University of South Africa

This web link also shows UniSA partnerships and international agreements: http://www.unisa.edu.au/partner/agreements/default.asp

 

The Australian 'UNISA' is the University of South Australia in Adelaide. The University of South Africa in Pretoria uses the same 'UNISA' initials but is a totally different school.

University of South Australia --

http://www.unisa.edu.au

University of South Africa --

http://www.unisa.ac.za

 

My bad…

Should have been this web link: http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=21294

 

Can someone please explain what the tuition and fees are for UNISA? I have looked over their .pdf and don't understand a bit of it. I notice the currency listed is South African, which is easy to convert to USD, but I don't understand at all what the charges are attributed to. Rather than seeing "credit hours" I see something about "modules" and I have no idea what it is referring to. Individual classes? The full cost for a semester? What?!

If anyone can help me, thanks in advance!

 

Even though the language of instruction is generally English, some words are used differently than what we (I) am accustomed. Here's my interpretation.
module = course (some might be an entire year, some just a semester)
course = degree program
Sometimes people get confused because they can't believe it's as inexpensive as it really is. Here's the news: It really is that inexpensive.

 

Yes, and it seems that "tuition" means something completely different to them as well- as far as I can tell "tuition" to them actually means "curriculum" to us, where as they just use the word "fees" to include what we would call "tuition". This is the kind of thing that fascinates me about languages, and thus, the type of thing you learn in linguistics.

I like what I see of UNISA. It seems like the kind of thing I would do for fun, and heck, maybe put it on my resume for a tad extra UMPH, but not something I would show as a primary credential when seeking employment or recognition. Their DETC accreditation lapsed a couple years ago and they didn't seek to renew. I wonder why? I'm not afraid of distance education and would have no problem putting a nationally accredited international degree on a resume next to my (future) Exelsior degree. However, there is no doubt that losing recognized USA accreditation takes a bit of value away from it (not in it's education, just in it's usefulness).

 

Steve,

Perhaps for U.S. student financial aid participation (?):
Federal Title IV student loans and grants
• The Montgomery G.I. Bill
• The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill
• Military Tuition Assistance Programs for Spouses (Career Advancement Accounts) and Active Duty Army Vocational courses (AVOTEC)

Of course if this did have bearing with UNISA being DETC accredited initially, then why have they chosen to allow their accreditation with DETC to lapse? Where there too few U.S. applicants to UNISA?
http://www.detc.org/frequentlyQust.html#bec

 

My assessment is that because of resume processing software (and the use of keywords), foreign degrees (and their peculiar designations) will always have less marketability in the for-profit sector...

 

I meant as far as putting it on a resume. Given all I know now, if I was an employer myself, I would give each foreign degree, whether from South Africa, Canada or Zimbabwe, a chance- at least to check out the validity of it's credentials. However, for most of those in the real world, I would think it pretty strange to have a "University of South Africa" degree on a resume, (unless you actually came from South Africa) It would require some explanation either way, but I would have an easier time saying "it's nationally accredited" than to say "it is accredited in South Africa." Unless someone will do the research, how would they know that South Africa accreditation was any different than any of the dozens (hundreds?) of degree mills or substandard accreditation credentials from (insert obscure Island Territory here). Sorry if this is a bit off-topic, maybe it belongs in the never-ending accreditation discussion thread?

Personally, if I can learn more about these programs from people who have actually done it, and they relate positive experiences, I might want to give it a shot. However, I don't believe I could reasonably expect it to open any new career doors for me. It would be a decision based upon my desire to have a university education in a different field for a tremendous price.

 

Well, I am quite sure that there would be a huge difference between presenting a degree from Scotland and a degree from South Africa. I'm sure that the more Western a country is, the more trusted it is. For example: are there many (if any?) that would doubt that a degree from Canada or England is as good as in the US? Probably the same from Spain, France, Germany, Australia. However, mention Mongolia, a Pacific Island or a country of the former Soviet Union and many people (rightly or not) might look at you with an extra bit of scrutiny- but even more so if you mentioned anything in Africa or the middle east (of course, this might be xenophobia or flat out racism more than anything).

 

Steve,

In your example, you seemingly imply that xenophobia only occurs toward and/or is possessed by non-Blacks (?). The issues you bring up can/do also emerge from the other side of the desk. However whether this takes place from one side or both … it’s an injustice! If I've misunderstood your thought, I apologize.

 

In my world I have to consider; what does this person from the Dominican think of this person from Puerto Rico and what do they think of that person from Bolivia, etc. and does any of that have anything to do with racism? It can get complicated.

 

Well stated. Perhaps the word partiality is more appropriate than racism (?). It can get complicated…

 

Damn Japanese, too bad for them. (They'll just have to give back the Nobel Prizes, I guess.) But I do think that you might be on to something if you exchange 'modern' or maybe just 'prosperous' for the word 'Western'.

In the case of Africa, there are some countries that don't have functioning university sectors at all. Somalia, certainly, though I've seen at least one internet DL operation that was claiming it was based there. When Liberia's civil war recently ended, its University of Liberia was just a looted shell. (Ironically that's when St. Regis was trumpeting its supposed Liberian accreditation.) Many countries do have functioning universities, but these are plagued by lack of funding, unknown professors and inferior facilities.

As for South Africa, my impression is that their universities are experiencing some turmoil and instability subsequent to the end of apartheid. Standards may have slipped as new, less academically prepared but more politically militant students, faculty and administrators have entered the previously closed system. But it isn't fatal. By all accounts South Africa still operates generally the best universities on the African continent. The country is actually handling the inevitable transitions surprisingly well, in my opinion.

It's complicated.

If possessing a degree (usually a bachelors degree in this case) is just a check-the-box formality, then I think that the 'GAAP' idea kind of sums up what typically happens. If the university that awarded the degree appears in a set of standard references, then it's generally accepted.

But if hiring is competitive, and if educational credentials are important in evaluating candidates suitability, then university and subject-specific departmental reputation are going to count a great deal. That's what typically happens on the doctoral level. Universities and tech firms need high-level expertise and they seek PhDs with publications and research experience in specific problems and specialties. That means that they favor graduates of schools where similar work is being done and favor candidates who come with recommendations from big names in the field.

In that kind of situation, I don't think that the nationality of a degree program is a very important variable. Most academic subjects are international in scope, worldwide communities of scholars. Contributions can come from anywhere. But having said that, it's also true that research productive programs in many academic specialties, especially in expensive facilities-intensive science and engineering fields, are heavily concentrated in the wealthier 'developed' countries.

But like I said, it's complicated. You mentioned Mongolia kind of dismissively. I'm interested in Buddhist studies. Buddhism is experiencing a revivial in Mongolia and several Buddhist educational initiatives are underway there, including a Buddhist university associated with their biggest monastery and leading Buddhist art museum. I'm not sure how advanced degrees emerging from that thing would be received here in the United States, but I'm speculating that they would probably be very competitive with degrees coming from the kind of general religious studies programs where Buddhism is kind of tangential and may only be supported by one or two specialists. (Some 'top tier' prestige universities here in the US fit that description.)

What's more, the Gobi desert is presently a very hot research area in paleontology, the source of many very important fossil discoveries. A number of leading international universities and research establishments are involved in expeditions searching for them, and those in Mongolia are usually mounted in conjunction with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. So that latter institution is gaining some world-class experience in the field. Paleontologists here in the United States (and everywhere else) know that.

Well, if somebody needs an Islam specialist, particularly one with language proficiencies and cultural understanding (and that's something in demand post-9-11) where would you expect to find one? African universities, even those whose facilities are falling apart and whose scholars are virtually unknown internationally, might be highly competitive in unusual African languages and literatures or in local history. They might be defensible in things like local wildlife ecology. I haven't investigated it, but I'd guess that Cairo University might have a pretty good Egyptology program.

But yeah, a doctorate in public administration from Somalia might generate a few sardonic smiles and a unknown if 'GAAP' PhD in aerospace engineering from a university someplace without reliable electricity or paved roads probably won't fly very far.

You know, several participants on these boards have pursued theology degrees from South African schools. Nothing wrong with that, South Africa has very good theology schools. But I've often wondered why they chose to pursue mainstream theology projects that could have been done in any country, instead of doing projects that address some aspect of Christianity in Africa. In the first instance, they will have to answer the inevitable question about why they chose an obscure DL program half the world away. ('It was cheap' isn't a very inspiring answer.) In the second, they would have a credible answer ready -- the South African university was a particularly appropriate place to explore my dissertation topic. It would transform a possible weakness into a potential strength.

So returning this post to the subject of the University of South Africa, if I was contemplating enrolling (and given their broad range of programs combined with very low price, it's definitely tempting), then I might give some thought to addressing an academic subject with some kind of African relevance. That would answer any eyebrows raised at my unconventional school choice.

 

Major56

I hadn't seen Chiefley before but the APESMA is well known and respected.
It seems to be an MBA geared to Engineers.

Regards,

 

I believe the APESMA /Chifley offers 2-MBA’s – a general MBA and a MBA with Technology specialization. At one time APESMA offered their MBA through La Trobe University - Australia.