Visual of Several degrees including the Potchefstroom Doctoral Degree

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Guest, Nov 18, 2001.

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  1. Guest

    Guest Guest

    I just thought this was interesting. Rick Walston posted copies of his degrees to the web on his site. It was neat to have the opportunity to see what various degrees look like. They come in all shapes and sizes. I know my child's pediatrician's office has degrees on it from various universities (several doctors) and they truly range from huge to traditional.
    http://www.columbiaseminary.org/RicCV.htm

    My B.A. has black writing (latin) and a red seal. My graduate degree has black writing, with blue and gold edging on the University's name and a blue and gold seal on white paper. A graduate I know from a different year had hers on blue paper (yuk).

    North
     
  2. Howard

    Howard New Member

    Ok, Rick, how do I get a M.Div from Korea? Is it DL and is it expensive? Is Northwest Graduate School of the Ministry Accredited? Thanks, Howard.
     
  3. Guest

    Guest Guest

    NWGS is accredited by TRACS. Personally I have never heard of Korea Reformed Theological Seminary. I could be wrong but I cannot imagine that Rick Walston went to Korea and sat in traditional classes for 3 years so it must have a DL component.

    North

     
  4. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Thanks North, it is interesting to see what different diplomas look like. When I first viewed the page, the first thing I thought was that Potch has a pretty cheap-looking diploma. My second thought was that it probably isn't such a great idea to post images of diplomas on the net. I've seen fake credential services that will discount a fake diploma for you if you send in a scan of a legitimate diploma from a school they don't have on file. IOW, send in a copy of a real Bachelor's, get a discount on a fake Master's.


    Bruce




    [Note: This message has been edited by Bruce]
     
  5. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    I find the aesthetics of diplomas very interesting. They range from the rather plain to the ornate. I have a liking for diplomas that are in Latin although I do not possess any. Although it may be just for a niche group a diploma display of the history of diplomas in a museum would be interesting.

    I have seen diplomas on display for hsitorical purposes in a couple of locations. There is an honorary masters in the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum in Florida awarded by Dartmouth (if memory serves correct) to Mr. Ripley. At my son's old elementary school they have had on display at some functions the college diploma of the person whom the school was named after.

    Nonetheless, I think it would make for an interesting exhibit. Something like, "Scholarly Pursuits Through the Ages."

    John
     
  6. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Rick's Korean must be better than mine, I checked their website and couldn't make heads or tails of it.
    http://myhome.netsgo.com/btmi/


    Bruce
     
  7. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    How normal is it to have 3 Masters and 3 Doctorates? At 2 years per Masters and 3 per Doctorate that equals approximately 15 years of fulltime study past the 4 years required for the Bachelors. Is that more in line with what Theology students typically do? Thanks for your help.

    Dave
     
  8. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Probably very unusual, but not unheard of. I myself have either been going to school or investigating programs for so long, that I'd probably feel the need to take on something else if I ever do complete a doctorate.

    However, based on what I was able to see from the scanned diplomas, Rick earned his Potch Ph.D. in 2000, and his M.Div. from the Korean school in 2001, meaning he must have been doing them simultaneously assuming 2-3 years for each one (that's if the Korean school is legitimate). I don't know where he gets the time to run his school or have a life, unless he doesn't sleep.


    Bruce
     
  9. Barry

    Barry New Member

    It is extremely unusual. In addition, Rick forgot to put up his Ph.D. from Bethany Bible College and Seminary in Dothan, AL. So we're actually talking about four doctorates -- 3 Ph.Ds and 1 D.Min. That's fairly incredible!

    Barry
     
  10. Howard

    Howard New Member

    Bethany Bible College is not a diploma mill, pe se, but I doubt if anyone could tell the difference. So the degrees from there probably didn't take a lot of time. Howard.
     
  11. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Some people watch 20 hours a week of football on the TV; some always seem to be involved in one or more degree programs. I cannot recall the particulars of Dennis Huber, one of the original "gang of six" on the news group. Steve "Only 3 Degrees" Levicoff once itemized his degrees. I seem to recall 2 or perhaps it was 3 RA doctorates, along with a law degree, and 4 or 5 lower degrees.

    John "Also only three degrees, but anticipating a certificate when our new puppy completes her Sirius Puppy Training Course in two weeks" Bear
     
  12. samc79

    samc79 New Member

    A direct translation of the Korean name of "Korea Reformed Theological Seminary" from http://myhome.netsgo.com/btmi/se-info.htm
    is Koryo Reformed Theological Research Institute. They say that they are "supported" by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, but upon checking the PCK web site
    (http://www.pck.or.kr/newpck/subindex3-7.htm )
    ,"Korea Reformed Theological Seminary" and/or "Koryo Reformed Theological Research Institute" are not listed among the PCK seminaries. The only seminaries that are listed are: Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary, Seoul Presbyterian Theological College, Daejon Theological College, Honam Theological College, Youngnam Theological College, Pusan Presbyterian Theological College, and Hanil Presbyterian Theological College.

    I find it interesting that the "Korea Reformed Theological Seminary" web site is not in the form www.(insert school name here).ac.kr http://myhome.netsgo.com/ which hosts the "KRTS" site is a "community" web host, like Geocities and Tripod.

    To the best of my knowledge, seminaries in Korea have no DL programs(unless Korean educational philosophy has changed significantly, DL would not be a part of Korean educational philosophy).

    Seminaries in Korea must have government approval. "Today, many local congregations in Korea want their senior pastors to have accredited master's degrees. However, seminaries in Korea that are not regulated by the government can not provide those degrees, in fact, unqualified seminaries break the law if they grant degrees."
    (from http://www.cob-net.org/church/pswd_cbs_indu1.htm )

    The Korean Ministry of Education web site does not contain a list of accredited seminaries. http://www.moe.go.kr/english/other/other3.html
    I don't know where to find such a list.

    As an interesting aside, when a search was done for "Reformed College and Theological Seminary" the only site that came up http://baguioatc.org/prof/sijang-1.htm
    shows a Soon Il Jang, who lists "Bernadean University" as one of the schools he attended.

    ------------------
    Sam C
    www.uci.edu
    UCI 2002
    [email protected]
    Confusion is just the path to insight and knowledge
     
  13. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Having a school called "Columbia Seminary" suggests a connection to Columbia University. Perhaps that's by design. In any case, if people are interested in religious education at a seminary affiliated with Columbia University, why not try Union Theological Seminary:
    http://www.uts.columbia.edu/

    Of course, it's not distance education, I believe, but you get to enjoy a wonderful building and a first-rate theological library where you can do real research. (I've never been affiliated with it, but I have visited it when I worked nearby, and when I donated a rare book.)
     
  14. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Actually, I thought the Potch degree looked much more professional than the others. It has the same general appearance of a Th.D. I saw on the wall of a prof I had in Canada. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

    If anyone knows anything about the Korea Reformed Theological Seminary and can post more that might be interesting. I appreciate what someone posted already regarding Korean Seminaries.

    North

     
  15. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    in european eyes, the potch degree (and its size) look perfectly normal, regular and professional (gosh, my german master´s degree looks A LOT MORE like a printing from microsoft word [​IMG] ) - in the contrary, those small sized american certificates look totally strange to me...

    grees,
    trigger
     
  16. CLSeibel

    CLSeibel Member

    I'm sure that Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA (an ATS-accreditted seminary founded in 1828, and affiliated with Emory University) and Columbia Biblical Seminary of South Carolina (an ATS-accredited evangelical seminary that enjoys internationl respect) would wish to take issue with this notion.
     
  17. Guest

    Guest Guest

    You don't mention when the South Carolina school was founded, but the date of the founding of the Georgia school is pertinent. In the distant past, the world "Columbia" called up images of American patriotism and, perhaps, peace. A school that is founded today that calls itself "Columbia" is inevitably inviting comparisons to and confusion with Columbia University.

    You might also note some intellectual property law concepts. My understanding is that under trademark law, other small, local businesses or institutions could use a trademark instituted by another concern if the latter concern does not have a national presence, or if the otherwise infringing businesses or institutions are purely local and were named in all innocence of any knowledge of there being a similarly named concern in their field. With institutions of higher learning founded today, such a state of ignorance would be highly improbable, since Columbia is one of the major universities in the United States.

    Not to be too rude, but I find the idea of an "ATS-accredited evangelical seminary that enjoys internationl [sic] respect" rather comical. International respect on the part of what parties?
     
  18. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Sic--the "word" Columbia. I sometimes make typos myself.
     
  19. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Gotta give the man credit. At least he didn't grant himself a degree from Columbia. Also, this is the first time that I can remember he acknowledges a Bethany degree.
     
  20. Tom Head

    Tom Head New Member

    ATS accreditation is the highest vocational accreditation available to seminaries and schools of theology. ATS-accredited seminaries can be described as above RA (just as an ABET-accredited engineering program is above RA), and the vast majority hold regional accreditation to go with the ATS accreditation.

    Now, as for the Columbia issue: Has it occurred to you, or anyone else, to simply ask Rick why he chose the name? It used to be Faraston, then Columbia Evangelical, and now (presumably) Columbia. I assume he took out "Evangelical" as a nod to his ecumenical student body, but his web page very openly states that his school doesn't hold recognized accreditation, and I don't see how anyone remotely familiar with Rick Walston's history can reasonably assume that the Columbia name was chosen to cause confusion.


    Cheers,

    ------------------
    Tom Head
    www.tomhead.net

    co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press)
    co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)
     

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