Keisie

I'm not sure how you can operate a legal and lawful degree program since you have yet to receive certification from Arkansas. It would seem you would have to provide online educational services other than academic in nature.

 

The school is obviously targeting the US market. Why would one register the company in the US and want payment in US dollars otherwise? The language used for teaching is also telling.

The English requirement would exclude many Asian students and domestic Korean students. The language requirements for a graduate student must be superior and English is not a friendly language to learn, even for native speakers. Language would be a major barrier for Asia and there are considerable local universities that would be more user friendly for Asian Students.

Accreditation is also a significant issue outside the US. Government bodies generally regulate the status of degrees outside the US. A degree from this university would be unrecognized for use outside the US because it is not recognized by any foreign government or by the US Department of Education. The principal question is whether the Korean Government recognizes the degrees? This question has been asked and remains unanswered. The answer must be concluded as no.

If it is aimed at US students, then why offshore? There may be good business reasons for this to occur. You might, for example, be paying your faculty in less dollars offshore. Australian faculty,for example, would cost about one third less than US faculty due to the exchange rate. This is not explained and the faculty are unknown. With the internet, you do not have to go offshore to recruit foreign faculty members. I could not find the faculty mentioned on the website, but I may have missed them. By going offshore, however, you might also escape certain oversighting bodies that may close you down, if you were not legitimate. This is not decisive without further information, but it tends to shift the balance the wrong way from legitimacy.

The academic policies appear to be thorough and thought through. It is interesting that a student can do a single subject which would allow some sort of ability to assess the product before enrolling in a full program. The entry on to this board was, however, in my opinion, less than professional.

I do not accept that the poster did not know that the school's credentials would not be closely questioned. If the person did not, I am not imbued with confidence in the management. Surely, before marketing your product, you would do some due diligence on the site and the effects of your entry onto it. The combative style in the response was not very professional and is not indicative of a higher learning establishment.

It is either a very small legitimate concern which is setup for the US market, with a less than a professional response to marketing , or it is an audacious scam intending to use this board as a marketing tool. The argument would be;"If it was a scam, I would not have gone onto the board and answered questions." I would not enrol with this school without the supply of considerable additional information. It may well be legitimate, but it carries the burden of convincing the market. My opinion is that it has not by the posts here.

 

This is why Wayne. It's from your website.

"Accreditation
Korea Education Incorporated is a legally registered, licensed and recognized online educational services provider located in South Korea. The Corporate registration is in the State of Arkansas, USA. The KEISIE Graduate School of International Education operates as an online institution of higher education, under the direction and supervision of Korea Education Incorporated. The Graduate School provides educational, academic and professional development programs designed to train educators in a number of areas.

Recognition: KEISIE is an authorized provider of online education in South Korea. Training and professional development courses have been assessed by the South Korean Government, and online credentials received by students for professional development purposes have been approved and accepted by the regional Offices of the South Korean Ministry of Education. The online institution has been granted an educational license and authorization in South Korea, for the specific purpose of delivering online educational content including, but not limited to specialized teacher training and professional development. The Graduate School offers is degree programs under the conditions of the license issued by the South Korean Government."

You say that your school programs have been assessed by the South Korean government. You've been approved by the Ministry of Education, etc. Surely you understand that when I say "you" I'm referring to the school. After all, you are here representing the school. I'm simply looking for a website run by the South Korean Ministry of Education that confirms what you've said. As for the document, it could be a grocery list for all I know.

 

I've Heard/Seen Enough

So what we have here is an unaccredited school, based in South Korea, claiming to target international students, but offering courses in English and accepting payments in U.S. dollars via Paypal, turned down by Arkansas for certification of their programs/courses (but authorized to conduct "legal online business", whatever that is), and doing its marketing, as far as I can tell, through posts on message boards in the U.S. and with a basic web site written in English. The school also once claimed to be an autonomous extension of an unaccredited religious school, and now it doesn't.

I'm sorry...this one doesn't pass the sniff test for me. I realize you guys are just getting started and all, but you've got a lot more work to do before rolling this one out for the DL community.