Losing or Gaining Regional Accreditation: Impact on the Students I have a question that is based on a thread about California Coast University (CCU). (Click here if you want more information on the thread that generated this question) Hypothetical Question #1: If a person graduates from CCU in 1990 while it is unaccredited and then the school gets regionally accredited in 1995, then does the student have a regionally accredited degree??? How can one tell??? Hypothetical Question #2: If a person graduates from a regionally accredited school and then 5 years later, the school loses its accreditation: Does the diploma-holder have a regionally accredited degree???? I know this is confusing, but it's a legitimate question.
Formally, if you get a degree from an unaccredited university then the status of your degree does not change if the university later gets accreditation. But in practice, people are going to view the degree in the light of the current standing of the university. The same idea would apply to a degree from a university that lost accreditation. The Columbia Pacific situation is similar (CPU was never accredited but was CA-approved for many years). A CPU PhD degree became a major embarrassment for one of the defendants in the Ronald Wilson Class Action (recently settled for $27.5 million -- the largest medical malpractice settlement in Canadian history). This despite the fact that the degree involved was awarded when CPU was CA-approved. (The material about Kyprianou and his CPU degree seems to have been removed from the website following the settlement of the case.)
Technically, the answer is 'No'. How can one tell? By checking the relevant dates. Although I think there is some dispute whether that's true if the school was already a recognized candidate when a student graduates and it later goes on to full accreditation. Some have told me that degrees from a candidate institution count as accredited iff (if and only if) full accreditation is later achieved. I find that credible since people are happily attending candidate schools like CSU Monterey Bay without worrying about graduating from a non-accredited school. But others have told me that's all bunk and that the degrees were granted by a non-accredited institution and that's that. In practice though, I think that degrees granted before accreditation is achieved will often be treated as if they are from an accredited institution even if they technically aren't, since anyone who consults an accreditation listing will find the school. Yes. Although again, if somebody looks up the school in the listings, s/he won't find it and you may need to do some explaining. It certainly won't look good to have graduated from a school that subsequently lost its accreditation and it may taint your degree.
Yes, I agree. As soon as the school sees that the degree is from an accredited institution, that would be the end of it. I don't think that they would even notice that the degree was granted before the school was accredited.
Article from Sept 2, 2002 on the Kyprianou case: Hep B victims reap legacy of neglect. Snippet: ... Kyprianou and Wilson each took a brief course in sleep medicine in the United States. Kyprianou also obtained a Ph.D. from a place called Columbia Pacific University and posted "Dr." on his lab door. The California-based university was later shut down after the state attorney-general called it a "diploma mill." ...
As a general rule I agree. But be aware that if you are seeking some form of state licensure, the status of the school at the time of graduation will be controlling.
That's a good point. People on this very forum have stated that they kept taking additional classes after they had fulfilled their graduation requirements because they were waiting for their university to become regionally accredited. Once the school received RA status, then they applied to graduate from it. Facinating.
Originally posted by me again Losing or Gaining Regional Accreditation: Impact on the Students ME AGAIN: Hypothetical Question #1: If a person graduates from CCU in 1990 while it is unaccredited and then the school gets regionally accredited in 1995, then does the student have a regionally accredited degree??? How can one tell??? TONY: Speaking non-hypothetically for a moment, CCU might not be the best example, as they have been unaccredited since 1974 and it does not look like becoming RA is in CCUs' master plan. Also speaking non-hypothetically, a faculty member at my former institution received a doctorate from unaccredited Laurence University which, years later, spawned two institutions: the still unaccredited University of Santa Barbara and the accredited University of Sarasota (now Argosy University). This faculty member now lists his doctorate on his resume and other documents as being from the University of Sarasota (I do not know if he has changed it to Argosy). However, the college does not list his doctorate in the catalogue, nor does he receive doctoral pay, nor is he allowed to be referred to as "doctor" while he is serving in any college capacity. Hypothetically then, a degree from an unaccredited university does not become accredited "post facto". This, of course, assumes that employers will actually check the dates. Cal State Monterey Bay is in a unique situation, since it is able to draw upon the collective strength of the CSU system. All of the newer Cal State campuses (such as San Marcos) started out as dependent campuses of another CSU until they gained their own independent accreditation. I think that the plan to keep taking classes until the regional accreditation goes through is a smart idea. Does anyone know of a university that allowed an alumnus to "re-graduate" after the school became accredited (and replaced the old diploma and date with the new one)? Interesting idea. ME AGAIN: Hypothetical Question #2: If a person graduates from a regionally accredited school and then 5 years later, the school loses its accreditation: Does the diploma-holder have a regionally accredited degree???? TONY: The graduate would hold an accredited degree. However, it would certainly be an embarrassing situation to have to explain to everyone that "the school was legal and legit when I graduated, but they had problems later." If memory served, National University went through this awhile back (lost their accreditation for a time and then gained it back). National is now RA, but I know some National grads who, unfortunately, still take some flack for their completely RA degrees. ME AGAIN: I know this is confusing, but it's a legitimate question. TONY: It is absolutely a legitimate question, one in which the Regional Accreditators should address if they have not already done so.
Tony: Speaking non-hypothetically for a moment, CCU might not be the best example, as they have been unaccredited since 1974... John: But this brings to mind another intriguing and complicating factor in this discussion, since CCU did claim to be accredited for about 20 years, by the unrecognized but legitimate National Association for Private Nontraditional Schools and Colleges. If NAPNSC had been successful in one of its 7 (I think) applications for recognition as an accreditor by the Dept. of Education, what would that have meant to people who earned their degrees from CCU before, and after, such recognition of the accreditor.
Excellent point, Dr. Bear! I suppose that the answer would be determined by what the NAPNSC would be allowed to accredit. If they were granted national recognition along the lines of the DETC or ACICS, they might have been required to forego doctoral programs (a significant part of CCU's business). Since CCU is not a speciality university (e.g. business or technical) NAPNSC recognition would have had to be similarly non-specific (maybe along the lines of the AALE-American Academy of Liberal Education). I believe that the AALE accredits only at the undergraduate level. If the NAPNSC were recognized and if Cal Coast was able to offer all of its current degrees, its graduates would likely be in the same situation as graduates from DETC schools (accepted some places but not others). The most sticky arena would, of course, be academia. Tony Pina Adjunct Faculty of Education California State University, San Bernardino
I understand that CSU Monteray Bay, until acreditation is received, is awarding credit under another CS school. Likewise CSU Channel Islands is awarding credits under CSU Northridge. Also I am told by graduates of the excellent, but now defunct RA, West Coast University that they have no problem with acceptance (by aerospace companies) of their degrees.
********************************************* IF...Hmmm... I can't answer for CCU , but there's a seminary in Indiana , also NAPNSC "accredited", but had that determined (7x, imagine that) applicant for recognition by the dept of ed been successful, then said seminary would not perhaps have sought empowerment to bestow upon its students the WORLD WIDE acceptance, the unparalled utility, which attends that significant Liverpool endorsement , and ah what a shame , oh what a loss, that would have been for those devout students!! See the silver linings in the darkest clouds??, or (with an omitted qualification) as St Paul says, "all things worketh together for good! " : ***********************************************
