Online VAE Degree?

What do employers really think of online and VAE Degree programs?

 

This stuff is genuine: https://www.sorbonne-universite.fr/en/doctorate/application-and-admission/vae-doctorate. But a lot of the stuff that you see on the web with "VAE degrees by experience" is not.

"It is possible to obtain a doctorate through the Validation of Prior Experience (VAE) route. The candidate must have at least three years of professional research experience. They must demonstrate the match between their professional and personal experience and the content of the degree in question."

 

Unless it's in academia, they don't know and they don't care.

 

Sounds like a doctorate by publication.

 

This is a prestigious school. Most of these doctorates are meant for university staff so they can get a doctorate. At some point, I tried several universities for the publication PhD or Higher Doctorate and most were unable to take non university staff, some mentioned that these were more like honorary doctorates only given to outstanding researchers and others were unwilling to do it because my research did not fit any available faculty expertise for evaluation.
It is a lot easier just to do a doctorate from scratch that trying to find a short cut with these options. The papers normally would need to be in a similar subject, they need to satisfy a criteria in terms of indexing, impact factors, etc and they normally need to be authored as a first author or only author to count. There is also the timing factor as many only take papers up to 10 years old.
If you already have a research path, just start from scratch and build a new dissertation. The main issue is money, most of these school charge small fortunes to international students for external PhDs. They are not really distance but external meaning that you are not required to be on campus but still expected to produce the research required. They normally require 3 papers for a PhD in a similar subject, this would normally take about 3 to 5 years if you know what you are doing.
You can always aim for the leadership Doctorates that are just based on light academic work and a research project that normally is about 100 pages based on a company project and does no need to be published.

If you browse in this forum, there is probably not even one person that has been able to profit from these opportunities from top universities like Oxford or his one at the Sorbonne. There are some people that have been able to get publication doctorates from places like Azteca or Nicaragua but with limitations of credibility and acceptability, many people have problems getting NACES evaluations from Azteca or Nicaragua that accept PhDs by publication only.

 

Is there a list of all the VAE programs offered globally?

 

I would modify the question - a list of legitimate, recognized VAE programs offered globally, as there are offered some that are less than wonderful.

 

I think the term VAE is specific to France, and possibly Switzerland. From what I can tell, there are a few public universities (with similar status as regionally accredited in the USA) in France (Sorbonne, University of Bordeaux, City University of Paris, Université de technologie de Compiègne, University of Strasbourg, etc.) offering the VAE, but at least one of them offers it as a 9 to 12 month guided program that starts with the life's work and experience and adds coursework and a written project at the end before awarding the degree. Others offer it only as a bachelor's degree or a certificate. Some offer the the doctorate as the PhD (doctor of philosophy) while others offer it as the PD (professional doctorate).

That said, there are many private colleges and universities all over Europe that claim to offer a doctoral degree by VAE or the equivalent, but it's not clear to me how valid they are, whether they would have widespread acceptance, or whether they are degree mills.

 

This parallels the PhD by publication by some UK schools. Many people come to this forum asking for PhDs by VAE, publication, etc but we still to see even one person that has earned a legit degree by using these options. I have asked for VAE PhD requirements and many require publications in peer review journals, research supervision experience, etc. It is not the kind of degree that you can get because your Amazon self published book. They are not meant for the typical prospect PhD student. They are meant for someone already established that just needs the PhD label but already has an existing career in research.
In few words, they are not shortcuts. For the regular student, you are better off getting a regular PhD than trying to find a PhD by VAE even if you have publications as the school needs to have faculty familiarized with your work. In the best case scenario, you are still looking at two years to get a PhD given the time to review your work, document it as a PhD thesis and defend it.
There are few unaccredited options out there like European International University that seem to be feasible for VAE. European International University had a deal with Validential, an american foreign credential evaluation service that is a NAFSA member but not NACES so the utility is limited but better than nothing. This type of school seems to be feasible as they are in the business of selling VAE degrees but they are not fully accredited so they might work for some but for those needing a solid degree for immigration, VISAs, job promotions, licensing, etc. not the best option.

 

I think the VAE degree is quite interesting but of course most will see the system as a diploma mill as it is what we would call a life experience degree. Yet, these are still legal. In theory, they are a lot like those California University FCE equivalency degrees. The only difference is the VAE degrees from France, Switzerland, and other foreign countries would have a more favorable outcome from them since they come from accredited institutions. I wonder could the VAE degree alone be accepted through nostrification from another school as well as receive a favorable foreign credential evaluation result.

 

It depends. If you can get a transcript with courses and dissertation, they might pass for a regular degree. However, my feeling is that you might get a transcript that gives you credit for experience A and B. As we don't know anybody here that has gotten this degree and evaluate it, we cannot really know.
I would prefer to go for an Azteca propio degree that at least gives you a transcript and knows people's need for the US market than a French school that is not really there to please American students with transcripts and documents that are needed to satisfy credential evaluators.

 

California U FCE is not accredited University. A better option would be a University of Toronto equivalency certificate. I believe VAE actually gives you a degree and not an equivalency degree. However, I am not sure how immigration would see them as technically in the US and Canada, a degree requires a number of credits and number years of study. A degree based on experience might not be acceptable for a foreign student. It might help someone from the local country that just needs a diploma to qualify for a job.

 

Degree equivalency? Ugh.

It's well-known that many military training courses have been evaluated for recommended credit by ACE. But certainly not all. However, no matter what training you took, you got a certificate for it (Air Force Form 1256).

I was an education specialist in the Air Force when I was enlisted, and I knew this stuff cold. One day I came across an NCO whose office had one wall litterally covered with these from all the courses he'd taken. I remarked about it in some way and he told me, "Yeah, there's probably a bachelor's degree in all that."

No, there wasn't. I didn't say so, but no. As we know, a bachelor's degree is a lot more than a big pile of college credits, and he certainly didn't touch all of those bases. This rationalization was comforting, I guess. But it wasn't going to impress employers in his post-military career.

Equivalent? No. Go get one.

 

I see at times people use the term - equivalency, but mean multiple things.

Degree Equivalency
This refers to the process of determining whether a degree from one country or institution is equivalent to a degree in another country or institution. For instance, someone who has completed a bachelor’s degree in engineering from a university in India may seek to find out if that degree is considered equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in engineering from a university in the United States.

• Formal Process: Degree equivalency typically involves an evaluation by a credential evaluation agency, which compares the curriculum, hours of study, and other factors to assess if the degree meets the standards of the target country's education system.
• Purpose: The main goal is to ensure that the individual’s education meets the qualifications or requirements needed for employment, further education, or professional license in the new context.

Equivalent to a Degree
This term is often used more informally to describe a qualification that is comparable in level, scope, or value to an academic degree, though it may not technically be a degree. It could refer to certain certifications, diplomas, or even professional experiences that are considered as valuable as a degree in a specific field.

• Examples: A person with a professional certification in a technical field might be considered to have qualifications “equivalent to a degree” in some contexts, especially if they have significant hands-on experience or advanced skills in that area.
• Contextual Use: It’s also sometimes used in job descriptions or immigration processes, where employers or governments may recognize certain non-degree qualifications as equivalent to a degree for certain roles.

Key Differences:

1. Formal vs. Informal: Degree equivalency is usually a formal process with specific evaluation methods, whereas “equivalent to a degree” can sometimes be more informal and context-dependent.
2. Scope: Degree equivalency is typically about comparing formal academic qualifications, while equivalent to a degree can include professional experience, certifications, or other non-academic paths.

 

I contacted the person running the European American University VAE after putting a portfolio together to submit for a PLA somewhere to get some graduate hours in mathematics. He approved the application and portfolio within just a few hours and was ready to have me pay the $2100 fee. However, I started asking questions about his partner school Universidad de Empressial in Costa Rica which used to issue validation degrees. They have shut that operation down although they are still partners. I then asked which foreign credential evaluators besides California FCE I could use with the VAE for academic purposes. He shut me down saying that he would only discuss that with graduates because those who inquire usually have negative things to say about the entire VAE process.

 

In other words, none that he knew of. Doesn't sound promising at all.

 

Run as far away from that school as you can.

 

Longtime visitors will remember Empresarial "renting" its degree-granting ability to an American agent who took about $15K from students to receive their doctorates from Empresarial. (Who didn't award those degrees themselves.) What was never made clear is to what extent those students did academic work.

I didn't realize it had stopped.