Why American Sentinel University???

It struck me yesterday as I was doing a healthcare professional degree search, that many Nursing DNPs come from American Sentinel University. This school is DEAC accredited (supposedly poo-pooed in Higher Ed), but their grads work at reputable state Nursing programs. What gives here? Why and how would this be possible, when DEAC is supposedly junk, being NA as opposed to RA?

 

Well, it's pretty much a specialist type school with Nursing degrees at different levels being almost the sole focus. They probably advertise heavily in nursing journals, etc. and so have become a familiar name. Plus, maybe they're good at what they do. Also, their status in "higher ed" may not matter much because probably most of these Nurses are not trying to teach at RA universities, they are working as Nurses or Nursing Administrators in hospitals or other types of healthcare facilities. That's my guess.

 

Cody,

Kizmet's answer is correct concerning the teaching end of it, but NA-DEAC degrees are not junk.

I graduated from Aspen University with a BSBA costing me under $5000, by the end of that year I received a promotion, because of my degree, that bumped me up $15,000 more per year. A few years before that I received a promotion with my $3000 Ashworth College Associates degree and received a $7000 raise that year.

The company I work for, hired a Electronics Engineer with a BSEET degree from Grantham University with 5 years exp for $92,000 yr.

DEAC schools are fine, but it all depends on the degree and the field you would like to use it in.


Regards,
Michael

 

Aside from holding accreditation from a CHEA and DoE recognized accreditor, the nursing programs hold two professional accreditations from Nursing program accreditors. I would guess that job postings will require a degree accredited by them (that being their gold standard).

 

I don’t think deac is junk. First time seen i seen it being described as such. I think the biggest issue is trying to continue education from deac to ra. A secondary issue is some professional organizations, and employers may specify ra which is they perogative. Deac is perfect for professional development, thus the dnp.

 

You are correct! Nursing program accreditation is a huge plus! However, the individual effort to earn a nationally accredited BSN, MSN or Doctorate looks as rigorous and in many cases more costly than a regionally accredited school. I think the RA school would have far greater utility, especially if one is even remotely interested in teaching. To me, it looks like a "for profit" grab by DEAC accredited schools to offer these kind of programs. Although they must have customer, I mean student demand!

 

It's always interesting to read review sites. It's not always easy to know what to conclude

https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/American-Sentinel-University-Reviews-E944358.htm

 

Footnote re: Grantham. The school is and long has been accredited by DEAC and its predecessor organizations. www.grantham.edu/about-grantham/accreditation-and-affiliations/

However, unique among DEAC institutions as far as I know, Grantham's BSEET is accredited by ABET TAC. For would-be engineers, this is a very, very big deal. A large majority of state boards of engineering generally allow only graduates of ABET accredited programs to take the professional engineering license exams. This is even more important for BSET grads than BSEE (or equivalent) grads. Many states that allow engineering graduates from schools not accredited by ABET EAC to submit alternative qualifications do not grant BSET grads the same latitude. For the latter, it's ABET or nothing.

Bottom line is that if a Grantham grad can pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, s/he can receive a State certificate as an engineering intern. From there, it's a matter of accumulating experience and passing the P/E exam to become a professional engineer.