Ph.D. at California Coast University?

You keep saying "unaccredited schools" which is not the case.

 

Apparently, his "dissertation" was a revision of a book that he had written previously on how Jehovah's Witness theology differed from his brand of Christianity.

 

If we're talking about CCU, of course it is. All Ph.D.'s awarded by CCU came from an unaccredited school. DETC might have made an exception for a few "teach outs," but that doesn't change things. Even those degrees were awarded outside the accreditation scope DETC provided CCU.

Please explain how I have this wrong.

 

Crickets.....

 

Is the cup half empty or half full?

I guess I look at it differently. The person holds a PhD from a school that is now DETC accredited.

Most schools were unaccredited at one point of their existence. In addition, accreditation process usually requires student enrollments and degree/program completions before the institution becomes accredited anyway. It is simply a process!

If I were to list it on a CV it would say:

Doctor of Philosophy (1992)
California Coast University

and leave it up to the employer to determine if the program or school was accredited etc, etc. at that time and if it matters!

 

The difference here is that CCU had to discontinue its doctoral programs in order to receive accreditation from DETC. DETC has never recognized CCU's PhDs, so if the person does not acknowledge that the PhD was not accredited, the that would not be honest. The situation would be the same for a business school whose bachelors and masters programs--but not its doctoral program--were accredited by AACSB. The person with the PhD or DBA claiming that it was from an AACSB-accredited school would also not be honest.

This is not about the legitimacy of CCU (which is certainly a legitimately accredited institution). It is about the status of its non-accredited PhDs.

 

I agree with Rich. The school is not accredited to the PhD level or it wasn't accredited at the time you got your degree. You can list your degree and try to shift the burden onto the employer ("It's their own fault if the didn't check closely enough...") but you're clearly trying to get away with something, hoping that the employer doesn't check.

 

What's dishonest about stating when you got your degree and from what school? The degree was awarded when the school was not accredited but perhaps"California State approved". No shame in that! Go ahead and mention it on the CV if you want to!

Doctor of Philosophy (1992)
California Coast University (attained accreditation status 2008)

Looks like too much crap and I've never seen that before but its being obviously "honest"!

Basically, these folks have an unaccredited doctorate degree that has increased in value because the institution gained accreditation down the road! They are the lucky ones! Of course academia folks will scrutinize it to death but for the most part, they are a bunch of "accredited" idiots that have gained the unfortunate reputation of not knowing jack about real life anyway! hence PhD = Piled Higher and Deeper. hehe. Real world people care about one's ability to perform and do the job the say they can do! Not, BS them with fancy titles and degrees!

 

I do not really agree. I have a BS and MBA from CCU (pre-accreditiation) but do not list them and would never pass them off as accreditied degrees. I do not think it is ethical to play the "catch me if you can" game.

 

Would you say the degrees you earned from the school (pre-accreditation) are bogus, diploma millish, too easy? Or, did you work hard and feel you learned something and earned a rigorous and valid degree?

In regards, to "catch me if you can", I am not saying to be dishonest! Hence, graduation dates listed on CV, etc. If someone asks then explain the story! I'm just saying it is a natural evolution for schools to attain accreditation at some point if they are accreditation worthy. In addition, I believe the pre accredited degree gains some measure of added validity and value to the holder and that is nothing to be ashamed of if you earned it legitimately. Just my opinion.

 

Perhaps as a CCU Alumni, you can ask the institution what their recommendations are in listing pre-accredited degrees on your CV and share it with us?

 

Yes I worked hard for them, see this thread - http://www.degreeinfo.com/accreditation-discussions-ra-detc-state-approval-unaccredited-schools/6837-side-side-comparison-ccu-cosc.html

I would not consider it millish but why would I list an MBA from CCU when I have another from an RA school? It would just look odd. Actually, if I listed everything it would look odd so I pick and choose what to list under education.

 

I actually called them at one point and asked if there was an "upgrade" from an unaccreditied degree to an accreditied degree. I do not remember the exact answer but it was something like, "No, and most people will never understand it [state approved vs DETC] anyway"

 

So listing accomplishments on a CV is indeed a "choice"? Of course!

The discussion is not about you specifically but in general about the appropriateness of listing a degree awarded on a CV before an institution was accredited and how to do so? I don't believe it is anything to be ashamed of since folks like yourself laid the foundation for the University to become accredited in the first place!

 

The truth can be a lie.

If you tell the truth in a way that purposely leaves the wrong impression in someone's mind, you are telling a lie. On the other hand, I'm not sure putting all of that stuff about accreditation and dates in one's resume is such a good idea, either.

When a school becomes accredited, the degrees awarded before their accreditation are normally accepted as being from an accredited school. (Not universally, but generally.) This is because we assume the degrees were awarded under the same circumstances and processes in place at accreditation. But CCU? No way.

As for CCU being "now accredited," please. The begain c. 1974 (as California Western University until forced to give up that name a few years later). They were accredited in, what, 2008? In the meantime, they had to drop the programs in question.

I guess this falls into the category of what to do with degrees from unaccredited schools. CCU's subsequent accreditation by DETC doesn't really change things.

My doctoral dissertation focused on HR and how it lets employers down in this regard. You'll never stop the supply--degrees from unaccredited and fake schools. But you can stop the demand by checking. But almost no one ever does.

Here's a good one: The chief nurse of the largest health systems in the nation has a Ph.D. from Kennedy-Western. Nice.

Maureen Swick, SVP, Chief Nurse Executive, Inova Health System | Inova Newsroom

 

It's sad that someone with a Masters degree from Columbia University would add a school like that to the CV!