HEA Accredited Private Zambian Universities Offering DL

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Johann, Aug 11, 2020.

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  1. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Sadly, Rich, it's now clear, from tadj's post, that the degree will not be useful - at least in our usual sense, i.e. recognized by a US evaluator. As for 'spunky' - I have no doubt that somewhere, someday we will see a site for "Spunky University." I checked -and there is already a Facebook page for "Spunky School - University and College." As yet there are no entries on the page. I'm anxiously waiting.... :)
     
  2. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    It's good to see that UNICAF's DBA and Ph.D. are accredited.
     
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  3. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Well, now we have the real list, thanks to Tadj. Lots there. Too bad about the ZCAS DBA but I'm sure other DBAs made the list. (Many other ZCAS degrees are on the list.) English is the official language here, too. Fees are low - average seems to be $300-$400 a semester for undergrad. Some as low as $400 per year. A couple of schools showed much higher prices for foreigners. I would not be surprised if this became common - or indeed universal.

    Whether we like it or not, these will often be "degrees with explanation" in US. Even with proper evaluations, people will ask "why Zambia?" Just like they do with excellent South African degrees. If such a degree meets your needs at these prices - you can probably handle that explanation. Happy browsing - and every success if you sign up for one - and let us know if you do.
     
  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    It looks like only African Open University, Africa Research University, and UNICAF. And no idea whether they're all interested in non-African students. But still, for those interested in that niche it's a start.
     
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I get asked "why Leicester" a lot. My response: because they had the program content and delivery method I desired. But I still doubt in this case it's a "degree with an explanation."
     
  6. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    No we don't know if they're ALL interested. But some realize just how BIG the market is. Particularly UNICAF with their agency in Cyprus. Maybe it's like Hollywood, or music or writing books -- you can't (usually) do all that much without an agent...
     
  7. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Well, both are degrees with a minor explanation then. Less of an explanation than many others. The only thing you have to explain is 'Why Leicester?" or "Why Zambia?" And that same good explanation you gave is valid for both. Other degrees that maybe don't have as good standing -- they're the tricky explanations. And in neither case here is standing in doubt.

    "Why" is followed by an explanation. Not always fatal - certainly not in the two cases covered here.
     
  8. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Oh, I'm not so sure about Zambia. What would the explanation be? For me Leicester was truly unique in both areas--content and delivery. But why a Zambian school for an American?
     
  9. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    If one is interested in development studies as it related to African economic development?
     
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  10. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    That's a perfectly good reason - but I'm sure you could also explain it however UNISA grads (and those many Americans who graduate from other SA universities) do. My take: they mostly all do it because the degrees of the University enjoy excellent standing - at a cost that simply cannot be equaled here. (Most could likely not afford the cost of a similar degree here.) And there's nothing wrong with that. Same goes for degrees from known good Indian schools, e.g. Don Bosco Global.
     
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  11. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Getting a good education - and being able to make smart financial decisions in the process - should be viewed as a plus. Not as a cause for suspicion, as is too often the case.
     
  12. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Yes, sounds good. I'm not reading any of that on this board, though. Perhaps I just missed it.
     
  13. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    With a strong dollar (like now), distance education from universities in the UK, Australia, and Canada can be very inexpensive. Degrees from these systems are not likely to be questioned. But Zambia? Oh, there will be some questions-and-answers going on.
     
  14. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I don't think anyone mentioned a research topic either way.
     
  15. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I know for a fact it's not inexpensive here in Canada, Rich. Anything but, as I see it. And UK too. Prices have gone up faster than the pound has gone down. If you find any of this "very inexpensive" distance ed. in any of those countries - please let the forum know.

    Until then, I'll continue investigating degrees in a country where universities with mainstream recognition offer distance degrees at anywhere from $400 per year upwards. I have to do what makes sense, here.

    And as far as questions and answers go -what makes the situation different from "explaining" a good South African degree - as long as you have a favorable US evaluation to back you up? Financial perspicacity should be viewed as a plus, not a minus. You posted here a few weeks back that you'll be repaying student loans till you're around 83. Do you think everybody should?
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2020
  16. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Steve Foerster says legitimate Zambian degrees are not "degrees with explanation." Rich Douglas says there will be explanations - with a hint that they might be myriad and ongoing. Well, at least it's an opportunity to quote Sholem Aleichem, "...and me in the middle."

    I think the truth is somewhere between these extremes. And the middle, in this case, doesn't look so bad, at all.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2020
  17. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Another reason I'm looking at African degrees: I'm a Canuck. We don't currently enjoy that "Strong Dollar" that Rich was talking about. (But we still continue to charge our own people high prices for distance ed.) Until our Loonie is at least up on its knees again - which may be never - I have a double reason to look elsewhere - and report what I find.
     
  18. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I went back to my old school at Leicester. I see the MS in HRM for about US$13K. That's pretty good. The Doctor of Social Science has gone up, though. It's about US$32K. Still pretty inexpensive.

    The Heriot-Watt DBA is the same, about US$32K.
     
  19. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I'm not sure how it's doing around the world, but I've seen it worse against the US Dollar. It's about US$0.75 to a Canadian Dollar. I recall it being as low as US$0.50. Same with the Australian Dollar.
     
  20. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    No. My point then was there was a great number of considerations besides money.

    When it gets to the "with an explanation" portion of the conversation, "because it was cheap" may not be the most effective answer. But if you had academic, professional, social (etc.) reasons for doing it, that would make more sense. But....

    If cost is an overriding factor, better to pursue your goals however you can than not at all. When I enrolled at Union, there were exactly 5 accredited (or candidate) doctoral programs you could do with short residency in the US. I chose Union because it was the best fit for me of those five, not because it was the best school around (obviously).

    There was a DTech program at the Technikon of South Africa that looked both great and inexpensive. I seriously considered pursuing it. Then TSA got folded into Vista and it disappeared.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2020
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