National Accreditation Board of Dominica's level of acceptance in US

With all due respect, because you are in the process of starting a school that is seeking NAB approval, the "someone" to determine conclusively whether this accrediting entity is acceptable in the US should be you!

I say this with sincerity, because if you, or any other entrepreneur who is starting a new business venture, such as a distance online school, should be aware of the strengths and limitations of the degrees they offer and should not expect prospective students to perform this research for them.

 

Why, do I sense a pissing contet between Jan and Steve F.? Perhaps it's time to hijack this thread - we all know how much Jan loves that.

So, anyone think the Yankees will make it to the next World Series?

But seriously, according to Wikipedia (and we know how reliable that is), Dominica has a total population of just over 72,000. Let's see, that puts it somewhere between the size of Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. And still a fraction of, say, the population of Rhode Island.

So the question in my mind is: Why would anyone, especially in the U.S., even consider doing a degree from a school in a piss-ant size country like Dominica? From a school that's not even mentioned in the education section of the Wiki on Dominica? Hell, the only semblance of an international school there is a profit-making medical school that enrolls Americans who are too dumb to make it into a U.S. medical school.

Call me provincial, but it seems to me that U.S. students are sluffing off if they seek to enroll in mickey-mouse doctoral programs in third-world countries. We're talking about the same crowd that wants its education "fast, easy, and cheap." To paraphrase the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, the better to laugh at y'all, my dears.

 

I can argue with specific points here. For example, a student may be attracted to a specific program, not the country. Also, their medical school actually is to NABs credit: there are a couple of dozen offshore med schools, but Ross University is one of only three or four that are accepted in all 50 states (and boast relatively decent placement rate).
However, your post generally captures perception problems IUGS graduates likely face in the US. Students need to be aware of that. Also, the school itself does precious little to address these issues.

 

I'm not sure it's fair to say that NAB "exists to attract off-shore entrepreneurs from the United States who seemingly have little or no chance of getting their personal universities accredited by conventional accreditors at home". The three schools NAB does accredit do not allow to make this case. OTOH, of course, this thin track record makes it harder to make a case FOR the accreditor's credibility. We'll have to wait and see.

That would definitely help. In fact, it is appalling how little IUGS does to try to establish credibility in some of these ways. I mean, just hiring a good Web designer and highlighting some faculty members publishing something could substantially change the perception of the place. Why, Fr. Laurent Cleenewerck of Euclid could have done it singlehandedly!

 

I like this program. Its content is not so far from what I took in my metaphysics degree.
My point is that consciousness studies, para normal psychology, metaphysics, etc do not lead to any paid position but some religious positions at metaphysical, interfaith, etc churches so does it really matter that the program is accredited or not?
I can see that DEAC accreditation gives credibility to the program as at least you can display a credential that people will not laugh at but the same can be said about many residential non accredited programs.

 

Steve, I am not exactly sure why you dismiss the "crowd" that seeeks "cheap" (affordable) education. That seems like a perfectly legitimate concern. Obviously, IUGS is a very expensive school, so this couldn't possibly be a motivation for enrolling in a degree from the institution.

 

Is it? I haven't checked. How expensive is "expensive?"

 

I don't know anything about the program itself. Sometimes I think schools like this would do themselves a favor by creating doctoral programs but I know that's easier said than done. I know something about Transpersonal Psychology and have an interest in that. I sometimes think that people devalue these sorts of programs because 1) there isn't always a clear application for this kind of knowledge or a career track for these degrees and 2) it's not clearly Western/Theological and so seems "weird" to many people.

 

Repeatedly responded to by you BUT not answered!

 

It hurts me deeply to admit that you are making valid points but in fact you are.

 

Just to clarify, NAB has no association with Ross Medical School whatsoever but the National Medical Board of Dominica. They are two distinct entities. In fact I contacted Ross Medical School to determine if these accreditation boards were one and the same and was told that they had no idea about NAB.

 

I'd say it's better to save thousands of dollars and go the "legal religious exempt" route when it comes to metaphysics. At this point in time, it's not a field where accreditation matters a whole lot. The DEAC stamp of approval can be very valuable. However, it's not a huge advantage in this field (transfer options would likely be extremely limited). I would say the same thing about many of the holistic health fields, although a diploma from a licensed state school might be preferable to a degree, if one wants to avoid bad press and a listing on one fo the "fake doctor exposed" websites.

 

Only people who enroll in Metaphysics programs believe the Yankees will win the Pennant.

 

Now, that's funny.

Of course, I obviously lean toward good ol' allopathic medicine (look it up, kids), with an occasional visit to my chiropractor. So, tas o me, anything nouvelle age like metaphysics comes under what one might be described in bastardized French merde de boeuf. To me, "Rolf" is not a verb, but the name of Liesl's boyfriend in The Sound of Music. (Okay, campers, you can look that one up by using the term rolfing.)

But speaking of creative, I do remember one graduate from my M.A. alma mater, Vermont College of Norwich University, who majored in astrology for her degree. But she was hip enough to call her major "depth psychology," which gave it a more marketable flair. It was, nonetheless, a self-designed M.A. in astrology from a major RA university.

Of course, that was back in the days of reasonable tuition at an RA school, at which the entire program could be had for a base tuition of $5,800. (It was also a 30-credit program at the time.) Since then, tuition has gone through the roof at all RA schools, self-designed programs hardly exist anymore, and most programs of their time ultimately went the canned, rote online route. Quel dommage.

 

I like transpersonal psychology too but it is non regulated at least in Canada. I completed a non accredited certificate from a local school in this area and was offered to register in the The Canadian Humanistic and Transpersonal Association.

One could call himself "transpersonal counselor" or similar title with a certificate.

I think the non accredited route is cheaper for holistic or other alternative psychology approaches.
A certificate offered by a known local school in the area would be preferable than a Masters from Graduate international school mainly because a lot of local schools are well known in the community.

California institute of integral studies has a great program in transpersonal psychology but it is hard to justify the price for it.

Most people that I know that work in transpersonal psychology work at SPAs, spiritual centers or Yoga centers. It is not exactly the highest paying job so I really don't think an accredited PhD is needed for this profession.

But you are right, transpersonal psychology is more commercial than parapsychology as it is similar but more applied to health care.
Parapsychology does not have much of commercial application other than giving seminar or courses that do not pay much so transpersonal seems more of a better option.

 

My take: there are two attributes of an accreditor that contribute to "acceptance": official status and institutional profile (or type of schools it accredit).

NAB does enjoy official status: it is an arm of a government. This is a relatively stable government, so not a Liberia situation. However, it is a small island, and small islands are not known for consistent standards.

As for NAB's institutional profile, currently it is minimal. Essentially, precisely one school relies on NAB accreditation now: IUGS. The second NAB-accredited school, UWI, is also recognized elsewhere, and is a regional powerhouse with its own credibility, so NAB doesn't really add much. On the plus side: no obvious degree mills, and at least one questionable school with some center on the island (St. Linus) seems to actively avoid NAB oversight. On the flip side: IUGS does not gain additional credibility by peer schools' reputations; it is the only apple in the basket. It may change when the two applicants, DSC and New World University, are through the process.

In short, as to NAB recognition, we are left with firm conclusion of "inconclusive". Not clear enough to recommend; not a ticking time bomb either.