of those schools on that list do not accept NA credits. For instance, UMass Amherst has is explicitly written into their transfer policy that they are happy to accept any "regionally accredited transfer classes" Perhaps this was an update since that list is old, but even when that list was published you would have had a hell of an uphill battle getting a great number of those schools to accept NA credits unless you went through the portfolio process or took the competency exams (eg. - CLEPS/DANTES....etc..) .... NA is good but you'll have to battle a bit at most schools to get it transfered. Good luck in your quest!
     
  17. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: call me crazy...


    I agree Professor Randell! I am currently working on my B.S. in Management from CCU. I had to retake Accounting. The coursework is certainly challenging.

    Once again, congrats on becoming a "Professor". I know you worked hard for it. You are a natural teacher, you could tell by the way offer advice and answers.

    Well, I gotta go hit the books. It's kind of hard, my beloved dog of twelve years passed away on Friday. She always kept me company while I did my homework, as the Tedmeister might recall.

    Take care,

    Abner
     
  18. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    I strongly recommend RA , APA programs for people who select Psychology as their future career.

    Many employers require clearance or approval of one or another state board, such as Health department etc.

    I know for a fact that NA Psychology degree wasn't good enough
    and wasn't authorized by the Health department of State not even for flexibility rout.

    They approve only RA, APA or foreign equivalent.

    Some new regulations in that state.

    The investment in RA , PA accredited programs in long term is the best choice even if the cost is significantly higher.

    But if you made calculated dessicion that NA would serve your needs than notting is wrong as long as you understand the limitations it may have.

    Learner
     
  19. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Re: Re: Re: call me crazy...

    Aw, the dawg that got beer sprayed all over her while you were reading my posts has now become deceased? My condolences!
     
  20. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: call me crazy...


    Thanks broheim Ted! I knew you would remember. You are a good friend, and a good man.


    Abner :)

    P.S. And yes, that was the same dog.
     

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